Box Blather

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

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Moonfish

Quote from: Mookalafalas on June 02, 2018, 12:52:54 AM
This box is a real winner. About 20% of the way through it, and it far exceeds my expectations.
   

Turns out it really is close to this one:

   Apparently both Brilliant and Yedang licensed all the music from "Pipeline music." Supposedly everything in the Yedang has been remastered from the original tapes in "96kHz/24bit"--which is probably more marketing than meaningful. However, it all sounds really good.  The 1950s Richter is no worse than the 70s or 80s recordings. The main instrument is always brilliantly clear, but generally there is little separation among backing instruments.

    One unanticipated effect is that I have finally become a real Richter fan.  And Shostakovich.  I'd never heard his Violin Concertos.  Dark and powerful, as is the soloist.  Have you heard those, Moonfish?

A Richter fan I am!    :)    Hmm, I still need to wander the dark paths of Shostakovich - still in the realm of the symphonies there and have much more exploration to do.   I have been in the Scriabin and Rachmaninoff realm lately - so definitely Russian music on the table!!!!! I need to return to the Soviet box. You have heard more of it than I have at this moment, but I agree with your sentiment: Very good sound and performances overall.
"Every time you spend money you are casting a vote for the kind of world you want...."
Anna Lappé

Ken B

Quote from: Moonfish on June 02, 2018, 10:17:13 AM
A Richter fan I am!    :)    Hmm, I still need to wander the dark paths of Shostakovich - still in the realm of the symphonies there and have much more exploration to do.   I have been in the Scriabin and Rachmaninoff realm lately - so definitely Russian music on the table!!!!! I need to return to the Soviet box. You have heard more of it than I have at this moment, but I agree with your sentiment: Very good sound and performances overall.

The best Shozz is (emphatically) not in his symphonies. The 6 concerti, quartets, and other chamber music, and the preludes and fugues for piano.  I especially recommend cello concerto 2, piano trio 2, preludes and fugues, Quartet 8.

Moonfish

Quote from: Ken B on June 02, 2018, 12:34:29 PM
The best Shozz is (emphatically) not in his symphonies. The 6 concerti, quartets, and other chamber music, and the preludes and fugues for piano.  I especially recommend cello concerto 2, piano trio 2, preludes and fugues, Quartet 8.

Thanks Ken! I have the VC lined up with Oistrakh as the soloist...!
"Every time you spend money you are casting a vote for the kind of world you want...."
Anna Lappé

Mookalafalas

Quote from: Moonfish on June 02, 2018, 01:33:35 PM
Thanks Ken! I have the VC lined up with Oistrakh as the soloist...!

  I know you've got lots of listening to do, but at some point, definitely check out some of the Victor Tretyakov violin stuff from the box. (disk 53 he plays Shosty VCs 1&2). Something about his sound and style is really gripping.
It's all good...

Ken B

Stop making that box sound so appealing you b*ggers!

:laugh:

Moonfish

Quote from: Ken B on June 02, 2018, 04:23:23 PM
Stop making that box sound so appealing you b*ggers!

:laugh:

"Every time you spend money you are casting a vote for the kind of world you want...."
Anna Lappé

Mookalafalas

Quote from: Ken B on June 02, 2018, 04:23:23 PM
Stop making that box sound so appealing you b*ggers!

:laugh:

Which box? The one that's $95 for 100 disks, with no overlap with our collections? Actually, you might not like it, Ken. They are all live performances, so the playing doesn't have that controlled, stay-between-the-lines buttoned-down feeling we love from studio work... All that Russian passion running amok over the classics ??? No wonder the Western Amazons don't even carry it...
It's all good...

Ken B

Quote from: Mookalafalas on June 02, 2018, 04:48:49 PM
Which box? The one that's $95 for 100 disks, with no overlap with our collections? Actually, you might not like it, Ken. They are all live performances, so the playing doesn't have that controlled, stay-between-the-lines buttoned-down feeling we love from studio work... All that Russian passion running amok over the classics ??? No wonder the Western Amazons don't even carry it...


Mookalafalas

Quote from: Ken B on June 02, 2018, 05:04:52 PM


??? ??? ??? ??? I had to call my dog over to protect me--and then he got scared and hit under the coffee table
It's all good...

Moonfish

Just came across this "old" article from 2013 discussing the overflow of new boxes of classical music...

https://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/17/arts/music/classical-music-boxed-sets-multiply.html

If It All Doesn't Fit, Build a Bigger Box
Classical Music Boxed Sets Multiply


"Every time you spend money you are casting a vote for the kind of world you want...."
Anna Lappé

Mookalafalas

You guys were definitely right about that Pollini! I thought you were just baiting me, but it is just sensational. I had no idea he was that good. Such clean articulation, great piano sound and recording, and such a grasp of the musical line and feeling for the pieces' inner workings.  He's like a perfectionist Gulda--but with a wide repertoire. I keep the volume up about 20% higher than usual, and don't do anything but listen. Like hearing everything for the first time (well, a lot of it IS for the first time, of course--a lot of 20th century repertoire mixed in--but you know what I mean).
It's all good...

Ken B

Quote from: Mookalafalas on June 08, 2018, 12:42:33 AM
You guys were definitely right about that Pollini! I thought you were just baiting me, but it is just sensational. I had no idea he was that good. Such clean articulation, great piano sound and recording, and such a grasp of the musical line and feeling for the pieces' inner workings.  He's like a perfectionist Gulda--but with a wide repertoire. I keep the volume up about 20% higher than usual, and don't do anything but listen. Like hearing everything for the first time (well, a lot of it IS for the first time, of course--a lot of 20th century repertoire mixed in--but you know what I mean).

I don't have that box.

You are an evil man.

Must be taking lessons from Moonfish ....

;)

Mookalafalas

Jeez, Ken, sorry about that :-[
  Well, don't worry. It's an oldish box, and although it's cheap in some places, it's getting more expensive in most others, so probably going to go OOP soon--remove the temptation for you!
It's all good...

Mookalafalas

Mr. Moonfish, I cannot thank you enough for bringing this to my attention.


  I am in your debt, and I mean that most sincerely.
  I have two 5-CD carousel load players, and just feed these disks into one of them regularly. And they are SOOOO good. I know my subscript reads "It's all good"--and I stand by that, but that is a far cry from "it's all sensational."  That's how I feel about this box. We know all of these Russian Soloists as stellar, but I think the reason this box is so good is that it catches them in their prime.  Anyway, I can't believe how excited I get--over each disk.  It's only June, but I am pretty confident this will be my "purchase of the year."
It's all good...

Ken B

Quote from: Mookalafalas on June 21, 2018, 02:42:16 AM
Mr. Moonfish, I cannot thank you enough for bringing this to my attention.


  I am in your debt, and I mean that most sincerely.
  I have two 5-CD carousel load players, and just feed these disks into one of them regularly. And they are SOOOO good. I know my subscript reads "It's all good"--and I stand by that, but that is a far cry from "it's all sensational."  That's how I feel about this box. We know all of these Russian Soloists as stellar, but I think the reason this box is so good is that it catches them in their prime.  Anyway, I can't believe how excited I get--over each disk.  It's only June, but I am pretty confident this will be my "purchase of the year."

I need my angry cat picture


Brian

Is that a reissue of Brilliant's "Historic Russian Legends" box with Gilels, Richter, Kogan, Oistrakh, Shafran, Rostropovich, etc.? I listened to that constantly for a few years, not at all recently but it has some really great recordings of the core and Russian rep.

Mookalafalas

Quote from: Brian on June 21, 2018, 01:33:09 PM
Is that a reissue of Brilliant's "Historic Russian Legends" box with Gilels, Richter, Kogan, Oistrakh, Shafran, Rostropovich, etc.? I listened to that constantly for a few years, not at all recently but it has some really great recordings of the core and Russian rep.

    It seems to be an overlapping box. It does have stuff by those guys, and I think some is the same. But it also has other performers (even a live disk of Arturo Rubinstein in Russia) and disks focusing on Conductors. For example, I'm listening to Rozhdestvensky conducting two symphony's by Roussel right now.   
It's all good...

Mookalafalas

Just saw a post by sometimes-GMGer "Holden Forth" on another site. He says there are 20 overlapping disks with the original box. 
It's all good...

XB-70 Valkyrie

Where can one buy the big Soviet set? I looked on Amazon.com, .de, and eBay and found not a trace of it anywhere.
If you really dislike Bach you keep quiet about it! - Andras Schiff

Mookalafalas

Quote from: XB-70 Valkyrie on June 24, 2018, 07:58:52 PM
Where can one buy the big Soviet set? I looked on Amazon.com, .de, and eBay and found not a trace of it anywhere.

It's only available through Amazon.jp      The good news is, they have cheap shipping and the box is only about $95.
It's all good...