Box Blather

Started by Ken B, April 19, 2014, 07:07:51 PM

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Spotted Horses

In retrospect, the amount of significant stuff in the Markevitch DG Legacy box that I don't already have is pretty small, and not worth the cost. (I have the "original masters" box and a number of individual releases.) I only really need the Philips box. A lot of drama for nothing. :)
There are simply two kinds of music, good music and the other kind. - Duke Ellington

Jo498

The DG has almost all been either on singles for "originals" or a similar historical series or in the Original masters box. I think I am missing only the "Russian bonbons", the St Cecilia mass, one of the Coronation mass recordings (not interested anyway) and Harold en Italie (having the Damnation, one of the greatest recordings of anything, on an earlier cheapo issue without the filler).
As for the Philips, I am not interested in the Spanish stuff, have the Tchaikovsky, the Soldier's Tale, Symphony of Psalms, most of the Beethoven, and the only one I'd like to have (but not gonna pay more than a single disc) is Haydn 103/104.
Tout le malheur des hommes vient d'une seule chose, qui est de ne savoir pas demeurer en repos, dans une chambre.
- Blaise Pascal

Brian

Quote from: Spotted Horses on October 03, 2021, 08:35:48 PM
Hahaha, I won't take you up on that. But if you're rolling down i-45 in February maybe you can drop me a line and make a pit stop somewhere between Conroe and Spring and we can grab a coffee. :)
Definitely!

Is there still a classical CD shop in downtown Spring? It used to be Joel's Classical right near Rice, so I bought a lot of CDs there as a student. (Well, "a lot" is relative to my income at the time  ;D ) After Joel passed, they moved to Spring with a new name to get lower rent.

EDIT: Google Maps shows them open with new photos uploaded as of May 2021.

Mirror Image

#1163
Quote from: Brian on October 04, 2021, 07:39:20 AM
Definitely!

Is there still a classical CD shop in downtown Spring? It used to be Joel's Classical right near Rice, so I bought a lot of CDs there as a student. (Well, "a lot" is relative to my income at the time  ;D ) After Joel passed, they moved to Spring with a new name to get lower rent.

EDIT: Google Maps shows them open with new photos uploaded as of May 2021.

Looks like a cool little shop:

https://classical-music-of-spring.business.site/#gallery

I wish we had something like this in the town I live in, but unfortunately, for many here, their idea of high culture is going to the local art museum that consists of one narrow hallway with doodles from amateurs hanging on the walls. :D

Spotted Horses

That's interesting, there is an "old town" Spring. I think of Spring as great expanses of concrete, big box stores and strip malls. I also stumbled on "old town" Tombull, on the way to the Target store in the concrete, big box and strip mall district. Quaint old food frame houses and storefronts, and the occasional broken down tractor. Remind me of where I used to live and work, Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo California.
There are simply two kinds of music, good music and the other kind. - Duke Ellington

Brian

If you're a carnivore, the BBQ place in old town Spring (Corkscrew BBQ) is also very good. I'll definitely want to visit the classical shop for old time's sake and grab a few souvenirs.

Spotted Horses

Quote from: Brian on October 04, 2021, 08:15:49 AM
If you're a carnivore, the BBQ place in old town Spring (Corkscrew BBQ) is also very good. I'll definitely want to visit the classical shop for old time's sake and grab a few souvenirs.

Sounds like a plan, although my schedule is to a large extent out of my control. Keep me updated when you'll be coming through.
There are simply two kinds of music, good music and the other kind. - Duke Ellington

Madiel

From my perspective, Amazon has basically transformed itself from a big seller into a less reliable version of eBay.
I am now working on a discography of the works of Vagn Holmboe. Please visit and also contribute!

Brahmsian

I'm unsure if this is the right place to air our "wish list" of future box sets, but here are a few of mine:

Complete recordings of the Kronos Quartet (I know they are still going)

Rowicki Dvořák symphonies set reissued.

Complete Kertesz box set (I know there is a London SO box set, but it isn't complete)

If there is a specific "Box Set Wish List" thread, I couldn't find it.

Brian

Quote from: OrchestralNut on October 09, 2021, 05:52:56 AM
I'm unsure if this is the right place to air our "wish list" of future box sets, but here are a few of mine:

Complete recordings of the Kronos Quartet (I know they are still going)

Rowicki Dvořák symphonies set reissued.

Complete Kertesz box set (I know there is a London SO box set, but it isn't complete)

If there is a specific "Box Set Wish List" thread, I couldn't find it.
No, this is a perfect place for it! And a complete Kertesz Decca box would be on my list too. It was very silly that the Kertesz/LSO box was an incomplete sampling...Decca did the same thing with an incomplete Blomstedt/SF box.

I posted a wishlist in summer 2020 in this thread, and some of the things have come true: complete Markevitch, complete Previn/LSO, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Ormandy (mono).

Still on my wishlist with Kertesz: Ormandy stereo, Slatkin/RCA, Andsnes/EMI, Dorati/Decca (I know it would have to be enormous and super-expensive to contain all the Haydn), the labels other than Supraphon that have a bunch of Mackerras in their archives, A. Schiff/Decca, Blomstedt/SF/Decca, Takacs Quartet/Decca...

Spotted Horses

Quote from: Brian on October 09, 2021, 07:55:11 AM
No, this is a perfect place for it! And a complete Kertesz Decca box would be on my list too. It was very silly that the Kertesz/LSO box was an incomplete sampling...Decca did the same thing with an incomplete Blomstedt/SF box.

I posted a wishlist in summer 2020 in this thread, and some of the things have come true: complete Markevitch, complete Previn/LSO, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Ormandy (mono).

Still on my wishlist with Kertesz: Ormandy stereo, Slatkin/RCA, Andsnes/EMI, Dorati/Decca (I know it would have to be enormous and super-expensive to contain all the Haydn), the labels other than Supraphon that have a bunch of Mackerras in their archives, A. Schiff/Decca, Blomstedt/SF/Decca, Takacs Quartet/Decca...

My big wish-list item came true, Complete Barbirolli/Warner (which encompasses some labels absorbed by EMI, such as Pie). I think that includes some recordings made by Mercury under license to EMI.

On my big box wish list would be complete Decca recordings of the Orchestre de la Société des concerts du Conservatoire, particularly the old mono recordings under Monteux, Wolf, Desormiere, Ansermet, etc.
There are simply two kinds of music, good music and the other kind. - Duke Ellington

Mookalafalas

Quote from: Brian on October 09, 2021, 07:55:11 AM
No, this is a perfect place for it!

  absolutely!! "Box Blather" is not "thoughtful box ruminations".

  I acquired a digital version of the Grumiaux.  I keep playing things from it randomly, and it is all hit and no miss. It is a little like the Rubinstein piano box that way. Nothing really leaps forward as spectacular or definitive, but I never tire of dipping back in. (This is on my home system. At work I am mainly playing Orpheus and Previn--from their respective boxes).
It's all good...

Spotted Horses

I pair of boxes I just noticed have gone out of print (and I missed them). The Emerson Quartet on DG, and Volume I of the complete Fricsay on DG. The Fricsay, in particular, I had some notion of getting at some point.
There are simply two kinds of music, good music and the other kind. - Duke Ellington

Mookalafalas

Quote from: Spotted Horses on October 16, 2021, 09:21:57 AM
I pair of boxes I just noticed have gone out of print (and I missed them). The Emerson Quartet on DG, and Volume I of the complete Fricsay on DG. The Fricsay, in particular, I had some notion of getting at some point.

  Yeah...I'm often a bit relieved when one goes oop that I didn't buy--a temptation moved beyond my control. That Fricsay box was around for ever for a good price (issued in 2014!). Might I say that if you didn't get it at that time, you probably didn't really want it that bad?  If it keeps nagging at you, there might be a second chance. Brian raved about the Boyninge Ballet box. It sounded good, but I kept putting it off and then it was OOP. However, I just ordered a good ("like new"?) second hand copy from the UK for a very reasonable price.   

   And to keep blathering, I'm binging on the Orpheus box right now. What stupendous recording quality! Incredibly clean. Some were recorded by Wolf Erichson, a favorite of mine.  The Copland sounds so good I almost forgave its being Copland ???
It's all good...

Spotted Horses

Quote from: Mookalafalas on October 16, 2021, 08:20:55 PM
  Yeah...I'm often a bit relieved when one goes oop that I didn't buy--a temptation moved beyond my control. That Fricsay box was around for ever for a good price (issued in 2014!). Might I say that if you didn't get it at that time, you probably didn't really want it that bad?  If it keeps nagging at you, there might be a second chance. Brian raved about the Boyninge Ballet box. It sounded good, but I kept putting it off and then it was OOP. However, I just ordered a good ("like new"?) second hand copy from the UK for a very reasonable price.   

   And to keep blathering, I'm binging on the Orpheus box right now. What stupendous recording quality! Incredibly clean. Some were recorded by Wolf Erichson, a favorite of mine.  The Copland sounds so good I almost forgave its being Copland ???

You're quite right, I passed on Fricsay when it first came out, and reviewing the contents, for good reason, too much which is repertoire that is too well represented in my collection already. The Markevitch DG Legends is still a minor temptation. It is a weird limbo, I thought it was out already, then amazon.com said "unavailable" and amazon.co.uk said "releasing October 15" and now it seems to be "temporarily unavailable." Maybe production delay.

I was almost freaked out, "Oh no, the Monteux/Decca box is out of print! Hold on, I have the Monteux/Decca box."

Glad you're enjoying the Orpheus box. I have and enjoy a lot of their recordings, too many to justify getting the box.
There are simply two kinds of music, good music and the other kind. - Duke Ellington

Jo498

The two large Fricsay boxes infuriated me because I had almost everything in there I wanted acquired with a lot of effort over many years and thus they were not that attractive, but I am still missing some bits and pieces almost impossible to get separately. When they came out I realized that this or downloads was now the main/only way older recordings would be made available again.

In case of the Emerson quartet a lot is still buyable separately but I am also surprised how much is oop. DG apparently sees no need to keep some of the most highly regarded quartet recordings of the 1990s in their catalogue, despite not having any recent quartet recordings. They used to have one major quartet (like Amadeus in the 60s-70s, Melos in the 70s-80s) and one or two for "specialities" (like the LaSalle) or an up and coming ensemble (like Hagen and Emerson in the 1980s who then stayed for a long time with them).
Tout le malheur des hommes vient d'une seule chose, qui est de ne savoir pas demeurer en repos, dans une chambre.
- Blaise Pascal

Spotted Horses

To extend the saga a bit more, I had seen this mysterious release:



which seems to imply that there are Markevitch recordings of Beethoven Symphonies 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9. on DG. This was one of the nagging reasons I was tempted to get the Markevitch Deutsche Grammophone Legacy set, which I assumed would have these recordings.

But I looked at the DG Legacy set listing which I found on the Eloquence web site and these recordings are not there.  The mysterious set of Beethoven recordings pictured is mostly Philips recordings, included on the Markevitch Philips Legacy set.

So I seem to be approaching the conclusion that between the Markevitch original masters release and the various individual CDs I have collected over the years the DG Legacy set is almost completely redundant.



To make it a bit more confusing, the Original Masters set, which bears only the DG logo, includes a few Philips recordings.
There are simply two kinds of music, good music and the other kind. - Duke Ellington

Mirror Image

Even after all these years, there's still not a "Schoenberg Edition" from any of the major labels.

Jo498

Beethoven 1,5,8,9 are Philips/Decca, I think, 3, 6 and the ouvertures DG. If I am not mistaken the Egmont ouverture is missing from the DG original masters which is annoying because it would have fit with a slight redistribution or a 78 min disc. But I am not losing any sleep about missing that one.
Tout le malheur des hommes vient d'une seule chose, qui est de ne savoir pas demeurer en repos, dans une chambre.
- Blaise Pascal

Spotted Horses

Quote from: Jo498 on October 19, 2021, 07:08:51 AM
Beethoven 1,5,8,9 are Philips/Decca, I think, 3, 6 and the ouvertures DG. If I am not mistaken the Egmont ouverture is missing from the DG original masters which is annoying because it would have fit with a slight redistribution or a 78 min disc. But I am not losing any sleep about missing that one.

Right. Irritating that they mix DG and Philips on releases that bear only the DG logo. I think I can't avoid making a spreadsheet of the DG Legacy track listing to check off what I have and what I don't.
There are simply two kinds of music, good music and the other kind. - Duke Ellington