Recordings That You Are Considering

[Brian]

What's the current asking price?

Just shy of $200, appears to be going OOP. At that price, probably more of a "learn about him by streaming" thing.

[Todd]

Just shy of $200, appears to be going OOP. At that price, probably more of a "learn about him by streaming" thing.

I have the DG Perlman box and a handful of the Warner recordings.  Make no mistake, at his best, Perlman easily ranks with the very best.  That's his thing.  His Warner concerto recordings with Giulini are top notch, for instance, and his LvB Violin sonatas with Ashkenazy are, as well (in the DG box).  At $200, I'd look close at the repertoire.  I vaguely recall looking at the Warner contents and not buying because while the money was no issue, the repertoire didn't excite me enough to go for the big box, whereas the DG one works nicely.

[JBS]

There is this option
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[asin]B00AK3X3XS[/asin]

The white box is older. Everything in it is in the blue box, but the latter has a real booklet with track listings, the format is original jackets, and these recordings:
Film soundtracks to "Hero" by Tan Dun [who did some violin solos] and "Memoirs of a Geisha" by John Williams, both complete "Cinema Serenade" albums (the white box has only a selection), his CD of Jewish religious music done in partnership with Cantor Yitzchak Helfgott, and the Mendelssohn piano trio CD he did with Ax and Ma.
So the choice boils down to whether you are interested in film scores and do you prefer original jacket formats.

ETA
Because of the original jackets format, the blue box also has a performance of Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante with Isaac Stern and Pinchas Zuckerman that is not in the white box.

[mc ukrneal]

Just shy of $200, appears to be going OOP. At that price, probably more of a "learn about him by streaming" thing.

About $164 with shipping from Amazon UK (just fyi).

[vers la flamme]

Thoughts? It's real cheap.

[Daverz]

Thoughts? It's real cheap.

I guess this replaces many of the masses in the old box with HIP recordings by Gardiner.   I'm not giving up my copy of the old box:

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[Jo498]

Apparently Masses 9-12 and Te Deum xiii c2 are with Gardiner. The Stabat Mater is with Heltay (org. Argo). Guest and PReston do the remaining Masses as presumeably in the London box.

[Biffo]

Thoughts? It's real cheap.

I have accumulated much of its content (same recordings or alternatives) over the years starting with the Argo box of the Last Six Masses (Guest/Willcocks), Guest recordings duplicated on CD, the Gardiner Last Six collected piecemeal and supplemented by Hickox and Pinnock. I am probably missing some of the early masses but can live with that.

[Jo498]

I have a bunch of single discs and still another very cheap box from Decca eloquence that contains the Guest/Willcocks/Preston masses, plus the two oratorios with Marriner

[Madiel]

Okay, I don't know these performances. But I'd like to point out that none of you who have responded have actually said a single clear thing about whether the performances are any good or not.

[Jo498]

I think for some of the early masses, Preston is still one of about two available options (Naxos being the other). Back in the 70s there was not much choice for the late masses either, so Guest was also among the very few options. I think they are a mixed bag, partly because of the soloists and one has to like/tolerate boy's choir, and, if one wants the best superceded by more recent efforts, such as Harnoncourt (whose are by no means unanimously liked). Or the 1980s EMI/Marriner from Dresden for non-HIP. But I am by no means very knowledgeable about these pieces and I have not heard any of the Gardiner. (They should in theory be very good but I think the reception was not as enthusiastic as one could have expected.) The price of the box is right and I'd expect the performances to be good enough to get to know the music.

[Biffo]

When I made my posting I forgot I had four of the last six masses from Bernstein - fine performances but definitely not HIP.

[JBS]

Okay, I don't know these performances. But I'd like to point out that none of you who have responded have actually said a single clear thing about whether the performances are any good or not.

I'll take up the challenge.
I think the Gardiner masses are very good, the rest at least serviceable and sometimes excellent. I prefer the Naxos set, but I have no idea of what the pricing is on that. If the price difference is substantial, this Decca set should serve your purpose.

[vers la flamme]

The alternative I'm looking at is Hickox/Collegium Musicum 90 on Chandos/Chaconne. Both sound good to me.

Who do we like for the Handel organ concertos...?

[Brian]

The alternative I'm looking at is Hickox/Collegium Musicum 90 on Chandos/Chaconne. Both sound good to me.

Who do we like for the Handel organ concertos...?

I have the Harmonia Mundi series and the Pinnock complete Handel recordings box (which was only like $30 recently). Both are really good and enjoyable. Pinnock has a bigger more churchy organ and Egarr a smaller stagier one, if that influences your vote. Personally I prefer big, boomy organs, but I know this music isn't suited to it.

[Todd]

Yesterday, whilst driving, I heard part of a performance of 18/5 unlike any I've heard.  I finally got around to checking what it was on the radio station's playlist, and it is from the Eybler Quartet. 

[amw]

They're very good. Kind of like the Budapest Quartet's 1951-2 or 1929-41 sets, but on period instruments, and with better intonation.

[Biffo]

The alternative I'm looking at is Hickox/Collegium Musicum 90 on Chandos/Chaconne. Both sound good to me.

Who do we like for the Handel organ concertos...?

I have the Pinnock/Preston Archiv 3 CD box which fulfils my needs in this area.

[Jo498]

Who do we like for the Handel organ concertos...?

As I wrote in another thread, my favorite is Tachezi/Harnoncourt, because it has a playful small organ but they still take the pieces seriously.
I have also Koopman (easy to find opp.4+7, the 3rd disc not so easy), an old one with Collegium Aureum (oop), op.3 with Egarr and two with modern intruments in boxes, Marriner/Malcolm (Decca, I show only the twofer, but there is a larger box as well) and Schmitt/Matt (Brilliant). They are also good and the organ does not overwhelm the chamber orchestra. The latter is ubercomplete with the harp and the organ version of op.4,6 and the organ fugues thrown in for good measure. The best option is probably the Brilliant organ concerto box because this has a few more nice things, especially the Haydn concertos. But be sure to check what is cheaper. On the twofers with opp.4+7 only you miss the "Cuckoo and Nightingale that does not belong to any of them.
I had also one disc with Preston/Pinnock which is also pretty good, a bit larger scale maybe.

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[Todd]

They're very good. Kind of like the Budapest Quartet's 1951-2 or 1929-41 sets, but on period instruments, and with better intonation.

Thanks.  On the to buy list.  Any quartet with Julia Wedman in the mix should be good.