Your Favorite Vox Recordings

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Any recordings from Vox label you like or evaluate highly?
A GMGer once called Vox recordings "old falling apart Pontiac cars," but he later disclosed that he liked a few recordings from the label.
I like a few Vox recordings including the below.
I would appreciate if you could explain why you like the recordings of yours.

[JBS]

First off, a 5 CD set and a 2CD release that between them have all (or almost all) of Scriabin's piano music, which I would recommend to everyone



Then two Saint Saens sets



Finally, Brendel's very first recording of the Beethoven sonatas is (or was) available as a series of double CDs on Vox.

[vers la flamme]

A GMGer once called Vox recordings "old falling apart Pontiac cars," but he later disclosed that he liked a few recordings from the label.

Why is that so hilarious to me 

Can't say I'm terribly familiar with much of Vox's catalogue but I have nothing against the label.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Why is that so hilarious to me 

Can't say I'm terribly familiar with much of Vox's catalogue but I have nothing against the label.

I am hopeful that this member will post his opinion and his fav Vox. 

[Daverz]

Any recordings from Vox label you like or evaluate highly?
A GMGer once called Vox recordings "old falling apart Pontiac cars," but he later disclosed that he liked a few recordings from the label.
I like a few Vox recordings including the below.
I would appreciate if you could explain why you like the recordings of yours.

I won't vouch for any LP pressings.  They are a safer bet on CD.

Recordings of Skrowaczewski in Minnesota (Ravel, Bartok, Beethoven).

Piano recordings by Moravec (Debussy and Chopin; these are now on Supraphon), Abbey Simon (Ravel, Chopin), and Firkusny (Czech music).

Recordings of the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio (Brahms, Mendelssohn)

Haydn String Quartets (duties shared by the Dekany and Fine Arts Quartets).  You can get this as a lossless download from, e.g. Qobuz, who have it for $8.  Still fine examples of the older (70s) style of Haydn playing.

[Holden]

Well played and contains virtually all the variations for piano plus what the album calls 'vignettes'. This is early Brendel which I prefer. I also have his first LvB PS cycle which was also on Voxbox and I'd take it over his other two any day, despite the sound not being the best.

[david johnson]

I have enjoyed and still own, many Vox recordings since the 1960s. 

Vivaldi/4 Seasons/ Wurtemberg - not especially great, but I like it.
Debussy/Orchestral works/Radio Luxembourg
Ravel/Skrowaczewski/Minnesota/Ravel
Mahler 2/Klemperer/Vienna Symphony 1950
Chopin/Preludes
Mozart/Opera overtures
...I do not recall the others

[Daverz]

Well played and contains virtually all the variations for piano plus what the album calls 'vignettes'. This is early Brendel which I prefer. I also have his first LvB PS cycle which was also on Voxbox and I'd take it over his other two any day, despite the sound not being the best.

There's a sample box of Brendel's Vox recordings:



Brilliant Classics reissued his Vox Beethoven Sonata cycle:

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2011/Jan11/Beethoven_Brendel_94075.htm

You can still stream or download a lot of his Vox recordings.

[Daverz]

One Vox recording (LP/CD) that has been superseded is the Rosbaud Bruckner 7.  Other labels have had access to a much better stereo tape than whatever Vox used.  I have it in this cheapo box:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001E1DHFO/

A mono tape was used for SWR's Rosbaud Bruckner box.

I still have nostalgic memories of the Turnabout LP, though, which fit the symphony on two sides:

[Daverz]

Googling around a bit reminds me of some more:

Walter Klien's Mozart Sonatas
Jeffrey Siegel's Gershwin set (with Slatkin)
The "American String Quartets" sets, at least 2 of them.
Farberman's Michael Haydn Symphonies (some more recordings from these sessions showed up years later).
A delightful Milhaud set with his Little Symphonies and other works.  This also showed up on Brilliant Classics.
Mozart Wind Serenades with the New York Philomusica (also issued on their own label)

[Jo498]

- Milhaud conducts his own little symphonies and more stuff
- Michael Haydn symphonies
- basically any Kalichstein, Laredo, Robinson (although I personally only know one Brahms disc)
- Brendel Schubert 4-hand music and fillers (3 disc set)
- "Americana" (incl. shorter important Ives and Ruggles along with some fluff, cond. by Foss, Abravanel, there might be several overlapping collections)

- not originally Vox but I got it as a voxbox and it might still be around in that form: Oistrakh plays Sibelius, Khatchaturian concertos and Franck, Shostakovich sonatas with Richter. All 4 among the best of their kind and maybe easier to find than the Melodiya discs.
A frequently recommended Vox twofer I did not much care for (esp. in view of the many options) were Schumann symphonies with Semkov/St Louis

[Roasted Swan]

I think there are many excellent Vox sets.  Really good things - the main problem - certainly in the UK was that the LP pressings/vinyl used was pretty poor so the sound was quite often pretty dreadful.  But now on CD they sound a ton better (OK not demonstration class etc but decent analog).  My favourites;



The Skrowaczewski sets (including the others mentioned before are uniformly EXCELLENT).  A thrilling Rite and a rather wonderful Firebird Sute.  The Martinon/Prokofiev has been superceded for sure but this is still actullay very good and Martinon is a very fine conductor.



Slatkin is good in Rach.  Not histrionic but effective.  OK The Bells is in English.  His set of the Piano concerti with Abbey Simon is well worth hearing too.  Slatkin's Prokofiev/Film music isn't bad either - Ivan the Terrible is in English again.....



Again superceded but I love Ponti..... as here too....



ANYTHING with Rosand - a genius!



Previously mentioned but still one of the best Gershwin collections for sure.......



The 1st Copland LP I owned - I still love this version.......



Abravanal in Utah again well worth hearing.  His Mahler unfussy - the No.8 actually very good indeed....

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

I won't vouch for any LP pressings.  They are a safer bet on CD.

Recordings of Skrowaczewski in Minnesota (Ravel, Bartok, Beethoven).

Piano recordings by Moravec (Debussy and Chopin; these are now on Supraphon), Abbey Simon (Ravel, Chopin), and Firkusny (Czech music).

Recordings of the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio (Brahms, Mendelssohn)

Haydn String Quartets (duties shared by the Dekany and Fine Arts Quartets).  You can get this as a lossless download from, e.g. Qobuz, who have it for $8.  Still fine examples of the older (70s) style of Haydn playing.

The Skrowaczewski and Firkusny sound interesting. I will look for the discs!

[Pohjolas Daughter]

I won't vouch for any LP pressings.  They are a safer bet on CD.

Recordings of Skrowaczewski in Minnesota (Ravel, Bartok, Beethoven).

Piano recordings by Moravec (Debussy and Chopin; these are now on Supraphon), Abbey Simon (Ravel, Chopin), and Firkusny (Czech music).

Recordings of the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio (Brahms, Mendelssohn)

Haydn String Quartets (duties shared by the Dekany and Fine Arts Quartets).  You can get this as a lossless download from, e.g. Qobuz, who have it for $8.  Still fine examples of the older (70s) style of Haydn playing.

+1 for the two in bold--favorites of mine.  Haven't heard of Abbey Simon before; will have to keep an eye out for that CD.

PD

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

I think there are many excellent Vox sets.  Really good things - the main problem - certainly in the UK was that the LP pressings/vinyl used was pretty poor so the sound was quite often pretty dreadful.  But now on CD they sound a ton better (OK not demonstration class etc but decent analog).  My favourites;



The Skrowaczewski sets (including the others mentioned before are uniformly EXCELLENT).  A thrilling Rite and a rather wonderful Firebird Sute.  The Martinon/Prokofiev has been superceded for sure but this is still actullay very good and Martinon is a very fine conductor.



Slatkin is good in Rach.  Not histrionic but effective.  OK The Bells is in English.  His set of the Piano concerti with Abbey Simon is well worth hearing too



Again superceded but I love Ponti..... as here too....



ANYTHING with Rosand - a genius!



Previously mentioned but still one of the best Gershwin collections for sure.......



The 1st Copland LP I owned - I still love this version.......



Abravanal in Utah again well worth hearing.  His Mahler unfussy - the No.8 actually very good indeed....

Wow they look cool! I only knew the Prokofiev and Piano Concerto discs.  I will check some of theses discs. Thank you for the informative post.

[Todd]

Vox released gobs of good stuff from very fine pianists: Walter Klien, Alfred Brendel, Abbey Simon, Ivan Moravec, Gyorgy Sandor, Lili Krauss, Guiomar Novaes, some others.  The Skrowaczewski recordings are very fine, and the Abravanel Mahler 4 is one of the best ever recorded.  Some of Slatkin's work is very fine - eg, the Rach with Simon.  The recordings made by Elite Recordings under Joanna Nickrenz still sound exemplary today.  At bargain basement prices, Vox is impossible to fault.

[MusicTurner]

A lot of Candide/Vox/Turnabout recordings were good - to mention a few favourites:

- those later in the Brilliant Classics Romantic Piano Concerto series, especially Medtner 3rd/Ponti, Barber/Ruskin, Sinding, Scharwenka, Moszkowski, Moscheles, Mosonyi and a good deal of further ones, the Turnabout ones often with a less fine recorded sound, however.

- Ravel, orchestral works, Skrowaczewski. Turnabout, with better sound.

- Dlugoszewski 'Fire Fragile Flight', plus Crumb 'Night Music', Boulez 'Eclat', and Weill/Berio works, on Candide, with Thome/Orchestra of Our Time.

- Chavez Symphonies 1-6, Vox Cum Laude box /Mata

- Liszt, the early Brendel recordings of solo and concertante works

- Tchaikovsky, complete piano works boxes /Ponti

- French piano works, Vox Box 3LP, with Grant Johannesen, including Franck, Dukas, S-Saens, and others

- Messiaen, 'Catalogue d'Oiseaux', Mourao, Vox Box.

- Frank Martin, concertos, on Candide.

etc.

Personally, I'm less enthusiastic about Brendel's Beethoven set however, for example.

[Holden]

There's a sample box of Brendel's Vox recordings:



Brilliant Classics reissued his Vox Beethoven Sonata cycle:

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2011/Jan11/Beethoven_Brendel_94075.htm

You can still stream or download a lot of his Vox recordings.

I can't remember how or why I acquired his first PS set (I might have been inspired after getting the variations box) but there were a number of aspects I really liked. As with Barenboim 1 (EMI) the young man's approach really appealed to me, especially in the earlier sonatas and like DB, most of the late ones were obviously a work in progress. While I wouldn't put the set in my top tier, I am very happy to listen to it.

[Daverz]

- Ravel, orchestral works, Skrowaczewski. Turnabout, with better sound.

They were quad recordings.  Mobile Fidelity has reissued these as well as Slatkin's Prokofiev on SACD.

- Chavez Symphonies 1-6, Vox Cum Laude box /Mata

How did I forget this, the only complete symphony set (or was there a Symphony No. 7?)  Reissued by Brilliant Classics.

- Frank Martin, concertos, on Candide.

These were issued on CD on the Jecklin label, e.g.



though I did discover this on that Candide LP.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Well played and contains virtually all the variations for piano plus what the album calls 'vignettes'. This is early Brendel which I prefer. I also have his first LvB PS cycle which was also on Voxbox and I'd take it over his other two any day, despite the sound not being the best.

I only know his PS boxes and admire them. I will look for the V&V.

A lot of Candide/Vox/Turnabout recordings were good - to mention a few favourites:

- those later in the Brilliant Classics Romantic Piano Concerto series, especially Medtner 3rd/Ponti, Barber/Ruskin, Sinding, Scharwenka, Moszkowski, Moscheles, Mosonyi and a good deal of further ones, the Turnabout ones often with a less fine recorded sound, however.

- Ravel, orchestral works, Skrowaczewski. Turnabout, with better sound.

- Dlugoszewski 'Fire Fragile Flight', plus Crumb 'Night Music', Boulez 'Eclat', and Weill/Berio works, on Candide, with Thome/Orchestra of Our Time.

- Chavez Symphonies 1-6, Vox Cum Laude box /Mata

- Liszt, the early Brendel recordings of solo and concertante works

- Tchaikovsky, complete piano works boxes /Ponti

- French piano works, Vox Box 3LP, with Grant Johannesen, including Franck, Dukas, S-Saens, and others

- Messiaen, 'Catalogue d'Oiseaux', Mourao, Vox Box.

- Frank Martin, concertos, on Candide.

etc.

Personally, I'm less enthusiastic about Brendel's Beethoven set however, for example.

All of these sound interesting. I will look for the discs!

Vox released gobs of good stuff from very fine pianists: Walter Klien, Alfred Brendel, Abbey Simon, Ivan Moravec, Gyorgy Sandor, Lili Krauss, Guiomar Novaes, some others.  The Skrowaczewski recordings are very fine, and the Abravanel Mahler 4 is one of the best ever recorded.  Some of Slatkin's work is very fine - eg, the Rach with Simon.  The recordings made by Elite Recordings under Joanna Nickrenz still sound exemplary today.  At bargain basement prices, Vox is impossible to fault.

I only know the Brendel, Simon and Moravec. I will check the others. Thanks for the post!