The Super-Duper Cheap Bargains Thread

[Guido]

Martinu's 6 symphonies recorded on Chandos - 3 CDs, something like £8.50 on Amazon at the moment. A magnificent recent purchase - I can't recommend this enough, and also cant thank the person who recommended them to me enough!

[Sergeant Rock]

Martinu's 6 symphonies recorded on Chandos - 3 CDs, something like £8.50 on Amazon at the moment. A magnificent recent purchase - I can't recommend this enough, and also cant thank the person who recommended them to me enough!

I grabbed that last week. An astonishing bargain. Was it a mistake by Amazon? It was odd: they had the Thomson Martinu box listed twice: for £40, and for £8 ...I decided to order the latter   Now, if only they make the same mistake with Thomson's RVW cycle, I'll be a happy camper.

Sarge

[Harry]

A rough dispute between us? It's not a realistic possibility, Harry. You know I appreciate and respect your opinions.

Allright than, you know I want to keep peace amongst us all, but since you make me comfortable, I tell you this. I think the swift tempi applied by Jed Wentz very sensible. I do not take the tempo markings by Bach as fixed at all. There is place and space for such a interpretation, like there is for David Zinman's very swift tempi. Everyone fell over him because of it, but Beethoven's  own markings gave him the tools to apply it. Its all about hearing! If you can hear the inner tempi feel them, as Herbert von Karajan said, you know what the right tempi are, regardless of what is written down. When I listen to a piece I can hear if the tempi are wrong or right, it has to do with how the notes were written down.  If the tempi are not right in my ears the work is ruined for me. There is not much music around that can hold its own if you lower or speed the tempi too much. I am very inadequate in explaining this but there you go, its the best I can. I trashed so many recordings in the early days, that had to do with tempi, starting with Claudio Abbado's interpretation of the Brahms Symphonies on DGG, I broke the records in several pieces, and that was the start of a long career. I do it less now though.  

[Harry]

I grabbed that last week. An astonishing bargain. Was it a mistake by Amazon? It was odd: they had the Thomson Martinu box listed twice: for £40, and for £8 ...I decided to order the latter   Now, if only they make the same mistake with Thomson's RVW cycle, I'll be a happy camper.

Sarge

I bought it at JPCde for 8,99 euro's so that fits. And I told all on GMG it was so, but to no avail, still wondering about that.

[prémont]

I understood your previous reply in the way that no "new recordings", i.e., released for first time on Brilliant Classics, were included in the new big box. But, obviously, during the last years Brilliant has replaced for own releases a considerable amount of material previously licensed from another labels. I would add to your list the following discs:

- Brandenburg Concertos: Originally, Consort of London, Robert Haydon Clark (excellent). Now: Musica Amphion/ Pieter-Jan Belder.

- Orchestral Suites: Originally, Consort of London, Robert Haydon Clark. Now: La Stravaganza Köln/ Andrew Manze (licensed from Denon).

- Concerti for 2, 3 & 4 harpsichords: Originally: Schornsheim, Heiller et. al. Now: Pieter-Jan Belder, Menno van Delft, Siebe Henstra et al/ Musica Amphion.

- Cello Suites: Originally, Robert Cohen (cello). Now: Jaap ter Linden.

IMO, the only real improvement is represented for the Cello Suites by ter Linden. The Orchestral Suites licensed from Denon are also excellent, but Robert Haydon Clark and his group were very good (although on modern instruments).

All the changes you mention were included in the second version of the Bach box, so I thought they were well known and not relevant to the discussion of the third version of the box.

[Antoine Marchand]

All the changes you mention were included in the second version of the Bach box, so I thought they were well known and not relevant to the discussion of the third version of the box.

I don't exactly know the dates of the changes experimented for that box; I have the original edition and I have simply added the new discs. But, if you're right, it would mean that, f.i., the new Brandenburgs and the concerti for several harpsichords (Belder/ Musica Amphion) were released for the first time in the "second" big box and, just then, re-released individually in 2007. I believe it's possible because both of them were recorded at the same time in 2006 (may/june). Obviously, the case of the "new" flute sonatas and WTC would be rather different because they were individually released some time ago and now would be simply added to the box, which was the point of my original response to this issue.   

P.S.: the Cello Suites were also recorded in June 2006.

[prémont]

I don't exactly know the dates of the changes experimented for that box; I have the original edition and I have simply added the new discs. But, if you're right, it would mean that, f.i., the new Brandenburgs and the concerti for several harpsichords (Belder/ Musica Amphion) were released for the first time in the "second" big box and, just then, re-released individually in 2007. I believe it's possible because both of them were recorded at the same time in 2006 (may/june).

I think these are the facts.  At least I had never heard of these recordings of Belder(nor ter Linden´s second take of the Cello suites) until I acquired the second Bach box release.

Obviously, the case of the "new" flute sonatas and WTC would be rather different because they were individually released some time ago and now would be simply added to the box, which was the point of my original response to this issue.   
P.S.: the Cello Suites were also recorded in June 2006.

Point taken.

[Antoine Marchand]

Allright than, you know I want to keep peace amongst us all, but since you make me comfortable, I tell you this. I think the swift tempi applied by Jed Wentz very sensible. I do not take the tempo markings by Bach as fixed at all. There is place and space for such a interpretation, like there is for David Zinman's very swift tempi. Everyone fell over him because of it, but Beethoven's  own markings gave him the tools to apply it. Its all about hearing! If you can hear the inner tempi feel them, as Herbert von Karajan said, you know what the right tempi are, regardless of what is written down. When I listen to a piece I can hear if the tempi are wrong or right, it has to do with how the notes were written down.  If the tempi are not right in my ears the work is ruined for me. There is not much music around that can hold its own if you lower or speed the tempi too much. I am very inadequate in explaining this but there you go, its the best I can. I trashed so many recordings in the early days, that had to do with tempi, starting with Claudio Abbado's interpretation of the Brahms Symphonies on DGG, I broke the records in several pieces, and that was the start of a long career. I do it less now though.  

It's clear for me, Harry. You're a boy a lot wilder than I am. 

[Harry]

It's clear for me, Harry. You're a boy a lot wilder than I am. 

As I said I mended my ways and give the CD'S away. And regarding the tempi, well thats entirely a personal thing. Funny thing I had a phone call from a friend the other day, he lives in Australia now, and we got to talk about the days in which we listen to classical music together, and he remembered one thing that fits to the way I listen in the olden days. It was on a Sunday and he went down to the living room to get some malt, on his way back, he heard somebody swearing loud in a very angry tone, at first he thought someone came in and fought with me so he hurried up, but close at the door he heard me alone, cursing Kurt Masur, while listening to his absurd tempi notions concerning the Bruch Symphonies. He said he never heard me so angry and he waited until I broke the record, waited still a little after I put music from Corelli on and than came in. When he saw the broken pieces he did not mention them further but I knew he wanted to ask about it, but seeing that I calmed down he refrained from it. But I am a good boy now, although when I said that he laughed quite heartily and said he did not believe one word of it.

[Opus106]

I trashed so many recordings in the early days, that had to do with tempi, starting with Claudio Abbado's interpretation of the Brahms Symphonies on DGG

He said he never heard me so angry and he waited until I broke the record, waited still a little after I put music from Corelli

Ah, those must be the WoO from the catalogue. Are they Harry?

[Harry]

Ah, those must be the WoO from the catalogue. Are they Harry?

Yes it must be no doubt

[ammar]

It's been fairly cheap for a while, but the EMI 14CD Richter 'Icon' set is now down to £9.99 on Amazon.co.uk (free super saver delivery within the UK, direct from Amazon) :



http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sviatoslav-Richter-Icon/dp/B001B1R1HC/

[DavidRoss]

The resemblance is even more uncanny when you find out that they're both carrying a pink plastic lobster out of shot 

(and no, that isn't a euphemism, before anyone asks -  http://ahmedfernando.wordpress.com/2008/08/26/richters-pink-plastic-lobster/ )

  That's enough to piss off anyone! 

And I'm glad it's not a euphemism...for a moment I thought the mods would shunt this post over to Teresa's porn thread. 

[Scarpia]

It's been fairly cheap for a while, but the EMI 14CD Richter 'Icon' set is now down to £9.99 on Amazon.co.uk (free super saver delivery within the UK, direct from Amazon) :



http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sviatoslav-Richter-Icon/dp/B001B1R1HC/

Actually that's 9.99 pounds including VAT, 8.50 for US buyers, but you have to put up 3 pounds for shipping.

[Coopmv]

It's been fairly cheap for a while, but the EMI 14CD Richter 'Icon' set is now down to £9.99 on Amazon.co.uk (free super saver delivery within the UK, direct from Amazon) :



http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sviatoslav-Richter-Icon/dp/B001B1R1HC/

This was the second box set by Richter I bought.  The first one was the following Russian archive set ...

[Scarpia]

I don't do downloads, but Mahler complete symphonies, Gielen, for $18.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002VRHWLU/ref=s9_simh_gw_p340_i2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=09V3W0TYCXQQ0D5Q6DSH&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846

[Lethevich]

http://www.europadisc.co.uk/offer/686/Brilliant_Clearance_Sale.htm

[Chaszz]

http://www.europadisc.co.uk/offer/686/Brilliant_Clearance_Sale.htm

A non-working link, at least via my ISP. Also the home site seems to not be there.

[The new erato]

It did work when I tried it right after it was posted, but not now.

[Chaszz]

Please excuse me if these have already been discussed here, as I don't have time to go thru the whole thread. Getting more and more into lesser known late Romantics, I wonder if there are cheap sources for the complete or partial symphonies of Hubert Parry and Franz Schmidt, and the opera Gezeichneten (The Stigmatized) by Franz Shrecker. Any help would be appreciated.

Part II of the latter opera was broadcast by radio station WQXR in New York City last weekend as part of series on neglected operas. It knocked the socks off me. I never heard of this composer before. Anyone who likes late Romanticism where it merges into early Expressionism may be quite interested in this man's music.