Arthur Rubinstein: The Complete Album Collection Help

[Herman]

The special thing of these large AR collections is the previously retired catalogue of mono LPs from the forties and early fifties that were supplanted by the lush stereo recordings RCA made in the sixties. These stereo recordings have been ubiquitous ever since, however the mono LPs have an energy that is not quite there in the stereo recordings.

[Jo498]

I am not sure about the late LP and early CD era availability of the late 20 through mid-fifties recordings but at least some of them were available on early CDs. Although I am too young for the LP age (only witnessed the tail end and then I did not collect historical recording) there are bunch of recordings I bought three times: First an early CD issue, then the "cardboard books" Rubinstein Collection (which I got for different couplings or in hope of a better transfer), then the pink box.

More relevant for buyers of today: The only difference between the cardboard books AR collection and the "pink box" seems to be the couplings. The former has filled up discs, the latter has usually LP reproduction (i.e. usually 35-50 min CDs).

[Mookalafalas]

This box has been OOP for several years, and yet suddenly Amazon Britain is listing it again, new, for a non-OOP price... odd.

[JBS]

The special thing of these large AR collections is the previously retired catalogue of mono LPs from the forties and early fifties that were supplanted by the lush stereo recordings RCA made in the sixties. These stereo recordings have been ubiquitous ever since, however the mono LPs have an energy that is not quite there in the stereo recordings.

The big pink box also has his recordings from the 1930s, some of which I already had in an EMI Icon box. Where I could make a comparison, the pink box sonics were better than the EMI Icon versions.

[Que]

The big pink box also has his recordings from the 1930s, some of which I already had in an EMI Icon box. Where I could make a comparison, the pink box sonics were better than the EMI Icon versions.

Having granted access to EMI's original materials of the 78 rpm recordings , RCA redid the transfers from scratch with better results than EMI ever achieved. Same applies to the Heifetz edition BTW.

Q

[Jo498]

The "brown book" AR collection predates any Icon boxes, I think. AFAIK these transfers from ca. 1999 were used again for the pink box. Anyway, EMIs track record with historical transfers is fairly poor. Schnabel's Beethoven recordings and other stuff from the 1930s is usually better from other sources than EMI.

[Herman]

The "brown book" AR collection predates any Icon boxes, I think. AFAIK these transfers from ca. 1999 were used again for the pink box. Anyway, EMIs track record with historical transfers is fairly poor. Schnabel's Beethoven recordings and other stuff from the 1930s is usually better from other sources than EMI.

Yes, those 1940s - 1950s mono recordings that had been submerged by the stereo RCA recordings resurfaced in the 'brown book' AR Collection. Hopefully these are still circulating?