Poll: FUN Purchase Dilemma!! You can help me spend my money!

[mc ukrneal]

So, I have a coupon at B&N. These are the best deals in terms of what I want that I could find (the first three range anywhere from $1-2 better than the next best price I can find). They are the price to me after tax and shipping (if any - so it's an all in price). Page Eight is totally different and a wrench in the works, and I am more inclined to wait on this one (but I included it here for at least discussion purposes). I've asked in the movie thread if anyone has seen that. Which would you buy?

Some background:
-Bach: Wasn't going to buy it until I heard the excerpts and liked them. Have a couple of CPE discs already and like them.
-Old Czech Marches: Harry's raving about this one and I eat this sort of stuff up. Of course, I have many releases with music like this (but not this one).
-Foulds: Never heard this and it sounds great on the excerpts. Hard to find a good price on this.

Here is what we are talking about:
[asin]B004FGQZWW[/asin]
[asin]B00005TPFC[/asin]
[asin]B000ZBPPXQ[/asin]
[asin]B005DJ7AYC[/asin]

[Willoughby earl of Itacarius]

You know my vote, go for the Czech's

[DieNacht]

Voted Foulds. It´s by far the most ambitious and original work & you´ll be supporting the small Foulds trend; there are still so many of his works which haven´t been recorded.
What are the chances that one will be listening to Czech marches say 10 times ?

[Willoughby earl of Itacarius]

What are the chances that one will be listening to Czech marches say 10 times ?

I am am quite sure that Neal will listen more then 10 times to the Czech Marches, for they are artistically and as a performance very good.

[cjvinthechair]

Listening to Foulds now - quite stunning;can see why it was (and should again be) such a mainstay of Remembrance festivals.

[DavidW]

Staier is awesome, CPE Bach is awesome... sounds like a win win situation!

[Geo Dude]

Staier is awesome, CPE Bach is awesome... sounds like a win win situation!

My set is in the mail so I can't speak directly to this statement, but it did get some great reviews.

[North Star]

Carl Philipp Emanuel Staier.

[Mirror Image]

I would choose Shostakovich: Complete Symphonies w/ Oleg Caetani conducting the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi.

[North Star]

I would choose Shostakovich: Complete Symphonies w/ Oleg Caetani conducting the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi.

There is no banana option in the poll, though.

[kishnevi]

I voted for Foulds, as the most interesting of the choices.
1) I know the Staier is almost universally praised, but it didn't impress as much as most of his other recordings.  Mostly a question of balance--the solo instrument seemed overpowered by the orchestra much of the time, to my ears.
2) The Marches is kind of cheap already.  Why waste a coupon on it?  Order it as a side dish, so to speak.
3) I've been using my recent coupons to order Savall's series of French orchestral music (Rameau, etc.) on Alia Vox.  You might want to check them out before you make a final decision.

I'll probably be using my coupons at a B&M for a change--see if there's anything they've received as a new release.  Or else maybe order the Foulds.

Just remembered as I'm typing this that Arkivmusic is running a sale on Chandos at the moment.  There's a slim chance they have a better price on the Foulds, if you haven't looked there yet.

[SonicMan46]

Staier is awesome, CPE Bach is awesome... sounds like a win win situation!

Neal - I'm w/ David among those choices!

[springrite]

I'd go with Foulds without hesitation.

[eyeresist]

I picked the Czech marches, but then realised the concertos were CPE, not JS. In which case I would like to split my vote.

[Wanderer]

I'd go with Foulds without hesitation.

Ditto.

[mc ukrneal]

Thanks for all the feedback. Czech marches is out of stock, so won't be that one. I have found Page Eight at a similar price, so that can wait too. I've looked at the Alia Vox discs, and the price is quite close to another site (maybe 50 cents less), so that is not a reason to get it right now. That leaves it to Fould vs Staier and I will listen tomorrow morning with fresh ears and decide then. Fould got more support than I was expecting! And for the one I don't get, well, I will probably get it eventually anyway!