DG's 'Collector's Edition' Series

[Mark]

What's the general view around here of the titles in DG's 'Collector's Edition' Series?

I've just realised that as well as the three sets I currently own ...




... I also have (though it hadn't occurred to me until this evening) all of these on my wishlist:









Anyone own any of the above and can comment on them? Worth buying? Better avoided? What about other sets in the series? Any I should add to the wishlist?

[George]

Proceed without caution. 

[Mark]

Proceed without caution. 

Thanks, George.

[Daverz]

I'd definitely get the Bruckner and Schubert boxes.  Excellent recordings and interpretations that hold up well against fierce competition.

[DavidW]

I've heard everything but the Kremer set.  The Bruckner set is by far the best out of what you have listed.

[Gurn Blanston]

What's the general view around here of the titles in DG's 'Collector's Edition' Series?

I've just realised that as well as the three sets I currently own ...








Anyone own any of the above and can comment on them? Worth buying? Better avoided? What about other sets in the series? Any I should add to the wishlist?

I have these 3, as well as several others not mentioned (Eschenbach Mozart Sonatas, Gardiner Mozart PC's, Beethoven Folk Songs, a couple others if I get up and look  ) and absolutely no regrets about any of them. Good performances, very good (remastered?) sound, convenient purchases for a great price.




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Now playing: Onslow String Quintets - L'Archibudelli & Smithsonian Chamber Players - Op 38 Quintet in c for Strings 1st mvmt - Allegro moderato ed espressivo

[Novi]

Yes, definitely the Jochum Bruckner set.

I would also recommend the Berg set:


Highligts for me include the violin concerto (Mutter/Levine), the chamber concerto (Zukerman, Barenboim/Boulez), Lulu (Boulez), and Wozzeck (Abbado) (no libretti, unfortunately).

[Daverz]

Others I'd recommend: Bohm's set of Mozart wind concertos with the VPO (but only if you like big band Mozart), Pinnock's Haydn 'Sturm und Drang" symphonies set, and Bernstein's Beethoven symphonies with the VPO.

[Novi]

Forgot to add this one, Haydn's 'London' Symphonies (Jochum):


Haydn's symphonies took me forever to get into but I finally saw the light with this set (which has enabled me to go back to my other Haydn recordings with greater pleasure and understanding ).

[head-case]

Forgot to add this one, Haydn's 'London' Symphonies (Jochum):


Haydn's symphonies took me forever to get into but I finally saw the light with this set (which has enabled me to go back to my other Haydn recordings with greater pleasure and understanding ).

That one is awful, balances so skewed you would never know there is a wind section.  This one is about one million times better:

[Mark]

Thanks for the recommendations for Haydn symphonies in this series. However, I'm unlikely ever to buy any other recordings of these works, as I have the complete Dorati set on Decca.

Gurn, how do you find Abbado's way with the Mendelssohn symphonies? I can imagine him being wonderfully dynamic and dramatic in the Hebrides Overture, but I wonder how he'd approach the relative delicacy of Mendelssohn's writing in the Third and Fourth Symphonies specifically. If this set is worth grabbing, I'll make it my second cycle - I have these works on Naxos, but they're not much to write home about.

[marvinbrown]

 Mark thank you for starting this thread, I went through my collection and discovered that I own the following DG (Archive) Collectors edition recordings:

  Mozart string quartets (Hagen Quartet)- this is a fine recording, the sound quality is excellent and the tone of the Hagen Quartet is to my liking- quite beautiful indeed.  You get all of the string quartets plus Divertimentos K136, K137, K.138 etc. and the adagio and Fugue from JS Bach's Well Tempered Klavier II

  Beethoven the 9 Symphonies- these are superb, this is the set I was telling you about, it is the 1963 recording of Beethoven's symphonies under Karajan, digitally remastered and repackaged....I do not leave home without this....

  Bruckner the 9 Symphonies Jochum-  this is regarded as the quintessential set to get.  Highly recommended by the GMG members I purchased it on account of what I have been told and am very satisfied.

  Liszt- Annees de Pelerinage-  All I can say is don't think, buy!  I was looking for a COMPLETE recording of all the Years of Pilgrimage this is one of the very few sets out there, Berman's interpretation is very "intimate" you get the sense that he really understands these piano pieces and for £8 off of amazon (thats what I paid) you can not go wrong here nor beat the price.

  Bach- the Concertos- Trevor Pinnock (Archive),  I bought this set because I was looking for a complete set of Bach's harpsichord concertos and this set proved usefull.  The playing is methodical and perhaps a bit too precise or "tight" at times (he doesn't allow the music to breathe)- true to the baroque essence of these works (nothing is romanticized here, this is Bach after all), the sound is crystal clear- I like Pinnock with Bach, I had his Goldberg Variations before I bought this set so I knew what to expect here.  That said, I much prefer other recordings of the double violin concerto (Stern/Perlman). Granted you will find better individual recordings out there in the market but for a complete comprehensive set this set is not bad at all.

  Please Note:  What I have written is just my opinion and others may agree/disagree with me as they see fit.

  Oh I forgot to mention the Tchaikovsky Karajan Complete Symphonies recording, well if you remember we discussed this one on Recordings You are Considering thread and Harry as well as other members recommended it.

  marvin

[Mark]

Marvin, thank you very much.

Your comments on the Mozart and Bruckner in particular intrigue me. I'd long known that it was remiss of me not to own Jochum's classic Bruckner set - I ought to do something about this. As for Mozart's String Quartets, I didn't realise these were complete in this edition. I'm a big fan of all kinds of string quartet, so this is yet another set I'll need to add to my shopping list.

[head-case]

Thanks for the recommendations for Haydn symphonies in this series. However, I'm unlikely ever to buy any other recordings of these works, as I have the complete Dorati set on Decca.

Gurn, how do you find Abbado's way with the Mendelssohn symphonies? I can imagine him being wonderfully dynamic and dramatic in the Hebrides Overture, but I wonder how he'd approach the relative delicacy of Mendelssohn's writing in the Third and Fourth Symphonies specifically. If this set is worth grabbing, I'll make it my second cycle - I have these works on Naxos, but they're not much to write home about.

Dorati's set is indeed fine, Harnoncourt's is a world apart.

I won't claim this is the best available, but I like it

[Mark]

I keep getting tempted to buy another cycle of Brahms' Symphonies, but I have several and really need to hear a good deal of other major works before investing in more sets. Perhaps if I get the Bohm Schubert Symphonies in this series and enjoy those, I'll consider his Brahms cycle.

[AnthonyAthletic]

Sound & Performance?

Well Jochum's style IMO hardly changed over the timespan of these two cycles, didn't get better, didn't get worse.  Highly consistent.  The DG cyle and the EMI cycle are both up there in the Benchmark higherarchy.

Only reservation; should it be a choice between the two, is sound quality, and the EMI for obvious reasons is the winner.  Two sets which you can't split with a cigarette paper.



The Brahms set with Bohm too is quite compelling, I bought this a while ago after listening to the Furtwangler set, Bohm doesn't hit the heights of Furtwangler but does a pretty fine job...another safe set, can't go wrong really.

I have around 10 - 15 of these sets, could be more...just hard to think at the moment, need to get home 

[Mark]

So, Tony, knowing my preference for good sound, are you saying the EMI Bruckner set is the better bet?

[springrite]

I would recommend Goebels' Bach.

Like many people here, I am tempted by the Jochum Bruckner set.

[PerfectWagnerite]

Sound & Performance?

Well Jochum's style IMO hardly changed over the timespan of these two cycles, didn't get better, didn't get worse.  Highly consistent.  The DG cyle and the EMI cycle are both up there in the Benchmark higherarchy.

Only reservation; should it be a choice between the two, is sound quality, and the EMI for obvious reasons is the winner.  Two sets which you can't split with a cigarette paper.

Personally I like the DG sound better. The EMI sound is more distant and some say more natural. The DG sound is closer, more immediate, and a bit more fierce at spots. I THINK if you have higher end equipment the EMI sound would sound better. But I prefer the DG sound.

[Drasko]

You get Ozawa's Nutcracker (very, very good) and Swan Lake (touch lame but still good) and Pletnev's stunning Sleeping Beauty for the price less than just Sleeping Beauty alone.