Do you own the complete works of any composer(s)?

[Cato]

Sounds like a nice place

Minnesota?  I was once at a German college camp in Bemidji in November in the early 1990's: marvelous area for lovers of things plaid! 

Even the music there was nicely plaid!     0:)

[greg]

100% of Webern
100% of Varese
(used to have) 100% of Barraque
100% of Decaux
100% of Szabelski (works on CD only)
98% of Mahler
95% of Berg (only missing Lulu opera and whatever he wrote when he was young that might be on CD)
95% of Schoenberg (listened to), only <50% on CD
70% of Xenakis


i think that's all that's worth mentioning, the others have just written so much it's hard to give an estimate 

[Sergeant Rock]

Wagner
Varese
Webern
Mahler
Bruckner (may be missing a few motets)
Pettersson
Ruggles
Bach, P.D.Q   

Ravel and Debussy: I haven't consulted a list of their complete works but I probably have nearly everything.

Sarge

[Mark G. Simon]

I have the MTT 2-LP set of complete Ruggles, as well as the Boulez 3-CD set of complete opus numbered Webern.

I have all of Schoenberg except for Von Heute auf Morgen, the Cello Concerto, and the Suite for Strings. A lot of this is on LP, though. Fortunately I've just gotten one of those turntables with a USB plug, so I anticipate having a complete digital Schoenberg in the near future. The 3 missing works shouldn't be too hard to locate.

I have about 90% of Stravinsky but the gaps include some major works like Threni and Le Rossignol.

I'm not even going to try getting the complete Bach or Beethoven or Mozart. I'd never ever listen to all of their works. I have trouble enough keeping up with the Bach I do have. I have a large quantity of Beethoven, but I'm in no hurry to hear the 2 Preludes through all the major keys op. 39, or the 3 Marches for piano duet op. 44, or 6 very easy themes varied op. 105.

[jochanaan]

Recordings, or written music?

If written music, none.  The closest I can come is the complete Beethoven symphonies, and that in a woefully inaccurate edition from the 1930s.  If recordings, well, I have The Complete Works of Edgard Varèse as recorded by Riccardo Chailly, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and the ASKO Ensemble on London CD.

[Mr Bloom]

95% of Schoenberg (listened to), only <50% on CD
70% of Xenakis

Is the question about recorded stuff or all of written music? Because there is less than 50% of Xenakis' works that are recorded. Even with composers like Debussy who have a small "official catalog", there are tons of melodies and little works that have never been recorded.

Composers I have most of the "official catalog" :
Varèse
Webern
Mahler
Scriabin
Debussy
Bach
Schönberg
Debussy
Duparc
Bartok

Maybe some others, I'm not sure.

[Tsaraslondon]

I don't have the complete works of any composer, but if I were to be a completist, I'd be going for Verdi and Berlioz.

[BachQ]

I have the MTT 2-LP set of complete Ruggles,

You're quite the Ruggles collector .........

[Catison]

The only reasonably priced complete box I've seen that looks to be very solid (minimal weak performances, if any) is the Brilliant Mozart one - and even that I don't think I want to buy - I'd prefer to collect things seperately, and certainly don't want all of it.

I just bought the Mozart Brilliant set. Honestly, its $100 for 170 CDs.  That is a bargain no matter which way you cut it.  I was lucky that I didn't own much Mozart before, but I was interested into his music.  And I can affirm that I have found each of the discs I've heard very rewarding.  Some performances are just a little better than OK, but for 60 cents a CD, I am willing to accept that.  To me, having context for a composer is important.

I also bought the Brilliant Bach set.  Its not as great of a deal, and I don't think the performances are as consistent as the Mozart box, but it was still worth it to me.  Again, I didn't have much Bach before, but I know I enjoy his music.

Outside of the boxes, I also have about 99% of Prokofiev.  I am missing a few later Soviet pieces and a few suites.  I don't plan on completing the collection unless I find a really good deal.

[Lethevich]

I just bought the Mozart Brilliant set. Honestly, its $100 for 170 CDs.  That is a bargain no matter which way you cut it.  I was lucky that I didn't own much Mozart before, but I was interested into his music.  And I can affirm that I have found each of the discs I've heard very rewarding.  Some performances are just a little better than OK, but for 60 cents a CD, I am willing to accept that.  To me, having context for a composer is important.

I also bought the Brilliant Bach set.  Its not as great of a deal, and I don't think the performances are as consistent as the Mozart box, but it was still worth it to me.  Again, I didn't have much Bach before, but I know I enjoy his music.

I was definitely thinking of the Brilliant Bach set as a less rock solid one (but still excellent, and a superb way to collect the cantatas). You got a great deal with the Mozart though, and I can't wait for the label's apparently sometime incoming Haydn set - although I'm not sure whether I want the operas

[Dancing Divertimentian]

An easy one-stopper Berlioz box is this:

[Lethevich]

An easy one-stopper Berlioz box is this:

Hehe I Googled a tracklist to check if there was anything missing - but there really doesn't seem to be anything of note, although there is a cantata or two unaccounted for. Luckily Naxos can come to the rescue, with its superb single disc of them.

[Kullervo]

Varèse, Ruggles, Webern 

But seriously, I am in the process of collecting as much Nørgård, Langgaard, Berg, Honegger and Martinů as I can. I realize that some of these, Martinů and Langgaard in particular, have checkered output, but I won't let that stop me. I just have to know for some reason. I guess you could call it a mania.

[Tsaraslondon]

Duparc - you could probably get the complete works on one CD.

[Gurn Blanston]

Without resorting to "the big box":

Mozart & Beethoven

Just counting complete instrumental works: Schubert, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Dvorak.

A really whole lot, but just a drop in the bucket: Vivaldi*, Haydn



* I have over 300 concertos. Drop in the bucket...

[karlhenning]

That's a passel o' concerti, Gurn! 

[Gurn Blanston]

That's a passel o' concerti, Gurn! 

And lovely works at that. I think it is the sheer volume of them that overwhelms people into thinking they are all the same. But when you listen to just a few at a time, each has its own identity. It's just too much to carry in your head! 

[Kullervo]

Just counting complete instrumental works: Schubert, Schumann

No songs?

[Gurn Blanston]

No songs?

Schumann: No 

Schubert: Yes, bunches of them, but nowhere near all of them. Perhaps 10 varied disks worth, but with several repeated. And I have his masses, and Rosamunde. But far from complete.

[Don]

I suppose I'm close to having Bach's complete music, but I don't ever think of acquiring the complete works of any composer.  I just don't have any interest in it.