Recordings That You Are Considering

[ChamberNut]

Is this required?

[Brian]

I'm just on my first journey through it right now, packing it as car listening. It will probably come down to your interest in the repertoire. First I suggest you go through Madiel's post history since he has been posting about each disc.

But if you love woodwinds - the repertoire is fun and fairly diverse, the album covers are amusing (shirtless Edo de Waart alert!), I wouldn't say the ensemble has a distinctive instrumental sound like, say, the 50s Czech winds or old Paris orchestras, but they are truly and consistently excellent.

There aren't exactly tons of woodwind box sets; I have this and the Philadelphia Quintet box, which have almost zero overlap of repertoire.

[Madiel]

Is this required?

Yes.

I mean, not every single disc is a must have but to me it does SUCH a good job of hitting some really key works in the woodwind literature. You get all the Mozart (and even some spurious non-Mozart), all the Beethoven, the Strauss, the Stravinsky, the Dvorak serenade. I certainly don't regret it being in my collection.

[SimonNZ]

Considering:



Contents
CD 1

MATTEO DA PERUGIA Secular Works

CDs 2–6

DU FAY Complete Secular Music

CDs 7 & 8

OCKEGHEM Complete Secular Music

CD 9

Ce Diabolic Chant: Ballades, Rondeaus and Virelais of the late 14th century (GALIOT · GUIDO · OLIVIER · SENLECHES · SUZOY)

CD 10

MACHAUT 2 Polyphonic Lais

CD 11

Mi Verry Joy: Songs of 15th-century Englishmen (BEDYNGHAM · DUNSTABLE · FRYE · HERT)

CD 12

ISAAC Chansons, Frottole & Lieder

CD 13

JOSQUIN DESPREZ Missa di dadi · Missa "Faisant regretz"

CD 14

JOSQUIN Secular Music

[JBS]

Considering:



Contents
CD 1

MATTEO DA PERUGIA Secular Works

CDs 2–6

DU FAY Complete Secular Music

CDs 7 & 8

OCKEGHEM Complete Secular Music

CD 9

Ce Diabolic Chant: Ballades, Rondeaus and Virelais of the late 14th century (GALIOT · GUIDO · OLIVIER · SENLECHES · SUZOY)

CD 10

MACHAUT 2 Polyphonic Lais

CD 11

Mi Verry Joy: Songs of 15th-century Englishmen (BEDYNGHAM · DUNSTABLE · FRYE · HERT)

CD 12

ISAAC Chansons, Frottole & Lieder

CD 13

JOSQUIN DESPREZ Missa di dadi · Missa "Faisant regretz"

CD 14

JOSQUIN Secular Music

Ooh, thank you. I didn't know it existed. Just ordered it. (The Dufay and Ockeghem being the main attractions.)

[Que]

Considering:

It's on sale at jpc, right?    I did consider it as well.

[Mandryka]

Considering:



Contents
CD 1

MATTEO DA PERUGIA Secular Works

CDs 2–6

DU FAY Complete Secular Music

CDs 7 & 8

OCKEGHEM Complete Secular Music

CD 9

Ce Diabolic Chant: Ballades, Rondeaus and Virelais of the late 14th century (GALIOT · GUIDO · OLIVIER · SENLECHES · SUZOY)

CD 10

MACHAUT 2 Polyphonic Lais

CD 11

Mi Verry Joy: Songs of 15th-century Englishmen (BEDYNGHAM · DUNSTABLE · FRYE · HERT)

CD 12

ISAAC Chansons, Frottole & Lieder

CD 13

JOSQUIN DESPREZ Missa di dadi · Missa "Faisant regretz"

CD 14

JOSQUIN Secular Music

Well I think it's very good indeed.

[Mandryka]

[Mister Sharpe]

Considered and Ordered. I remembered a promise to myself years ago to listen to Pimpinone : Die Ungleiche Heirat zwischen Vespetta und Pimpinone oder Das herrsch-süchtige Camer Mägden (The Unequal Marriage Between Vespetta and Pimpinone or The Domineering Chambermaid) and was convinced by a NYTimes article from June 28, 2025: "Pimpinone" belongs to a long-obsolete genre of classical music, the intermezzo, a short comedy intended to be broken up and performed between the acts of a dramatic or tragic opera. Its everyday characters have jobs, worry about money and fall prey to gossip, in stark contrast to the noble bearing and life-or-death stakes of the mythological and historical personages of opera seria." The story itself bears some similarity to Pergolesi's La Serva Padrona that followed 8 years later and I'm also curious to see what Telemann made of a plot that may have had similarities with his own high-living, cheating wife. 

[Florestan]

Considered and Ordered. I remembered a promise to myself years ago to listen to Pimpinone : Die Ungleiche Heirat zwischen Vespetta und Pimpinone oder Das herrsch-süchtige Camer Mägden (The Unequal Marriage Between Vespetta and Pimpinone or The Domineering Chambermaid) and was convinced by a NYTimes article from June 28, 2025: "Pimpinone" belongs to a long-obsolete genre of classical music, the intermezzo, a short comedy intended to be broken up and performed between the acts of a dramatic or tragic opera. Its everyday characters have jobs, worry about money and fall prey to gossip, in stark contrast to the noble bearing and life-or-death stakes of the mythological and historical personages of opera seria." The story itself bears some similarity to Pergolesi's La Serva Padrona that followed 8 years later and I'm also curious to see what Telemann made of a plot that may have had similarities with his own high-living, cheating wife. 

The same subject has been tackled by Albinoni as well:

[Que]

Das herrsch-süchtige Camer Mägden

Brilliant! 

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Is this series the best remastering among various reissues?

[Mandryka]

https://www.pigasus-shop.com/store/karol-szymanowski/the-kurpie-songs.html

[Madiel]

This box compiles Dutoit's recordings of Poulenc. I get the impression from some quarters that maybe some if it is very good, and some of it less so??

[Anooj]

I previously have Kempff's 1950s mono cycle, Pollini's late sonatas from the '70s, and some highlights from Brendel's 2nd cycle on Philips. I like them all, but I kind of want another cycle that's more on the intense side as a companion piece to the above (as Kempff and Brendel have rather introspective takes on this material - not in a bad sense). Is this set a good choice?

[Madiel]

I previously have Kempff's 1950s mono cycle, Pollini's late sonatas from the '70s, and some highlights from Brendel's 2nd cycle on Philips. I like them all, but I kind of want another cycle that's more on the intense side as a companion piece to the above (as Kempff and Brendel have rather introspective takes on this material - not in a bad sense). Is this set a good choice?

In my view yes. I have a different box (cover below) but I've just been able to check the recording dates and confirm it's the same series (recorded 1991-2002). It would definitely fit the bill of being more on the intense side. Only in the Appassionata do I personally find it a bit too much for my tastes. Otherwise I find it very engaging. And for example it made sense of the Hammerklavier for me when I hadn't found the piece held together with Brendel.

So I think you'd be happy with it.

[Wanderer]

Is this set a good choice?

Yes. A very good choice.