Recordings That You Are Considering

Started by George, April 06, 2007, 05:54:08 AM

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Spotted Horses

Quote from: Dry Brett Kavanaugh on October 17, 2021, 07:16:58 PM
Somehow I have a thing about Vox recordings. Should I go for Vols. 1 and 2?

Old recordings from the Grand Duchy of Lumembouegh? Sounds intriguing! :)
There are simply two kinds of music, good music and the other kind. - Duke Ellington

JBS

Vox has some worthwhile stuff, but is best in stuff that doesn't have many recordings, such as Saint-Saens' complete music for solo piano. Alfred Brendel's first Beethoven cycle is also from Vox.

One excellent Vox release (actually two: it comes as a double CD and a five CD set, for a total of seven CDs) is Michael Ponti's recording of Scriabin's sonatas supplemented by a few other works.

Hollywood Beach Broadwalk

Mirror Image

While talking about Vox sets, I do rather like this one:


André

When I was a teen I cut my teeth on chamber music by listening to these two sets:




The Fine Arts and Hungarian quartets were world-renowned ensembles and these finely engineered discs cost peanuts back then.

Jo498

There are two funny things about the Haydn cover. The tonality of op.76/2 is incorrectly given as D major instead of minor, and the nickname is in German whereas the two other ones are in English (admittedly, "Sonnenaufgang" is not as common as the other nicknames in Germany).
Tout le malheur des hommes vient d'une seule chose, qui est de ne savoir pas demeurer en repos, dans une chambre.
- Blaise Pascal

Dry Brett Kavanaugh

Quote from: JBS on October 18, 2021, 06:56:01 PM
Vox has some worthwhile stuff, but is best in stuff that doesn't have many recordings, such as Saint-Saens' complete music for solo piano. Alfred Brendel's first Beethoven cycle is also from Vox.

One excellent Vox release (actually two: it comes as a double CD and a five CD set, for a total of seven CDs) is Michael Ponti's recording of Scriabin's sonatas supplemented by a few other works.

Yes, I have the Brendel and Ponti sets.

Quote from: Mirror Image on October 18, 2021, 09:57:15 PM
While talking about Vox sets, I do rather like this one:



Looks sharp!
That's the orchestra for the Debussy set.

T. D.

Quote from: JBS on October 18, 2021, 06:56:01 PM
Vox has some worthwhile stuff, but is best in stuff that doesn't have many recordings, such as Saint-Saens' complete music for solo piano. Alfred Brendel's first Beethoven cycle is also from Vox.

One excellent Vox release (actually two: it comes as a double CD and a five CD set, for a total of seven CDs) is Michael Ponti's recording of Scriabin's sonatas supplemented by a few other works.

I like their triple-twofers of American string quartets (early, 1900-1950 and 1950-1970). The latter has the best rendition of Crumb's Black Angels I've heard.
The threefer of Alan Mandel playing Ives piano works is pretty good, but the sound quality, as sometimes happens with VoxBoxes, is lacking.

Mirror Image

Quote from: Dry Brett Kavanaugh on October 19, 2021, 04:13:05 PM
Looks sharp!
That's the orchestra for the Debussy set.

Yep, but the main attraction for this 2-CD Milhaud are the Little Symphonies. These works haven't been recorded much --- there's a Koch recording and one on a French label whose name escapes me at the moment, whereas, in that Debussy set, it's much-trodden repertoire that has been recorded numerous times by huge name conductors/orchestras.

Jo498

#16369
The repertoire on the Milhaud is not welll covered elsewhere and has the additional benefit of the composer being involved. I am too young to remember cheap LPs from Vox but the "VoxBoxes" on CD have been mixed bags with great bargains or rarities but also recordings that have been superseded in an age when most standard repertoire is available easily and cheaply.
Besides the Milhaud, there is an interesting Americana disc (I think corresponding to 1+1/2 LPs) with Abravanel and Foss, some symphonies of Michael Haydn (Farberman).

Of more common repertoire, the Mozart and Schubert recordings with Walter Klien and everything with the Trio Kalichstein/Laredo/Robinson are highly regarded (I have heard only a little of the latter and they are good, but of course it is usually well covered terrain with many options).
Tout le malheur des hommes vient d'une seule chose, qui est de ne savoir pas demeurer en repos, dans une chambre.
- Blaise Pascal

MusicTurner

#16370
There's a Rozhdestvensky recording of the Little Symphonies too.

Milhaud composed routinely and massively, like a busy Baroque composer.

I've got many Vox/Turnabout/Candide recordings, partly on LP, and appreciate them a lot. A few were also released is Murray Hill LP boxes, in very, very budgety editions. Some of the content is now in good Brilliant CD boxes, for example a lot of rare piano concerto material, or Gitlis recordings.

Pohjolas Daughter

Quote from: Dry Brett Kavanaugh on October 17, 2021, 07:16:58 PM
Somehow I have a thing about Vox recordings. Should I go for Vols. 1 and 2?
Vox has put out a number of wonderful recordings.  Such as:



And at least one with Rudolf Firkusny...and others.  :)

I recall hearing good things about Fremont's conducting, so am not surprised that you enjoy it.

PD
Pohjolas Daughter

Artem

That Moravec is a desert island disk.

Dry Brett Kavanaugh


vers la flamme

Thoughts on this late Mahler 9th from Bernard Haitink?


André

Quote from: vers la flamme on October 23, 2021, 05:30:44 AM
Thoughts on this late Mahler 9th from Bernard Haitink?



It's very good, with superb playing. I didn't detect much difference with the COA version (apart from the latter's characteristic wind/brass sound at the time). IMO you're better off with the BR box (very inexpensive) where that same performance is coupled with other Haitink/BRSO goodies - including a definitive Bruckner 5, Beethoven Missa Solemnis and Haydn oratorios :




André



This 67discs set duplicates the contents of 2 other boxes but offers added material - about 20-22 discs' worth. It is not complete though, as the japanese WP concerts on DGG are omitted (4 discs, of which I have 3). I have the Symphony Edition and the Late Recordings boxes already, but I'm still tempted to get this.

JBS

Anyone have enough experience with this composer to give an opinion?


Amazon's algorithm popped it into view, and it's cheap enough to take a flyer on it.

Hollywood Beach Broadwalk

vers la flamme


Brahmsian

Quote from: vers la flamme on November 27, 2021, 07:15:46 AM


Thoughts?

Interesting. I am not familiar with this set, though I am a fan of Kuchar.

I would wholeheartedly recommend Gilbert conducting the New York Phil.