Topic: Getting at Handel's operas and oratorios

[Coopmv]

Did you buy 600 CDs the first quarter? 

We're all part of extreme consumerism. I could do without Christmas i August though.

I do not know how UK merchants promote their sales for Christmas.  Here in the States, Christmas sale promotion starting in early September has been the norm for a number of years now ...

[DarkAngel]

The L'Allegro is beyond praise - I've listened to it every day for the last few days. Fabulous - you'll love it. [Be prepared to look up my special technique for preserving the extra-thick booklet that you can just get out of the case ... but can't get back in again afterwards.] The Parnasso also is superb, but the vibrato of Diana Moore might give you some uneasy moments. Now I'm getting used to it, and it's OK - but my first reactions were distinctly dodgy. The rest of the performance is excellent though.

Now I understand what you are talking about with the booklet...............I got my Hyperion label Joshua set used from Amazon and it comes in a 2CD slim case  

Almost all other 2CD Handel sets from other labels come in a chubby jewel case because of the thickness of the booklet, many even have outer slip case. I suspect the two sets I just ordered direct from Hyperion will also arrive with the slim jewel case....

[Elgarian]

DO NOT PANIC!

The solution is here:
http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,12236.0.html

[Coopmv]

Now I understand what you are talking about with the booklet...............I got my Hyperion label Joshua set used from Amazon and it comes in a 2CD slim case  

Almost all other 2CD Handel sets from other labels come in a chubby jewel case because of the thickness of the booklet, many even have outer slip case. I suspect the two sets I just ordered direct from Hyperion will also arrive with the slim jewel case....

 

Most of the 2 CD-sets of Handel oratorios and operas on the Hyperion label I bought from MDT do not come in the fatboy type CD jewel cases.  They are the regular sized CD jewel with the flipping cradle that holds a CD on each side.  The following set also holds a 40-page booklet.

[Coopmv]

DO NOT PANIC!

The solution is here:
http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,12236.0.html

If space is a non-issue for you, replace the slim CD cases with the fatboy cases.  Then there will be no future struggle with getting the booklets out ...

[DarkAngel]

OK guys.........the current Joshua set is no problem, booklet is thin enough to slide in/out no problem (type size is microscopic)

I will probably use the sage advice of Elgarian and break off two of the four retaining tabs from jewel case to facilitate booklet access
of other two Hyperion sets on order

Coopmv
If I use chubby CD case I will have to scan and resize front artwork, also only one edge graphic panel will show 

[Coopmv]

OK guys.........the current Joshua set is no problem, booklet is thin enough to slide in/out no problem (type size is microscopic)

I will probably use the sage advice of Elgarian and break off two of the four retaining tabs from jewel case to facilitate booklet access
of other two Hyperion sets on order

Coopmv
If I use chubby CD case I will have to scan and resize front artwork, also only one edge graphic panel will show 

There are no good solutions to this problem IMO.

[Coopmv]

Actually, Handel Deborah on Hyperion, a 2-CD set, does come in a fatboy style CD case.  My set arrived last week from MDT and is still in its cellophane.

[Elgarian]

I will probably use the sage advice of Elgarian and break off two of the four retaining tabs from jewel case to facilitate booklet accessof other two Hyperion sets on order

There are few things more fascinating than fat CD booklet insertion and removal issues; they are the very stuff of life. But so far I've not had any trouble with Parnasso in practice, and all its studs are still intact. L'Allegro, however, has been subjected to semi-destudification (the lower two removed without anaesthetic as an expression of my displeasure) and it works really well. Deborah, as Coopmv says, comes in a fat case anyway so isn't a problem.

[The new erato]

Don't ever mention a womans name and fat in the same sentence! Or are you all unmarried music nerds?

[71 dB]

Or are you all unmarried music nerds?

I'm unmarried. So what? Nerd? I don't know about that, depends on the definition...

[Drasko]

Nerd? I don't know about that, depends on the definition...

Main Entry: nerd
Pronunciation: \ˈnərd\
Function: noun
Etymology: perhaps from nerd, a creature in the children's book If I Ran the Zoo (1950) by Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel)
Date:1951
meaning : he who mentions womans name and fat in the same sentence

— nerd·i·ness  \ˈnər-dē-nəs\ noun
— nerd·ish  \ˈnər-dish\ adjective
— nerdy  \-dē\ adjective

[DarkAngel]

After checking out closely the latest Handel budget 6CD boxsets from Warner Classics, I decided to place order for the following even though the booklet is reduced content from individual releases, Amazon vendor Blowitoutahere selling for $15.65 each!



Israel in Egypt / Dixit Dominus / Semele / Zadok etc by Gardiner, and Resurrezione by Koopman




Trionfo del Tempo / Teseo / Amadigi all by Minkowski
I was especially interested in getting these Minkowski performances, but the price was too good to pass up the Gardiner set as well

[Elgarian]

After checking out closely the latest Handel budget 6CD boxsets from Warner Classics, I decided to place order for the following even though the booklet is reduced content from individual releases, Amazon vendor Blowitoutahere selling for $15.65 each!

Israel in Egypt / Dixit Dominus / Semele / Misc by Gardiner, and Resurrezione by Koopman

Trionfo del Tempo / Teseo / Amadigi all by Minkowski

I was especially interested in getting these Minkowski performances, but the price was too good to pass up the Gardiner set as well

Well - at that price how can you possibly go wrong, booklet or no booklet? And I presume they have the pdfs at the website - so you will have access to the full texts, albeit not in the form we like.

[Coopmv]

After checking out closely the latest Handel budget 6CD boxsets from Warner Classics, I decided to place order for the following even though the booklet is reduced content from individual releases, Amazon vendor Blowitoutahere selling for $15.65 each!



Israel in Egypt / Dixit Dominus / Semele / Zadok etc by Gardiner, and Resurrezione by Koopman

I have all these works as individual sets except La Resurrezione.  I do have La Resurrezione by Hogwood on both LP and CD.

[DarkAngel]

I have all these works as individual sets except La Resurrezione.  I do have La Resurrezione by Hogwood on both LP and CD.

I could not resist, Amazon had one more Gardiner 6CD set from blowitoutahere $15.65:   



L'Allegro ed il Penseroso / Tamerlano / Alcina Ballet Music

[Coopmv]

I could not resist, Amazon had one more Gardiner 6CD set from blowitoutahere $15.65:   



L'Allegro ed il Penseroso / Tamerlano / Alcina Ballet Music

There are very few Gardiner's Handel works on Erato that I do not already have ...

[Rod Corkin]

I notice a lot of duds in DarkAngel's purchase list. Pity he didn't ask around a bit more first. 

[DarkAngel]

I notice a lot of duds in DarkAngel's purchase list. Pity he didn't ask around a bit more first.  

Just to be clear I am not saying these 6 CD sets are the best versions available at any price.

But to get very good Gardiner and Minkowski versions at $15.65 for 6CD sets why would you not acquire these?
Seems to be an exceptional value that should not be passed up......

For instance I just recently acquired the fine Petrou/MDG Tamerlano, but that will not stop me from getting the Gardiner version if they are almost giving it away  

[Rod Corkin]

But to get very good Gardiner...

Some of those old Gardiner recordings are beyond horrific, in fact I have only two Gardiner recordings left in my epic A-list Handel collection, he's not what I'd call a good Handel interpreter for the most part.

Another piece of good Handel recording advice, stay away from anything by Harnoncourt.