The Super-Duper Cheap Bargains Thread

[MyronM]

Fnac has wised up They want 17 E shipping for just the Opera to the US, and the Rach is no longer at that price.

Ah, the fickleness of bargains.  Just looked at the fnac site - they had the Rachmaninoff box on sale as late as last night.  As for the shipping, they charged me total shipping of 19 euros -  17 euros for the EMI box but only 2 euros for the Brilliant box.

[stingo]

I jumped on the Rach box for ~$40 shipped to the states. Still much lower than any price I could find. Thanks op.

[Elgarian]

Presto www.prestoclassical.co.uk is having a clearance on DVD, mostly opera, while supplies last.
I have found Presto excellent in all ways. Shipping to the US is cheap and usually quick.

Many thanks for alerting us to this. Some great prices for some very interesting DVDs, and I helped myself to a nice bundle of four very affordable items. (Placed the order last night, and Presto responded with their usual efficiency and dispatched them first thing this morning.)

[stingo]

I jumped on the Rach box for ~$40 shipped to the states. Still much lower than any price I could find. Thanks op.

Much to my astonishment, it was sitting on my front porch today awaiting my return home.

[Karl Henning]

The Rach Pack!

[Karl Henning]

Many thanks for alerting us to this. Some great prices for some very interesting DVDs, and I helped myself to a nice bundle of four very affordable items. (Placed the order last night, and Presto responded with their usual efficiency and dispatched them first thing this morning.)

By inflatable dinghy!

[stingo]

The Rach Pack!

Well played, sir. Well played.

[MyronM]

Much to my astonishment, it was sitting on my front porch today awaiting my return home.

I placed my order on Monday, and it arrived Thursday morning.  Not bad for a shipment from Paris!  You may want to check CD6 - the track containing the Isle of the Dead.  On the French Amazon site several reviewers mentioned that there was a problem with that particular track - some kind of buzzing sonic garbage.  I checked my copy and there is a problem with that particular track.  I checked other CDs in that set and I did not come across any other problems.

[Elgarian]

By inflatable dinghy!

Very likely, Karl. Although Presto and I both inhabit the same island, there's been so much rain here that the dinghies are in continual use inland.

[stingo]

I placed my order on Monday, and it arrived Thursday morning.  Not bad for a shipment from Paris!  You may want to check CD6 - the track containing the Isle of the Dead.  On the French Amazon site several reviewers mentioned that there was a problem with that particular track - some kind of buzzing sonic garbage.  I checked my copy and there is a problem with that particular track.  I checked other CDs in that set and I did not come across any other problems.

Thanks for the heads up. I think I have Isle of the Dead already with Ashkenazy playing.

[Brian]

EMI, being a record label run by idiots, has redesigned its "Masters" series and left stores holding yards and yards of obsolete "Masters" reissues. It has managed to do so within a year of the series' inauguration! So Presto is currently running a half-off sale while supplies last on CDs like these:




...and MANY more. About US $4.50 for a single CD and $8 for a twofer.

I appreciate any and all recommendations, by the way. For instance, is the Ciccolini Satie a good one to have? Are there any back-catalogue surprises I should snap up?

[kishnevi]

EMI, being a record label run by idiots, has redesigned its "Masters" series and left stores holding yards and yards of obsolete "Masters" reissues. It has managed to do so within a year of the series' inauguration! So Presto is currently running a half-off sale while supplies last on CDs like these:




...and MANY more. About US $4.50 for a single CD and $8 for a twofer.

I appreciate any and all recommendations, by the way. For instance, is the Ciccolini Satie a good one to have? Are there any back-catalogue surprises I should snap up?

Well, considering that most of these issues were issued earlier as part of GROC or other reissue series, sometimes mulitple times, or form part of box sets,  you'd better check to see which performances you already have.  I would suggest staying away from the Muti Vivaldi, which I think has bad sonics, and get the full set of Ciccolini's Satie.  Kovacevich's Beethoven is worth it, but there is (or was) a budget 3 CD issue that had everything in this Masters issue plus some more.  I'd say the Barbirolli Mahler and English String Music CDs, and the DuPre are must haves;  Pahud playing Mozart is actually a good one, and so is the Martinon Saint Saens.  The Richter/Borodin is probably a good one, but I don't have it, and am tempted now.    And there are some EMI Masters issues not listed here--Rattle performing Beethoven 9 and Mahler 5.

But again, they're almost all available in other issues (I have the Martinon in a brand new Brillaint release, for instance), so pick and choose in the knowledge that while they may be more expensive, you can get another issue if need be.

[Brian]

Well, considering that most of these issues were issued earlier as part of GROC or other reissue series, sometimes mulitple times, or form part of box sets,  you'd better check to see which performances you already have.  I would suggest staying away from the Muti Vivaldi, which I think has bad sonics, and get the full set of Ciccolini's Satie.  Kovacevich's Beethoven is worth it, but there is (or was) a budget 3 CD issue that had everything in this Masters issue plus some more.  I'd say the Barbirolli Mahler and English String Music CDs, and the DuPre are must haves;  Pahud playing Mozart is actually a good one, and so is the Martinon Saint Saens.  The Richter/Borodin is probably a good one, but I don't have it, and am tempted now.    And there are some EMI Masters issues not listed here--Rattle performing Beethoven 9 and Mahler 5.

But again, they're almost all available in other issues (I have the Martinon in a brand new Brillaint release, for instance), so pick and choose in the knowledge that while they may be more expensive, you can get another issue if need be.

Thanks for that feedback! By the way, the Richter/Borodin is in the 14CD Richter EMI box, so I do have it - just haven't heard it.

I suppose I'm obliged to get the Du Pre/Baker Elgar and Barbirolli String Music, since I don't have them; Martinon S-S ($6) is an easy choice.

[DavidRoss]

I suppose I'm obliged to get the Du Pre/Baker Elgar and Barbirolli String Music, since I don't have them;

All of the Barbirolli discs are must haves. I already own them in earlier incarnations but am tempted to buy them again at this price!

[Elgarian]

All of the Barbirolli discs are must haves. I already own them in earlier incarnations but am tempted to buy them again at this price!

Always worth doing Dave, because then you can listen to them twice.

[Opus106]

Always worth doing Dave, because then you can listen to them twice.

Dave's high on GMG.

[Opus106]

Apart from the ones spotted at Amazon ES a few weeks ago, here are some new (to me) bargains.

Heinrich Schutz Edition 19 (CDs) - Brilliant - 27 (Euros, to the nearest integer... more or less equal to the USD when you deduct VAT)

A Secret Labyrinth 15 - Sony - 21

Complete Scarlatti Sonatas 34 - Warner - 48

F. Couperin Keyboard Works 10 - Warner - 18

Documents of the Munich Years (James Levine) 12 - Oehms - 23

[DavidRoss]

Always worth doing Dave, because then you can listen to them twice.

Great idea, Alan!

Dave's high on GMG.

[Brian]

Always worth doing Dave, because then you can listen to them twice.

[Papy Oli]

Apart from the ones spotted at Amazon ES a few weeks ago, here are some new (to me) bargains.

A Secret Labyrinth 15 - Sony - 21

Thank you for the heads-up, Nav, particulary this one !!