Recordings That You Are Considering

[Brian]

For the people with the recent Badura Skoda and Festetics reissue boxes from Arcana: what's the presentation like? How much or little is the booklet? What's on the album sleeves if anything? Is it a good or cheap looking product?

[Zauberschloss]

For the people with the recent Badura Skoda and Festetics reissue boxes from Arcana: what's the presentation like? How much or little is the booklet? What's on the album sleeves if anything? Is it a good or cheap looking product?

Badura-Skoda's Beethoven Piano Sonata cycle has one of the best booklets I have seen in a reissue box. It goes into great detail about all the pianos used for the recordings with photos of them.

[DavidW]

Badura-Skoda's Beethoven Piano Sonata cycle has one of the best booklets I have seen in a reissue box. It goes into great detail about all the pianos used for the recordings with photos of them.

And the Schubert set has a 70 page essay on the sonatas and the instruments.  The Haydn Festetics set has a 60 page essay on the string quartets.

[Madiel]

I'm wondering if anyone has/knows either of these versions of the Mendelssohn sacred choral music (Bernius conducting):



The musical contents are mostly the same, with the magenta version adding the Oratorios which are not in the blue version (first time around they were put in a separate 4-CD box).

What I'm wondering about, though, is texts. There is some evidence suggesting that the blue box contains the texts of the work but that the magenta one doesn't, only having some writing about the works. Can anyone confirm in either case?

Also, I'm not sure whether we are talking about a physical booklet in either case, or just a PDF.

[Papy Oli]

I'm wondering if anyone has/knows either of these versions of the Mendelssohn sacred choral music (Bernius conducting):


The musical contents are mostly the same, with the magenta version adding the Oratorios which are not in the blue version (first time around they were put in a separate 4-CD box).

What I'm wondering about, though, is texts. There is some evidence suggesting that the blue box contains the texts of the work but that the magenta one doesn't, only having some writing about the works. Can anyone confirm in either case?

Also, I'm not sure whether we are talking about a physical booklet in either case, or just a PDF.

The Presto streamer has both boxsets and some PDF for both as well.

The 14-CD PDF has only writing about the works in various languages, No lyrics.

The 10-CD PDF has only contents of the CD's, no writings, no lyrics. 

edit: scrap that, Presto has a second entry of the 10-CD set. this time with PDF with writings, still no lyrics.

[Madiel]

The Presto streamer has both boxsets and some PDF for both as well.

The 14-CD PDF has only writing about the works in various languages, No lyrics.

The 10-CD PDF has only contents of the CD's, no writings, no lyrics. 

edit: scrap that, Presto has a second entry of the 10-CD set. this time with PDF with writings, still no lyrics.

I can find PDFs for both online (using a different service, Naxos). The 10-CD one I can find does have lyrics.

But I'm asking about the physical boxes. Because I'm not going to assume what I might find there.

[Papy Oli]

I can find PDFs for both online (using a different service, Naxos). The 10-CD one I can find does have lyrics.

But I'm asking about the physical boxes. Because I'm not going to assume what I might find there.

Ok, the Carus website is not much help either in terms of contents. Maybe drop them a line?

[Madiel]

Ok, the Carus website is not much help either in terms of contents. Maybe drop them a line?

I have done that. Hopefully they respond, I think there's a fair chance. But I thought maybe someone around here has already purchased.

I guess sacred choral works are a bit niche, but as I went through Mendelssohn's catalogue some of these were amongst the works that impressed me the most. That's not something I would have expected!

[Papy Oli]

I have done that. Hopefully they respond, I think there's a fair chance. But I thought maybe someone around here has already purchased.

I guess sacred choral works are a bit niche, but as I went through Mendelssohn's catalogue some of these were amongst the works that impressed me the most. That's not something I would have expected!

Which works have impressed you ?

Had a look in the collection and I only have "Paulus" and some Psalms/motets, with no recollection of either 

[Madiel]

Which works have impressed you ?

It was a while since I was trying, but it was things that Mendelssohn himself chose to publish because I was sticking to the opus numbers at the time.

I'm fairly sure it was the Psalm settings that surprised me. So Psalm 115 (op.31), Psalm 42 (op.42), Psalm 95 (op.46) and Psalm 114 (op.51).

This series also has David Hurwitz' recommended recording of Lobgesang (the so-called Symphony no.2) because it keeps the music dynamic and fresh.

[VonStupp]

I'm fairly sure it was the Psalm settings that surprised me. So Psalm 115 (op.31), Psalm 42 (op.42), Psalm 95 (op.46) and Psalm 114 (op.51).

I love the Psalms; they are great fun to explore. Unfortunately, I can't help with the Bernius set, I have Corboz in the Psalms, and only an individual Mendelssohn release from Carus. It should be excellent, though.
VS