The Super-Duper Cheap Bargains Thread

[Harry]

https://www.amazon.de/Frescobaldi-Gesamtwerk-Complete-Girolamo/dp/B005910DMA/

The Frescobaldi Brilliant box ... 20€ - tempting - any impressions?

In my opinion a no brainer, especially for such a price.
I had no complaints about the recordings and performances.
Sound is good, and the instruments used too.

[king ubu]

In my opinion a no brainer, especially for such a price.
I had no complaints about the recordings and performances.
Sound is good, and the instruments used too.

That was fast - and done ordered ... thanks!
Don't have all that much by Frescobaldi around so far: Cocset (alpha), Aymes (Ligia), Bonizzoni (Glossa) and Alessandrini (Arcana) - and that stuff is great! (Except for the Aymes, which I haven't played yet, but I'm sure it's fine as well ... must have been you alerting that Ligia sale a while ago? Too much, too much!  )

[Harry]

That was fast - and done ordered ... thanks!
Don't have all that much by Frescobaldi around so far: Cocset (alpha), Aymes (Ligia), Bonizzoni (Glossa) and Alessandrini (Arcana) - and that stuff is great! (Except for the Aymes, which I haven't played yet, but I'm sure it's fine as well ... must have been you alerting that Ligia sale a while ago? Too much, too much!  )

Yes that Ligia sale was awesome, does not happen that much with this label.
This Frescobaldi set is a good investment. I have played it three times over, and still find new angles in it.

[Turner]

The Stanislaw Skrowaczewski - 90th Birthday Collection is a good deal too at EUR 29.99.

+1, a very good deal, great performances, including Beethoven.

[aligreto]

https://www.amazon.de/Frescobaldi-Gesamtwerk-Complete-Girolamo/dp/B005910DMA/

The Frescobaldi Brilliant box ... 20€ - tempting - any impressions?

I would definitely agree with Harry's comments above. You were wise to invest 

[king ubu]

I would definitely agree with Harry's comments above. You were wise to invest 

Thanks! Actually having started listening to the Aymes set (the fourth/last one I have) prompted me to also invest in his three earlier volumes on Ligia while they're still around (well, they're not around quite that much anymore, one of them was a bit on the pricey side).

[Harry]

Thanks! Actually having started listening to the Aymes set (the fourth/last one I have) prompted me to also invest in his three earlier volumes on Ligia while they're still around (well, they're not around quite that much anymore, one of them was a bit on the pricey side).

Well if the Ligia's  are priced down one must grab them.
Many of those I bought are OOP already and will not likely be on the market ever.
On Amazon the prices are ridiculous.

[Omicron9]

https://www.amazon.de/Frescobaldi-Gesamtwerk-Complete-Girolamo/dp/B005910DMA/

The Frescobaldi Brilliant box ... 20€ - tempting - any impressions?

+1.  I've been quite curious about this box.

[Que]

https://www.amazon.de/Frescobaldi-Gesamtwerk-Complete-Girolamo/dp/B005910DMA/

The Frescobaldi Brilliant box ... 20€ - tempting - any impressions?

Definitely one, or rather two, steps up from Vartolo's excruciating (a personal note) set on Tactus.
Well recorded good performances, though for me Lorregian just misses that wow factor of a Andrea Marcon or Alessandrini.....

My verdict: a solid "good" set, but you might find yourself often returning to your cherry picked favourites...

Q

[king ubu]

Definitely one, or rather two, steps up from Vartolo's excruciating (a personal note) set on Tactus.
Well recorded good performances, though for me Lorregian just misses that wow factor of a Andrea Marcon or Alessandrini.....

My verdict: a solid "good" set, but you might find yourself often returning to your cherry picked favourites...

Q

Thanks! It was shipped today 

[André]

Recent, but not new:



At 2.50$ per disc this 10cd set is a great bargain, containing as it does repertoire that won't likely duplicate anything in one's collection. Mercier is known mostly for his work on the Timpani and CPO labels, but he seems to have recorded rather extensively on RCA. In all likelihood these discs must have been poorly distributed, because none ever came to my attention before except Schmitt's Salammbô.

[Christo]

Recent, but not new:



At 2.50$ per disc this 10cd set is a great bargain, containing as it does repertoire that won't likely duplicate anything in one's collection. Mercier is known mostly for his work on the Timpani and CPO labels, but he seems to have recorded rather extensively on RCA. In all likelihood these discs must have been poorly distributed, because none ever came to my attention before except Schmitt's Salammbô.

Looks extremely tempting, many thanks for the tip.

[The new erato]

I've already played disc 2 & 7 and can vouch for them.

I wasn't aware of these discs either before the release of the box.

[ritter]

I know the Salammbô from when it first appeared on the Adès label decades ago, and Le martyre de Saint-Sébastien from a reissue in a Debussy compilation on Sony France. The latter is among the best recordings of the piece I have heard.

In any event, I am tempted by that box for the other off-the-beaten-track repertoire it contains...

[André]

I've already played disc 2 & 7 and can vouch for them.

I wasn't aware of these discs either before the release of the box.

You're a Requiem man 

[Walt Whitman]

www.classicselect.com is having a sale on Vanguard/Bach Guild downloads. As of today, they have 83 of these "Box Sets" on sale. Now, most of these are available on Amazon for the same price, 99¢ each, however, some are much more expensive on Amazon: Americana Box $20.99 on Amazon / $5.00 on ClassicSelect, Schubert Box $9.49 on Amazon / 99¢ on ClassicSelect, Big Great Symphonies Box, Vol. 2 $9.49 on Amazon / 99¢ on ClassicSelect. There are a few more, but you get the drift.

Now, many of these recordings are not be all, end all, sine qua non recordings, but the vast majority are far more than adequate, and much more than a few approach great status for artistry, interpretation, etc. All of Bruce Hungerford's Beethoven Sonata recordings are here. Symphony of the Air & Leopold Stokowski. Australian Chamber Orchestra & Sir Charles Mackerras. Peter Serkin. Lili Kraus. Lots of Alfred Brendel. Gewandhaus Orchestra & Kurt Masur. Tons of Anton Heiller. The Alfred Deller Consort, a new favorite of mine. The Royal Philharmonic & Yehudi Menuhin, etc. There is a Harnoncourt Box here, as well as a Leonhardt Box; historical recordings, to be sure, but great artistry and passion, and the recordings are very well-done for mp3's; they're missing that last bit of air, openness and definition, and on some can become slightly muddled in the loudest passages, but as variable bit rate mp3's go, these generally hover on the 240-260 kbps range, the very high end of the VBR spectrum. And, for 99¢ for hours of great music, you certainly cannot do much better, as far as value for your dollar.

I use these as an ever ready Classical Library for the road. I have purchased most through Amazon, so I can listen to them on the Amazon Music app, but have also uploaded all of them, along with many others to Google Play Music, putting a sizable dent in my free 50,000 "song" space that Google so generously provides. It's quite convenient and I don't have a recurring monthly fee (hate those) to listen to great music anywhere there is an internet connection, or download to my phone or tablet, if I'm going to be where the internet is not, which is hardly anywhere anymore.

Truth be told, I didn't even know this site existed two weeks ago, but it came up on a Google search looking for album cover images.

[André]

19.99€ (16.80€ when purchased outside of the EU) for this 25 cd set:



Eminently suitable for those with a gap in their french music collection. Everything is in very good or excellent performances. Boulez'  Ravel (on Sony) for example is IMHO a better proposal than his later DG discs.

There's bound to be some duplication, and of course there's a lot missing (where is Jeux ), but it's still a nice bargain.

[AnthonyAthletic]

19.99€ (16.80€ when purchased outside of the EU) for this 25 cd set:



Eminently suitable for those with a gap in their french music collection. Everything is in very good or excellent performances. Boulez'  Ravel (on Sony) for example is IMHO a better proposal than his later DG discs.

There's bound to be some duplication, and of course there's a lot missing (where is Jeux ), but it's still a nice bargain.

Many thanks for this one Andre, I have many French gaps in my collection once Ravel and Debussy are taken out of the equation!

Also ordered the Bruckner 6cd live set of the later symphonies selection for 14.5 Euro, another great steal.

Cheers

[Harry]

On JPC de on sale, all recordings from Masaaki Suzuki for 9,99.
101 titles on display.

https://www.jpc.de/s/Ma%C3%9Fst%C3%A4bliches+mit+Masaaki+Suzuki?searchtype=campaigntext

Enjoy!

[Christo]

I've already played disc 2 & 7 and can vouch for them.

I wasn't aware of these discs either before the release of the box.

Same here, missed them all at their first release, somehow; find them very intriguing and will order this set!