New Releases

[George]

Glad they are finally releasing "Mendelssohn: The Great Edition" so I can finally throw out my old copy of "Mendelssohn: The Mediocre Edition."

I wonder if there are enough surviving paintings and watercolors by Felix to do 40 CD sleeves for it.

I wonder how it will compare with this one (and if anyone here it):

[Brian]

FNAC has contents of CDs 1-24:
https://www.fnac.es/a10447710/Felix-Mendelssohn-Box-Set-Mendelssohn-The-Great-Edition-40-CDs-Disco#omnsearchpos=1

Piano solo: Daniel Adni, Sylvia Kersenbaum, Annie d'Arco, Aleksandar Sardar, Doomin Kim, Helmut Roloff, and a single track of Samson Francois (Rondo capriccioso)

Organ solo: Marie-Claire Alain

Violin sonata (just one): Vengerov
Cello sonatas: Lodeon
Piano trios: Trio Fontenay
Sextet: Buniatishvili and friends live at Lugano 2009
String quartets: a mixture of the Artemis, Alban Berg, and Cherubini quartets
Octet: Eder + Kreuzberger
Piano quartets: Domus
String quintets: Quatuor Viotti with Gerard Caussé

Piano concertos: Katsaris/Masur
Violin Concerto No. 2: Vengerov/Masur
Violin/piano concerto: HIP with Stair, Kussmaul, and Concerto Koln
Youthful violin and piano concertos with Kantorow and Katsaris

Symphonies: Masur
String symphonies: Concerto Koln

And then it cuts off at CD24 on my device. It definitely seems like this is not an area where the Warner catalogue is at its deepest or best.

[Florestan]

I wonder how it will compare with this one (and if anyone here it):

Or with these ones:

[Brian]

Naxos really fast-tracked that Franck/Chausson album, it was recorded this month!!! and is scheduled for release in January. Sessions ended November 4, release date January 5.

[Todd]

FNAC has contents of CDs 1-24:
https://www.fnac.es/a10447710/Felix-Mendelssohn-Box-Set-Mendelssohn-The-Great-Edition-40-CDs-Disco#omnsearchpos=1

Piano solo: Daniel Adni,

Adni's Lieder Ohne Worte are excellent, and the set has a first release of other of his Mendelssohn recordings.  I won't buy the box for that, but I will stream the pieces if available.

[Todd]

One of my best purchases of 2024.

[Madiel]

Or with these ones:

Well it's hard to know whether I want masterworks or masterpieces, but only one of them promises me completeness.

[Symphonic Addict]

Suppé's Fantasia Symphonica is the closest thing to a symphony we have by him, 32-minute long in four movements. Hopefully it will be worth listening.

[Symphonic Addict]

[Florestan]

Well it's hard to know whether I want masterworks or masterpieces, but only one of them promises me completeness.

It promises but it does not deliver. It has only 30 CDs as opposed to the 40 of the other one, which is by far more complete. I know because I have them both. 

Or, it may so be that the masterpieces are a subset of the masterworks.   

Seriously now, I think Mendelssohn's genuine masterworks/masterpieces could easily fit in far, far fewer than 30 or 40 CDs.   

[Roy Bland]

[Mandryka]

No Grosse Fugue.

[Roasted Swan]

It promises but it does not deliver. It has only 30 CDs as opposed to the 40 of the other one, which is by far more complete. I know because I have them both. 

Or, it may so be that the masterpieces are a subset of the masterworks. 

Seriously now, I think Mendelssohn's genuine masterworks/masterpieces could easily fit in far, far fewer than 30 or 40 CDs.   

I have the blue "masterworks" box.  The range of music is very good, the performances are solid but rarely great.  You get a lot of the Choral Psalms as well as the solo organ works both of which I found interesting simply because I had not previously encountered them.  The Symphonies/String Symphonies are again all OK.  I've had a few of these 40 CD Masterworks boxes and to be honest have preferred a couple of the others - the Dvorak one for instance has some genuinely very fine (not that well known) performances in there.

[Brian]

"Between 1961 and 1970, Columbia recorded him in a "Historic Organs of Europe" series, performing music by Bach, Buxtehude, Couperin, Dunstable, Frescobaldi, Andrea and Giovanni Gabrieli, Purcell, Soler, Sweelinck, Tallis and many others.

"In his original notes to this ambitious project, which Sony Classical is now reissuing complete in a collection of 6 CDs, Biggs wrote: "It is fascinating to play a composer's music on the organ he played. You feel that you have touched the lifeline of history. ... Beethoven's orchestra, Bach's choir are all gone, but the same organs on which great musicians played are still available." All CDs are remastered from the original analog tapes using 24 bit / 192 kHz technology and include original LP sleeves, labels and booklet with full discographical notes."

Late January
Looks like the original notes are on the back covers of the CD sleeves in shrunken text and the booklet has a new essay by Jed Distler.

[Mandryka]

The Karolina Nadolska mazurkas have a bit of magic about them. Soulful.

I've also been listening to the Oh-Havenith Humoreske, which so far hasn't really caught my imagination at all  - but I can say that the essay in the booklet is interesting

https://static.qobuz.com/goodies/49/000161094.pdf

[Roasted Swan]

Glad they are finally releasing "Mendelssohn: The Great Edition" so I can finally throw out my old copy of "Mendelssohn: The Mediocre Edition."

I wonder if there are enough surviving paintings and watercolors by Felix to do 40 CD sleeves for it.

Have you bought "Karl Jenkins - the complete Masterworks Edition" yet? ..................................................................................  its a CD single.........

[Madiel]

Have you bought "Karl Jenkins - the complete Masterworks Edition" yet? ..................................................................................  its a CD single.........

Many years ago I read the blog of a quite brilliant writer on pop music. I can't remember the band he was talking about, but he mentioned their Greatest Hits CD and said the only explanation for it having more than one track on it was a manufacturing error.

[steve ridgway]

About time for a 50th anniversary re-release!

[Roasted Swan]

About time for a 50th anniversary re-release!

All those famous tunes in one place.......

[Papy Oli]

Do they deliver the helicopter in a separate box?