The Super-Duper Cheap Bargains Thread

[Moonfish]

You may find that a few minor gems enclosed (like Rodion Shchedrin playing his own piano music) are worth the low price, but I would advise you not to compromise your integrity by purchasing this set.

Many of the performers are well-known in the Obscure European Budget Labels circuit. Anton Nanut is perfectly competent, as is Bystrik Rezucha; Zdenek Kosler and Dubravka Tomsic are interesting, important artists, and Tomsic's Scarlatti CD available for about $2 on Amazon is viewed as a classic by Scarlatti lovers here. Viktor Yampolsky and Howard Griffiths are surprising inclusions too. I have verified that the presence of Peter Pears is a real recording, but I think it's live and from the '50s. The State Philharmonic Orchestra of Kosice is a real orchestra with a terrible, terrible track record on disc.

The real problem is that many of the recordings originate from a scam run by a record producer named Alfred Scholz. I see the names Alfred Scholz, Alberto Lizzio, Cesare Cantieri, London Festival Orchestra, Suddeutsche Philharmonie, Junge Suddeutsche Philharmonie, Munich Symphonics, Tubingen Medical Orchestra, and Henry Adolph, all of which are completely bogus. Additionally, Scholz used the names of some real artists in his scam, and Dubravka Tomsic has complained publicly about fake recordings being released under her name. And finally, Ulf Hoelscher is credited as playing the piano, which is alarming because he is a violinist.

That is a sad reflection of the bargain box industry!   
Thanks for all that information Brian!!

[Mookalafalas]

That is a sad reflection of the bargain box industry!   
Thanks for all that information Brian!!

  Well, on the obscure (Russian?) label bargain boxes, anyway. 
 
   And +1 on the thanks, Brian.  You are impressively well informed.

[Pat B]

  Well, on the obscure (Russian?) label bargain boxes, anyway. 
 
   And +1 on the thanks, Brian.  You are impressively well informed.

Right, this doesn't generalize to legitimate labels, budget or not.

+2 thanks to Brian. I hadn't heard about this guy. I have a couple Pilz CDs but they are apparently legitimate (Bach by Jaccottet).

[Brian]

+2 thanks to Brian. I hadn't heard about this guy. I have a couple Pilz CDs but they are apparently legitimate (Bach by Jaccottet).

That's how I found out about it. In the '80s my dad bought a bunch of Pilz CDs, and a few years ago I got curious and started googling. Some of them were real artists, some of them were fake, and one of them didn't even say who the artists were (I think Bach concertos where the orchestra was listed but not the soloists).

[Todd]

CD 23
Rodion Schtschedrin
Echo Sonata
Fourteen pieces from the Polyphonic Exercise Book
Ulf Hoelscher, PIano
Rodion Schtschedrin, Piano

Ulf Hoelscher is a violinist.  A few of the other names are familiar Alfredo Perl (fine Chilean pianist who recorded a nice LvB sonata cycle), Zdenek Kossler (sic), Ondrej Lenard, and the Moyzes Quartet.  I think $30 is probably too high a price.  I'd say wait until it is a Vox style download.

[not edward]

I agree with MI but not as strongly.  I just think that they are not as musically interesting as his orchestral works.  Still worth hearing, and at that price I would pull the trigger.

I think much of this reflects the fact that much of the chamber music comes from earlier in his career.

The only major chamber music works from the post-3rd symphony period are the 2nd violin sonata and wind quintet, both of which are IMO fine pieces. Obviously there's a few major works for solo instrument as well (the solo violin pieces, Commotio, the Lucifer suite and the late Three Piano Pieces), but again I think these are, with the possible exception of the the violin pieces, strong works.

[Will Sheard]

1 cent

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I ended up getting this as I'm getting more and more into chamber music. I'm enjoying this record. Thanks for the heads up, Ken!

[Octave]

Maybe not quite Super Duper, but the newest sale at Presto is on a bunch of box sets (Warner-etc, Univ-etc) and there are some reasonably good deals to be found, sometimes ~$10+ less than the best prices I've usually seen for certain items.  Mozart piano concerto cycles by Anda and Bilson, the 8cd Alban Berg "Collection" (which was pretty cheap via Amazon Marketplace USA last time I saw it), the Goebel Bach 'Orchestral/Chamber' 8cd, Poulenc/Rogé piano-chamber 5cd, etc etc

EDIT: following a funny little compulsion of mine, I've checked some items against Amazon USA-MP prices, and in several cases the MP price is as good or slightly better...caveat emptor

[Ken B]

The 144 disc complete Rubinstein is under 200 at an Amazon MP right now.

Remember the ad link below if you are buying this one!

[Moonfish]

Just $2 + S&H for Koopman's Bach Cantatas Vol 1 (3 cds)     

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[Mookalafalas]

The 144 disc complete Rubinstein is under 200 at an Amazon MP right now.

Remember the ad link below if you are buying this one!

  Certainly a fantastic bargain at this price, but I bought it for $120 about 6 months ago, and it went down to $88 at importCDs.  Probably never see those prices again though.  I think this box may have started me on the road to CDCDCD....

[Que]

  Certainly a fantastic bargain at this price, but I bought it for $120 about 6 months ago, and it went down to $88 at importCDs.  Probably never see those prices again though.  I think this box may have started me on the road to CDCDCD....

You could have done much worse! Awesome set I would have gotten it if I would start with a clean slate....

The advantage of starting a fresh: no expensive cycles gathered bit by bit, no giant space consuming plastic boxes.....

Q

[Ken B]

  Certainly a fantastic bargain at this price, but I bought it for $120 about 6 months ago, and it went down to $88 at importCDs.  Probably never see those prices again though.  I think this box may have started me on the road to CDCDCD....

I saw this and thought of you

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[HIPster]

Just $2 + S&H for Koopman's Bach Cantatas Vol 1 (3 cds)     

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A big ol' hat tip to Moonfish!

Thank you!

[Mookalafalas]

I saw this and thought of you

  I have one! My brother in law got one for me for xmas a couple of years ago:)

[Papy Oli]

Haydn / Hogwood down to €45.00 on Amazon ITA.

http://www.amazon.it/The-Symphonies-J-Haydn/dp/B009LNI0T0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395518882&sr=8-1&keywords=B009LNI0T0


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[Ken B]

Living Stereo 2 is for pre order at azon uk. L49 works out to L43 delivered to USA.
Under $75 I think.
I might cancel but preordered as the price is sensational.

[Moonfish]

Haydn / Hogwood down to €45.00 on Amazon ITA.

http://www.amazon.it/The-Symphonies-J-Haydn/dp/B009LNI0T0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395518882&sr=8-1&keywords=B009LNI0T0


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Thank you!

[bigshot]

The Sony Beethoven "masterpieces" box arrived from JPC today. Really barebones packaging. Big floppy box with a little block of CDs in paper sleeves inside. But the sleeves have track listings and the CDs are well packed with good recordings. Lots of Zinman.

[Moonfish]

Sony's Wagner set (40 cds) is currently going for 30 Euros (-VAT + S&H) at Amazon.de
(in case you really really really need more Wagner  ) - It includes the Janowski cycle (w/ Staatskapelle Dresden).

http://www.amazon.de/Richard-Wagner-Recordings-Waltraud-Meier/dp/B00A2JTEHY/ref=pd_sim_m_78?ie=UTF8&refRID=1ERWX1T5445JTFBPRBNC

[asin] B00A2JTEHY[/asin]

CD 1-2: Der fliegende Holländer: Morris, Voigt, Heppner, Rootering, Groves, Svendén - Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, James Levine
CD 3-5: Lohengrin: Kónya, Amara, Gorr, Dooley, Hines, Marsh - Boston Symphony Orchestra, Erich Leinsdorf
CD 6-9 Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg: Wiener, Thomas, Watson, Hotter, Kusche - Bayerisches Staatsorchester, Joseph Keilberth
CD 10-23: Der Ring des Nibelungen: Altmeyer, Norman, Studer, Adam, Jerusalem, Kollo, Schreier, Staatskapelle Dresden, Marek Janowski
CD 24-27: Parsifal: Uhl, Höngen, Ludwig, Berry, Hotter, Waechter, Franc - Wiener Staatsopernorchester, Herbert von Karajan
Opernausschnitte und Arien-CDs:
CD 28: Die Walküre: Akt 1: Hofmann, Marton, Talvela - New York Philharmonic, Zubin Mehta
CD 29: Peter Hofmann: Arien aus Lohengrin, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Rienzi, Siegfried, Tannhäuser, Die Walküre
CD 30: Gösta Winbergh: Arien aus Lohengrin, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Parsifal, Rienzi
CD 31: Kirsten Flagstad & Lauritz Melchior: Arien und Duette aus Götterdämmerung, Lohengrin, Parsifal,Tristan und Isolde, Die Walküre
CD 32-33: Lauritz Melchior & Helen Traubel: Arien und Duette aus Lohengrin, Rienzi, Tristan und Isolde
CD 35: Waltraud Meier: Arien aus Der fliegende Holländer, Götterdämmerung, Lohengrin, Parsifal, Tannhäuser, Tristan und Isolde, Die Walküre
Orchestermusik und Transkriptionen:
CD 36: George Szell: Orchestermusik aus Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Der Ring des Nibelungen, Tristan und Isolde - Cleveland Orchestra
CD 37: Leopold Stokowski: Ouvertüren und Orchestermusik aus Das Rheingold, Tannhäuser, Tristan und Isolde, Die Walküre - Symphony of the Air
CD 38: Lorin Maazel: Siegfried-Idyll, Vorspiele und Ouvertüren - Berliner Philharmoniker
CD 39: Lorin Maazel: Tannhäuser ohne Worte - Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
CD 40: Tal & Groethuysen: Klaviertranskriptionen für Vier Hände