The Super-Duper Cheap Bargains Thread

Started by Mark, November 13, 2007, 02:26:18 PM

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Todd

Qobuz has another download sale, including some Naxos and Orfeo titles at 50% off.  Some Evidence titles are 80% off - one can purchase FFG's Beethoven Violin Sonatas and Cello Sonatas for a couple bucks each.
The universe is change; life is opinion. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

People would rather believe than know - E.O. Wilson

Propaganda death ensemble - Tom Araya

classicalgeek

Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on August 06, 2022, 06:41:28 PM
No worries, James, my wallet is a bit happier, anyway :)

I know what you mean. ;D I contemplated snapping one the Solti/London boxes up myself, but there a lot of these box sets higher on my priority list!
So much great music, so little time...

Original compositions and orchestrations: https://www.youtube.com/@jmbrannigan

staxomega

Quote from: DavidW on August 05, 2022, 03:59:25 PM
That is exactly why I don't find those conductor big boxes appealing.  Excepting Bernstein, there is no conductor I can think of that produces moving performances across all eras.

I always think these conductor big boxes are unappealing then I proceed to buy them anyway :-X Though I am a bit more conservative than others, none of the ones I've bought collect dust on a shelf. The Eduard van Beinum is an upcoming one that has caught my eye.

Brian

Quote from: classicalgeek on August 04, 2022, 06:27:51 PM
The "Solti in London" box is on sale at Amazon US for about $55:

https://www.amazon.com/Solti-London-36-Box-Set/dp/B098RTYSKX/



I've seen it hovering around $100, so this is a pretty good deal.
This sale is back - $55 again.

Bizarrely, Amazon US says that the items ship from "Amazon Global Store UK," but Amazon.co.uk does not have the item available on sale.

Anyway: should I buy? Anyone get to listen to it yet?

Todd

Quote from: Brian on August 21, 2022, 06:46:19 AMAnyway: should I buy?

I'm not a Solti fan, so keep that in mind, but I'd see what can be streamed first.  Solti tends to be unnuanced in symphonies and other orchestral works, and his recordings accompanying soloists tend to be available in other sets.  The box does not appear to hold many or even any must-have recordings, except for perhaps his Bartok.  If you really want his Elgar, Haydn, or the few Mahler symphonies in the box, it could make sense to buy for those. 
The universe is change; life is opinion. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

People would rather believe than know - E.O. Wilson

Propaganda death ensemble - Tom Araya

JBS

Quote from: Brian on August 21, 2022, 06:46:19 AM
This sale is back - $55 again.

Bizarrely, Amazon US says that the items ship from "Amazon Global Store UK," but Amazon.co.uk does not have the item available on sale.

Anyway: should I buy? Anyone get to listen to it yet?

I received my copy but haven't listened to any of it. I do like his Mahler and Haydn. But I remember you said you don't like his Haydn....
The Elgar, Mahler, and Bartok recordings make up almost have the box, and include a recording of Bluebeard's Castle.
There's also a recording of Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex.

Hollywood Beach Broadwalk

albanberg


Brian

Europadisc's box set sale includes a couple of big boxes that are near $1 per CD:



Boccherini Edition, 37 CDs, dollar price (excluding VAT) $36.48



Haydn/Fischer symphony cycle, 33 CDs, dollar price (excluding VAT) $36.48

I am curious about the Boccherini edition; I've enjoyed all I've heard by the composer, but (a) understand the box omits loads of stuff, and (b) 37 CDs may be too many for this composer anyway?

JBS

Quote from: Brian on October 02, 2022, 06:00:35 AM
Europadisc's box set sale includes a couple of big boxes that are near $1 per CD:



Boccherini Edition, 37 CDs, dollar price (excluding VAT) $36.48



Haydn/Fischer symphony cycle, 33 CDs, dollar price (excluding VAT) $36.48

I am curious about the Boccherini edition; I've enjoyed all I've heard by the composer, but (a) understand the box omits loads of stuff, and (b) 37 CDs may be too many for this composer anyway?

I have the Magnifica Comunita recordings that make up almost half of it. I'd say those on their own are worth the price.

But Ritter just got it recently; maybe he's heard enough of it to comment.

Hollywood Beach Broadwalk

Jo498

The Boccherini box also uses some of Capriccio/Delta Music recordings that had a 10 disc edition in the 1990s. It's not quite clear to me how many of them but I think the Erxleben (7 Symphonies) Petersen quartet, Parisii Q./Lencses (despite oboe quintets, that are arrangements with the same G numbers as the flute quintets not mentioned). These are all very good; I don't know any of the other recordings.
Tout le malheur des hommes vient d'une seule chose, qui est de ne savoir pas demeurer en repos, dans une chambre.
- Blaise Pascal

Spotted Horses

#7430
Quote from: Brian on October 02, 2022, 06:00:35 AM
Europadisc's box set sale includes a couple of big boxes that are near $1 per CD:



Boccherini Edition, 37 CDs, dollar price (excluding VAT) $36.48



Haydn/Fischer symphony cycle, 33 CDs, dollar price (excluding VAT) $36.48

I am curious about the Boccherini edition; I've enjoyed all I've heard by the composer, but (a) understand the box omits loads of stuff, and (b) 37 CDs may be too many for this composer anyway?

I had that Haydn cycle years ago but sold it off. The performances were good but the audio engineering was unacceptable, to my ears. Too reverberant and a weird soundstage. Do I remember right that it originally recorded by Nimbus?

(I also had and sold Dorati, now I rely on Dennis Russel Davies for my complete, and various subsets, Harnoncourt, Brugen, Kuijken, Davis, Karajan.)
There are simply two kinds of music, good music and the other kind. - Duke Ellington

Brian

Quote from: Spotted Horses on October 03, 2022, 02:40:24 AM
Do I remember right that it originally recorded by Nimbus?

(I also had and sold Dorati, now I rely on Dennis Russel Davies for my complete, and various subsets, Harnoncourt, Brugen, Kuijken, Davis, Karajan.)
Yep, you do remember right. Agreed on the sound, too. I have it all on MP3 from some other crazy sale (it was $9 for the box if you downloaded), in addition to the Decca HIP edition combining Bruggen and Hogwood, DRD, and various other subsets.

Spotted Horses

Quote from: Brian on August 21, 2022, 06:46:19 AM
This sale is back - $55 again.

Bizarrely, Amazon US says that the items ship from "Amazon Global Store UK," but Amazon.co.uk does not have the item available on sale.

Anyway: should I buy? Anyone get to listen to it yet?

I see Solti in London is still in the Amazon Global Store but up to $87 (which is still a steep discount from the list price). I don't really find Solti that compelling, but probably his work in London is what I prefer. In Chicago he had total control and it really was Sollissimo, too much of a good (or bad, depending on you taste) thing.
There are simply two kinds of music, good music and the other kind. - Duke Ellington

Todd

The universe is change; life is opinion. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

People would rather believe than know - E.O. Wilson

Propaganda death ensemble - Tom Araya

Todd

The universe is change; life is opinion. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

People would rather believe than know - E.O. Wilson

Propaganda death ensemble - Tom Araya


Roasted Swan

This week there are two free downloads from Classics Select;

https://www.classicselectworld.com/collections/free-downloads

their neatly(?) titled "Big Great Symphony Box" Vols. 1&2 - each with about 10 hours of music.  Vol.1 has more old-school Schubert/Beethoven/Haydn but interesting (for me at least) to hear Adrian Boult's Beethoven.  Vol.2 has more 'classics' from the Vox back catalogue - several of the Abravanal/Mahler and Sibelius cycles and his complete Brahms plus Faberman Ives Nos.1-3 (all worth hearing if you never have!).


Pohjolas Daughter

Quote from: Roasted Swan on November 03, 2022, 12:14:13 AM
This week there are two free downloads from Classics Select;

https://www.classicselectworld.com/collections/free-downloads

their neatly(?) titled "Big Great Symphony Box" Vols. 1&2 - each with about 10 hours of music.  Vol.1 has more old-school Schubert/Beethoven/Haydn but interesting (for me at least) to hear Adrian Boult's Beethoven.  Vol.2 has more 'classics' from the Vox back catalogue - several of the Abravanal/Mahler and Sibelius cycles and his complete Brahms plus Faberman Ives Nos.1-3 (all worth hearing if you never have!).


Thanks!  Downloaded--now I just need to figure out how to add them to iTunes (I think that it may have something to do with signing into iTunes and changing some preferences).

PD

Roasted Swan

Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on November 03, 2022, 01:33:28 AM
Thanks!  Downloaded--now I just need to figure out how to add them to iTunes (I think that it may have something to do with signing into iTunes and changing some preferences).

PD

I hate very few things in life - but I do hate iTunes!!  My wife used to run a dance school and had all her lesson playlists on an ipad.  ALL the music was ripped from CD's we owned and had the files on my hard drive (yes I know there could be some copyright issues but much of it was recorded for teachers to use by the dance examining board so no rights issues!)  But I had to use ITunes as the interface to upload the music to her i-pad.  Sometimes I could sit there for literally 2-3 hours while the system simply refused to "recognise" the new music files and/or playlists.  Give me my simple Android drag and drop any time (rant over) - enjoy the downloads IF i-tunes will allow you to.........

Pohjolas Daughter

Quote from: Roasted Swan on November 04, 2022, 04:02:22 AM
I hate very few things in life - but I do hate iTunes!!  My wife used to run a dance school and had all her lesson playlists on an ipad.  ALL the music was ripped from CD's we owned and had the files on my hard drive (yes I know there could be some copyright issues but much of it was recorded for teachers to use by the dance examining board so no rights issues!)  But I had to use ITunes as the interface to upload the music to her i-pad.  Sometimes I could sit there for literally 2-3 hours while the system simply refused to "recognise" the new music files and/or playlists.  Give me my simple Android drag and drop any time (rant over) - enjoy the downloads IF i-tunes will allow you to.........
Interesting!  Surprised that it didn't recognize the music files or playlists....I wonder why?  The only device that I intentionally put some of my albums on was (what is now) on an old iPod Touch (remember those?).  I've never used an iPad before.  In any event, sorry to hear of your headaches with it.  Here:  I did a bit more searching yesterday (using the "Help" search function while I had iTunes open) and found that I could (like you were on your Android) that I was able to just drag and drop the files there from my download folder.  Haven't tried listening to them yet, but they showed up (cover images in my library there just fine).  And all of the tracks and timings are showing there too.  Wonder if there might be a compatibility issue between your iPad version and your computer--I don't know if you have a Windows one or a Mac?  I do get that computers, etc. can be a frustrating matter to sort out though!  :(

PD