Box Blather

[Mookalafalas]

Nope, it's this one, just a bit bigger and also all original jacket (but without fillers because many of the discs are newer and longer I think):



The conceit is that the artist personally selected all the recordings he wanted in the box to represent his best work. Really diverse repertoire, from Bach's WTC to Shostakovich's preludes and fugues (and trios...and viola/cello sonatas...and piano quintets...and songs) with a big helping of all the other Russian composers, Brahms chamber music, the Scriabin sonatas, helpings of Mozart and Chopin, etc.

EDIT: I looked up the contents of your 50th box to see what the overlap is. Prokofiev solo piano music, the Franck/Brahms chamber CD with Perlman, Rachmaninov preludes, suites for two pianos, and Sonata 2, all the Ravel solo/chamber stuff + one Debussy miniature, Shostakovich P&F, and Beethoven Diabelli Variations are notable overlaps. There are Schumann recordings in both boxes but he recorded them twice and they might be different - I believe that the purple one has earlier 60s recordings. The purple box obviously doesn't have anything involving an orchestra, and also doesn't have any Beethoven piano sonatas (but cello sonatas yes).

   Actually, I have that same box, and not the Decca one I mentioned above. I got it together with the companion box from Amazon.de
.  You're going to be very happy, I think. The blue concerto box probably has some overlap with your Previn box, and has tons of duplicates (LvB, etc). I bought them because there was an incredible sale price, but so fell in love with his playing that I sussed out the Decca to see if there was enough extra material to make it worth acquiring that one as well. (There's not--but if the price was comparable, it would be the thriftiest choice of the 3.)

[André]

[.quote author=Mookalafalas link=topic=23088.msg1275841#msg1275841 date=1584893085]
   Actually, I have that same box, and not the Decca one I mentioned above. I got it together with the companion box from Amazon.de
.  You're going to be very happy, I think. The blue concerto box probably has some overlap with your Previn box, and has tons of duplicates (LvB, etc). I bought them because there was an incredible sale price, but so fell in love with his playing that I sussed out the Decca to see if there was enough extra material to make it worth acquiring that one as well. (There's not--but if the price was comparable, it would be the thriftiest choice of the 3.)
[/quote]

I thought Ashkenazy was the most recorded pianist alive, but much to my surprise I didn't find a Grieg or Liszt PC with him. I would have thought his style eminently suited to these works, but he surely knows better than me.

[Brian]

     You're going to be very happy, I think. The blue concerto box probably has some overlap with your Previn box, and has tons of duplicates (LvB, etc). I bought them because there was an incredible sale price, but so fell in love with his playing that I sussed out the Decca to see if there was enough extra material to make it worth acquiring that one as well. (There's not--but if the price was comparable, it would be the thriftiest choice of the 3.)

Thanks! I'm excited for it since I own zero of the recordings in the box somehow. And now that global shipping of leisure and non-essential goods has slowed to a crawl, I have several weeks of anticipation before it arrives. All this time at home has really helped me do a deeper dive into the albums in all these box sets. Lots of listening.

[Mookalafalas]

Thanks! I'm excited for it since I own zero of the recordings in the box somehow. And now that global shipping of leisure and non-essential goods has slowed to a crawl, I have several weeks of anticipation before it arrives. All this time at home has really helped me do a deeper dive into the albums in all these box sets. Lots of listening.

   It's an ill wind that blows nobody any good
       Working my way through the concertos box, I found that he had worked quite a bit with Previn. I was guessing that you had hit upon some of those in that box, which you've praised highly, and that was sort of the inspiration for buying this one. Not so? 
   And I'm curious about your later feelings of the Barenboim box. You also spoke very positively about that after you had gotten it, but I haven't noticed comments about it since. Did it continue to hold your interest and meet your approval?

[Brian]

The Previn box I have is his RCA/Sony recordings - no crossover with Decca or EMI and no Ashkenazy. I'd like another big Previn box with the LSO EMI recordings from the 70s... But the Sony one, yeah, still tremendous fun, my earlier comments still hold up.

Still exploring the solo Barenboim rather slowly. He's rarely my favorite performer in any piece but the guy has integrity, and was generally blessed with very nice instruments and recorded sound that help flatter him. I got it for like US $40 so I can't possibly complain about it 

[Mookalafalas]

The Previn box I have is his RCA/Sony recordings - no crossover with Decca or EMI and no Ashkenazy. I'd like another big Previn box with the LSO EMI recordings from the 70s... But the Sony one, yeah, still tremendous fun, my earlier comments still hold up.

Still exploring the solo Barenboim rather slowly. He's rarely my favorite performer in any piece but the guy has integrity, and was generally blessed with very nice instruments and recorded sound that help flatter him. I got it for like US $40 so I can't possibly complain about it 

   Yeah, I got it from Amazon.de for $25. I couldn't pass it up, but to be honest, I haven't even opened it. I have a lot of respect for Barenboim over all, but I have sooo many fantastic piano sets to listen to...he's pretty far down the list.

[Mookalafalas]

Alas, box enthusiasm has plummeted

    I've been selling quite a few items on Ebay (like the big Furtwangler)...but also buying some, especially when irresistibly cheap. I have very little WAM outside of the symphonies and PCs, and saw this for $111 with shipping from Amazon.UK
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    However, I was a little disappointed by some of the upgrades from this earlier box, such as jettisoning Klara Wurtz for the piano pieces.
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    What is a serious collector to do? Well, I checked the Used sets on Amazon.de, and someone was selling it for 30 Euros. Hard to beat a price like that...so got both
   Looks like 2020 is going to be a WAM year for me.

  A funny thing happened on my way to 340 disks of WAM. I chickened out and canceled the new $111 box, deciding 1/2 the price for a similar collection would be good enough. However, the seller cancelled that, and now the low-priced new box is gone, too. Justly punished by the CD gods for dabbling in moderation and good judgment

[MusicTurner]

I have the red box, due to a completist urge, got it for around just 4 Euros at a sale, one CD with some symphonies missing. The recordings of the Serenades/Divertimenti are good rivals to Vegh, I often quite like Wurtz in the sonatas, and some chamber music recordings are nice too. Plus you have a lot of lesser known vocal and instrumental music etc.

[Mookalafalas]

I have the red box, due to a completist urge, got it for around just 4 Euros at a sale, one CD with some symphonies missing. The recordings of the Serenades/Divertimenti are good rivals to Vegh, I often quite like Wurtz in the sonatas, and some chamber music recordings are nice too. Plus you have a lot of lesser known vocal and instrumental music etc.

4 Euros! Wow.
   The big Green Box seems to be going OOP. Perhaps the next iteration is on the horizon?

[MusicTurner]

Brilliant Classics certainly has big ressources and access to various recordings, it seems.

Or maybe Membran will produce something similar, albeit in older material, and probably not complete.

[Mookalafalas]

Brilliant Classics certainly has big ressources and access to various recordings, it seems.

Or maybe Membran will produce something similar, albeit in older material, and probably not complete.

Funny you mention Membran. I was just listening to disks from the huge "Meister Konzerte" box--100 legendary live performances for $100.  Terrific stuff.

[MusicTurner]

Membran has been great in making rare historical recordings more available, for sure.

I've got some of of their 4x-10x-17x etc. CD boxes & am thinking of the one you mention too, as well as the big Furtwängler box, but so far I have fought the urge ...

[Mookalafalas]

Membran has been great in making rare historical recordings more available, for sure.

I've got some of of their 4x-10x-17x etc. CD boxes & am thinking of the one you mention too, as well as the big Furtwängler box, but so far I have fought the urge ...

   I just sold the Furtwangler.  3 out of 4 disks I pulled out had miserable sound, and/or so much coughing it sounded like the recording was made in a TB sanatorium. The Meister Konzerte box recordings are all a bit "historical" but not enough that it impairs my enjoyment.

[Brian]

When you have the Charles Munch Boston box and the DG Boston box side by side, the resulting overall picture - over 100+ CDs - is of one of the most absolutely astonishing, engaging, exciting, vividly recorded, interesting-in-repertoire, and consistently rewarding legacies of any orchestra anywhere. Wowzers. I'm madly in love with both of these big boxes!

EDIT: I have had a slightly different first impression with the Ashkenazy box so far I must say - his artistry is consistent but man, in the 80s and even in the 90s Decca saddled him with some really unflattering engineering It's much better on lower-quality TV and car stereos than over good headphones.

[JBS]

When you have the Charles Munch Boston box and the DG Boston box side by side, the resulting overall picture - over 100+ CDs - is of one of the most absolutely astonishing, engaging, exciting, vividly recorded, interesting-in-repertoire, and consistently rewarding legacies of any orchestra anywhere. Wowzers. I'm madly in love with both of these big boxes!

EDIT: I have had a slightly different first impression with the Ashkenazy box so far I must say - his artistry is consistent but man, in the 80s and even in the 90s Decca saddled him with some really unflattering engineering It's much better on lower-quality TV and car stereos than over good headphones.

On behalf of Boston, thank you!

(The hospital where I was born is about 3/4 of a mile from Fenway Park. That hat in my Facebook avatar is but one of many Red Sox caps in my closet.)

[Mookalafalas]

When you have the Charles Munch Boston box and the DG Boston box side by side, the resulting overall picture - over 100+ CDs - is of one of the most absolutely astonishing, engaging, exciting, vividly recorded, interesting-in-repertoire, and consistently rewarding legacies of any orchestra anywhere. Wowzers. I'm madly in love with both of these big boxes!

EDIT: I have had a slightly different first impression with the Ashkenazy box so far I must say - his artistry is consistent but man, in the 80s and even in the 90s Decca saddled him with some really unflattering engineering It's much better on lower-quality TV and car stereos than over good headphones.

  Wow, that's some Boston enthusiasm! About a third of the disks are Ozawa. Are you equally enthusiastic about his recordings? I've not listened to much of his stuff and know reviews at GMG are somewhat mixed (as they are about Munch, whom I love).
  I also have a non-musical question about the Munch box. I have a digital copy, but not a physical one. I am thinking about getting it anyway, but am wondering if you can tell me about the CD sleeve quality thickness. There are 3 types: 1. spine is flat on the back, like a paper back book with name clearly printed (like disks in the Rubinstein box). 2. cardboard is heavy enough that names can be printed small on the back where the cardoard is folded over (Bernstein boxes) 3. there is nothing that can be called a spine or printed on (most DG and Harmonia Mundi disks). Hope that's clear! Thanks.

   And that's too bad about the Ashkenazy sound.  I've not noticed it, myself, but am in my 50s and not particularly sharp-eared. 

[Brian]

  Wow, that's some Boston enthusiasm! About a third of the disks are Ozawa. Are you equally enthusiastic about his recordings? I've not listened to much of his stuff and know reviews at GMG are somewhat mixed (as they are about Munch, whom I love).
  I also have a non-musical question about the Munch box. I have a digital copy, but not a physical one. I am thinking about getting it anyway, but am wondering if you can tell me about the CD sleeve quality thickness. There are 3 types: 1. spine is flat on the back, like a paper back book with name clearly printed (like disks in the Rubinstein box). 2. cardboard is heavy enough that names can be printed small on the back where the cardoard is folded over (Bernstein boxes) 3. there is nothing that can be called a spine or printed on (most DG and Harmonia Mundi disks). Hope that's clear! Thanks.

   And that's too bad about the Ashkenazy sound.  I've not noticed it, myself, but am in my 50s and not particularly sharp-eared.

Hey man! Glad to help. Going in reverse order:

1. Listened to a couple of the early 60s Ashkenazy discs today. Those sound really good. It really seems to be only the early digital 80/90s stuff that sounds glassy to me.

2. Munch is like the Rubinstein and Szell and Casadesus boxes. The typeface is like on the Rubinstein, skinny rather than bold like the other two.

3. My impression from reviews and comments and stuff is that Ozawa has decided strengths and weaknesses. Mostly, in this box, he plays exactly to his strengths, which are super splashy 20th century and French music. I think because his recordings can be so, well, fun, they can create skepticism from more serious minded people.

Today I listened to the Mozart concerto album, eh it's okay, but he was quite smart to avoid Beethoven and Brahms and Schumann and those guys and instead focus on complete ballets, Ravel, Poulenc, Takemitsu, Berg, stuff like that. The only dud so far has been the Symphonie fantastique, and even that's more just "okay" than bad.

I've listened to almost half the box in just a month or so. I'll try to post a log tomorrow similar to the one I posted for the Previn box. That should be a fun activity!

[Mookalafalas]

Thanks, Brian, I appreciate it  
   First, that makes sense about the Ashkenazy.  The early digital era is rather notorious for sound problems, apparently due to the learning curve of the move from analog to digital. That is probably why there is still a school of "analog is more accurate than digital" die-hards, and crazy over-priced DACs...
   And that's good news on the CD covers. I recently got the Bruno Walter box, and there is a strange pleasure (for me, anyway) in having solid, well made sleeves and clear printing and artwork. The Japanese often say that beautiful dishes make food taste better, and I feel a little bit like that about well crafted CD materials. I know its superficial, but if the packaging is attractive and first-rate, I'm a bit better disposed towards the contents even before the first note comes out of the speakers. Putting on a CD feels little more like an event. And the opposite can be true. I love the L'oiseau Lyre box sets, musically, and yet every time I take out one of the disks there is a "Really?! You couldn't spend an extra 50 cents a box to use real cardboard for the sleeves? "  Perhaps that is why I almost never play them...

   And I'm curious if you have, or have listed to much of the Mercury Living Presence sets.  Those have good sound (especially for their age) but are particularly fun for the wide range of music. They are relatively light on warhorses, and sometimes eye-opening in their unusual choices (less common pieces by Spanish and American composers, and oddball stuff like balalika, flamenco, Civil War band music, etc) and conductors (I really like Paul Paray and Dorati). Seems like something you might like.

[Brian]

   And I'm curious if you have, or have listed to much of the Mercury Living Presence sets.  Those have good sound (especially for their age) but are particularly fun for the wide range of music. They are relatively light on warhorses, and sometimes eye-opening in their unusual choices (less common pieces by Spanish and American composers, and oddball stuff like balalika, flamenco, Civil War band music, etc) and conductors (I really like Paul Paray and Dorati). Seems like something you might like.

As a food writer I agree with the Japanese  and I do think that presentation in box sets matter...in fact I have been thinking about creating a Box Blather guide outlining the differences between Decca, DG, Sony, Warner, etc. box sets. Decca boxes have been annoying me lately because the paper sleeves don't have tracks/timings.

I have and love 3-4 Mercury Living Presence discs and have streamed several more. All of them are SO good. And conductors like Paray and Dorati can do little wrong in my eyes. But I didn't buy the big box sets fast enough and they're sold out or super expensive now. Darn! A regret 

[Brian]

Just listened to the Ashkenazy "Diabelli Variations" from the Decca big box. Really wonderful. Maybe one of the more enjoyable listens to this huge work that I've ever had. However, one of the tracks glitched out and went straight to the next one (no skipping, even). I'll have to inspect the disc and try it on another system.