Big boxes you have yet to get through for the first time

[Willoughby earl of Itacarius]

I made a quick count, but I have close to 50 boxes containing about 450 discs they did not see the inside of my player yet.
Not bad huh?

[Mirror Image]

I have many of them, but a few off the top of my head...









By the way, Ray (Chambernut), you'll want to checkout the Brahms Zinman at some point. I haven't heard a note from this set, but it comes with beautiful 40+ booklet and the three CDs are housed in a book with a hard spine and everything. Think the deluxe packaging similar to the Szymanowski Boulez DG recording and the Tchaikovsky Nutcracker Rattle EMI recording.

[Todd]

I don't see how Ring cycles are box sets in the standard set.  How can you listen to an entire Ring without having an entire Ring? 

[Mirror Image]

I don't see how Ring cycles are box sets in the standard set.  How can you listen to an entire Ring without having an entire Ring?

Todd, the Ring consists of four operas, therefore, each of these operas have been released separately prior to being released together. Solti's, Karajan's, Barenboim's, Levine's, etc. were originally issued separately. Each opera is a box set unto itself.

[bigshot]

I only feel guilty if I haven't ripped the CDs into my music server yet. I rejoice in having great music I haven't heard yet.

I have the complete Liszt and Russian Masterworks sets to rip.

[The new erato]

What a strange and unnecessary discussion.

Some define a box as a set of discs.

Others as a set of works and consider the Ring as one work.

So what? Grow up......

[madaboutmahler]

[asin]B0000041K7[/asin]

[asin]B000026D4K[/asin]

[asin]B0002RUAFQ[/asin]

[asin]B000BQ7BX2[/asin]

All of these I think I brought at least a year ago.... I need more listening time!

[Karl Henning]

I don't quite see those boxes like this. I buy CD boxes in the same way as I buy books: as a resource to last a lifetime.

Once again; you are the man!

[prémont]

Since long I ceased counting the number of unlistened-to CD´s on my shelves. A cautious estimate would be between 500 and 1000. Most of these CDs are contents of boxes with more than four CDs. For some reason it is easier to listen to fx six single CDs rather than to get through a box with six CDs. Not to mention boxes with thirty CDs or more.

[Lethevich]

[asin]B000026D4K[/asin]

Ahhh, give at least the Don Quixote a go, this recording should impress you enough to move the rest far up your listening pile Very dignified, massive orchestral sound - variation VII sweeps all before it in its wonderful capturing of all the orchestral lines. It's so easy for this part to get all muffled.

[madaboutmahler]

Ahhh, give at least the Don Quixote a go, this recording should impress you enough to move the rest far up your listening pile Very dignified, massive orchestral sound - variation VII sweeps all before it in its wonderful capturing of all the orchestral lines. It's so easy for this part to get all muffled.

Will do! Thank you for letting me know of this - There are not many recordings of Don Quixote that I like as a whole, so would be very interested to hear the Kempe now that you recommend it. Thanks again!

[Coopmv]

Those are just the big boxes not so far listened to. I guess there are quite a few other discs seen but not heard.

Mike

I actually knock out the singles pretty fast.  It is only the big box that takes me much longer to get through ...

[Coopmv]

Two boxes:

- 200 Years of Music at Versailles
- Works of Igor Stravinsky

halfway through Stravinsky box, less than half through Versailles

I actually knocked out the "200 Years of Music at Versailles" relatively quickly.  I remember it took me over two years to get through that Bach set on BC ...

[kishnevi]

I have so many to listen to.
The Elgar and Essential Sibelius box sets are half complete
Barely touched--the Hogwood/AAM set of Mozart Symphonies
Staring me in the face waiting to get a listen: the Hanssler Bachakademie and the Brilliant 100CD symphony boxes.  The Hanssler at least has a reason for the delay--I wanted to finish the first listen to of Gardiner's cantata series, then Savall's Bach recordings and what I have of Herreweghe's recordings of the cantatas.   That's almost complete.
Also untouched as yet--the Dorati box set of the Haydn operas, the Noone Victoria box, the Byrd complete keyboard works (Moroney), the complete Tallis (Chambre du Roy), the British Symphonies Collection, the last installment of the Bohm Ring cycle, and most of the Levine Ring DVD set (everything except Rheingold).   And I've now listened to 3 of the 12 Frescobaldi CDs in that Tactus, which I intend to finish off before the Brilliant Complete Frescobaldi arrives from MDT.

And that doesn't count a number of smaller size sets (3 to 6 CDs) that are awaiting their turn in the pile, and the ones in transit or or order.

I do tend to get through the single and duo CDs quickly---mostly because when I have finished them, I can actually see my "listen to" pile visibly diminish.  Box sets take a while longer, naturally.

I have however decided to significantly ease up on my purchases next. so I can make sure I can properly explore all this music.

[marvinbrown]

I thought it would be interesting to compare notes on big boxes any of us who have yet to get through for the first time.  Let me start ...

  Now listening to CD2 - 18 more CD's to go.
  40 CD's to go
  40 CD's to go
  30 CD's to go
  12 CD's to go (not started)
  13 CD's to go
  24 CD's to go
  25 CD's to go
  12 CD's to go
  14 CD's to go
  Not started
  31 CD's to go

  I do not have any big boxsets that I have yet to go through for the first time.  The only big boxset I have is the 60 CD boxset of Bach's sacred cantatas Harnoncourt/Leonhardt set that you posted above.  I purchased it in early 2008 and have listened to it twice in its entirety- no easy task I assure you.  I see you are struggling to get through that set Coopmv  .  One method I used to help me grasp it was to take it slow and listen to 1 CD per day, then listen to other works by other composers.  That way I didn't tire (not that Bach is tiresome in any way but come on 60 CD of cantatas and nothing but is enough to make even the most avid Bach listener throw in the towel).


 
marvin

[flyingdutchman]

With so many boxes and other cds to listen to, I think a lot of people just list all these to say, "look at me, I listened to all this music."  I'm not sure it was at all enjoyable, but see here, I listened to it all."  Almost like a contest to see who can say they listened to the most music.

[Elgarian]

With so many boxes and other cds to listen to, I think a lot of people just list all these to say, "look at me, I listened to all this music."  I'm not sure it was at all enjoyable, but see here, I listened to it all."  Almost like a contest to see who can say they listened to the most music.

I think that's an unnecessarily harsh view of it. I doubt very much if the 'contest' aspect is present in any of these posts. And who among us, having built up an extensive library of books, or of records, doesn't get harmless pleasure from contemplating it from time to time, and taking a fresh look at how the personal journey is progressing? The books we buy, and the music we choose - these are important reflections of the way we engage with the world, and it can be (and is, and perhaps even should be) celebrated in a variety of ways. I enjoy seeing my box of Brahms chamber music or my BIS Sibelius box on the shelf, knowing that over half of their contents is still unexplored territory. Why (if I feel so inclined) should I not talk about that here?

[Lethevich]

I would be more inclined not to mention most things that I didn't enjoy listening to (or have no opinion on)... GMG works very poorly as a listening log - the listening thread is more like twitter, opposed to a blog.