The Super-Duper Cheap Bargains Thread

[Harry]

Speaking of JPC.de, it's just TWO euros for this excellent HIP disc of Carl Stamitz' cello concertos. No. 2 is one of my favorite cello concertos of all time - I strongly recommend this!

EDIT: The entire Phoenix Edition label appears to be 1-3 euros per CD.

I bought about 16 titles from the Phoenix sale, most of them are very good.

[Jo498]

I have heard a bunch of Glazunov's symphonies and the violin concerto so I do not need anyone telling me whether he is second rate, I can hear it myself (If everything and everybody is considered first rate, nothing really is.)
Do you have a favorite among the string quartets?

Of the Phoenix sale, some or probably gone by now, but I can recommend most of the Boccherini series and the CPE Bach is probably also good. I bought piano music by Krenek, Medtner and Schulhoff a few weeks ago when the sale had started.

[Harry]

I have heard a bunch of Glazunov's symphonies and the violin concerto so I do not need anyone telling me whether he is second rate, I can hear it myself (If everything and everybody is considered first rate, nothing really is.)
Do you have a favorite among the string quartets?

Of the Phoenix sale, some or probably gone by now, but I can recommend most of the Boccherini series and the CPE Bach is probably also good. I bought piano music by Krenek, Medtner and Schulhoff a few weeks ago when the sale had started.

No favourites, I like them all equally well.
And if you can hear that his work is second rate, then I say do not bother buying it.

[Mirror Image]

But take it from me, Glazunov belongs firmly at the top with all his fellow Russian composers.

I heartily disagree. While Glazunov has composed some good works, I wouldn't consider him on par with Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky, or the power Soviet duo: Prokofiev and Shostakovich. Glazunov composed pleasant music but nothing substantial.

[The new erato]

Add Rimsky to that list as well John.

[Mirror Image]

Add Rimsky to that list as well John.

Absolutely.

[Harry]

I heartily disagree. While Glazunov has composed some good works, I wouldn't consider him on par with Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky, or the power Soviet duo: Prokofiev and Shostakovich. Glazunov composed pleasant music but nothing substantial.

Yes of course you do, but then again I heartily disagree with you.

[Harry]

Add Rimsky to that list as well John.

And I also disagree with you, RK is one of the best orchestrators Russia and the world ever had, and he is is a good composer also, in my ears also belonging to the top. And I know I am lonely in holding this opinion, but what the heck.

[Jo498]

I probably do not know Glazunov's music well enough (I ordered the Vol 1 of the quartets) but I would rate Rimsky higher, mainly because of the operas.

It is strange that there apparently was no Russian/Soviet recording of Glazunovs quartets, certainly not of the whole lot.

[EigenUser]

Well, the CD I wanted is 455 euros. 

If you really want to make some people mad here, post a 455-euro download.

[mc ukrneal]

I heartily disagree. While Glazunov has composed some good works, I wouldn't consider him on par with Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky, or the power Soviet duo: Prokofiev and Shostakovich. Glazunov composed pleasant music but nothing substantial.

It's ok if you don't like him or even feel his work is uneven. But to say he wrote nothing substantial is a bit silly. It makes me doubt that you have heard anything from Raymonda or the Violin Concerto, for example (and I say that as someone who doesn't always like violin concertos - it's a gorgeous piece and better than Shostakovich's in many ways in my opinion). I've picked up a few of orchestral works from the Naxos series and there is some great music there as well. The piano sonatas are really quite excellent too (have you heard them?). I could go on, but it's you that is missing out on some wonderful music...

[Harry]

It's ok if you don't like him or even feel his work is uneven. But to say he wrote nothing substantial is a bit silly. It makes me doubt that you have heard anything from Raymonda or the Violin Concerto, for example (and I say that as someone who doesn't always like violin concertos - it's a gorgeous piece and better than Shostakovich's in many ways in my opinion). I've picked up a few of orchestral works from the Naxos series and there is some great music there as well. The piano sonatas are really quite excellent too (have you heard them?). I could go on, but it's you that is missing out on some wonderful music...

Thank you Neal, I needed to hear that. MI can be quite harsh and uneven in his opinion. To say that he did not write substantial works, means that MI does not know the music by score, for if he would, he could recognize the excellence of many of his compositions.

[Gurn Blanston]

And I also disagree with you, RK is one of the best orchestrators Russia and the world ever had, and he is is a good composer also, in my ears also belonging to the top. And I know I am lonely in holding this opinion, but what the heck.

I share it with you, Harry. I have all of Rimsky's music and it rates very highly in my book. I also have a whole lot of Glazunov's, and I find his symphonies especially interesting.

[Mirror Image]

It's ok if you don't like him or even feel his work is uneven. But to say he wrote nothing substantial is a bit silly. It makes me doubt that you have heard anything from Raymonda or the Violin Concerto, for example (and I say that as someone who doesn't always like violin concertos - it's a gorgeous piece and better than Shostakovich's in many ways in my opinion). I've picked up a few of orchestral works from the Naxos series and there is some great music there as well. The piano sonatas are really quite excellent too (have you heard them?). I could go on, but it's you that is missing out on some wonderful music...

I've heard Raymonda (The Seasons as well), all of his symphonies, many of the miscellaneous orchestral works, and most of his concertante works. In other words, I didn't reach my own opinion over night nor was it formulated on-the-spot, I have spent a good amount of time with Glazunov's music. I never understood the argument "it's me that is missing out." I'm not missing out on anything. I don't think much of this composer and feel that time is better spent with music that I do enjoy and get some emotional/intellectual gratification from. To each their own.

[Mirror Image]

Thank you Neal, I needed to hear that. MI can be quite harsh and uneven in his opinion. To say that he did not write substantial works, means that MI does not know the music by score, for if he would, he could recognize the excellence of many of his compositions.

Harry, dear friend, I can't, and won't, praise every composer that I hear. As I told Neal, I've heard plenty of Glazunov's music to formulate my opinion on him. It's nice music, but so much of it just feels like 'fluff' to me.

[Ken B]

If you really want to make some people mad here, post a 455-euro download.

Ha!

[bigshot]

When people dismiss composers as producers of fluff, I usually read that as composers who create appealing and entertaining music. I love Rimsky, Offenbach, Strauss Jr and von Suppe. You guys can worry about whether it's "substantial" enough. I'm just going to listen to it and appreciate it.

[Hiker]

I've just ordered the EMI set of Mahler's complete works for £14.60, including postage, from Amazon in Spain. Mahler has been creeping into my eardrums lately, so this was an opportunity too good to miss.

http://www.amazon.es/Mahler-Complete-Works-Anniversary-Edition/dp/B003D0ZNWY

[asin]B003D0ZNWY[/asin]

[flyingdutchman]

Glazunov is a great composer from his symphonies to his concertos, to his ballet works.  Love his music.  To each his own indeed, but he's hardly fluff and has tunes that rival Tchaikovsky at times (and I love Tchaikovsky). 

[Mirror Image]

Glazunov is a great composer from his symphonies to his concertos, to his ballet works.  Love his music.  To each his own indeed, but he's hardly fluff and has tunes that rival Tchaikovsky at times (and I love Tchaikovsky).

You know you do bring up something that I wish to resolve and that's listening to more of Glazunov's music as it's been probably five years or so since I've done any kind of serious listening. Perhaps I was a bit 'harsh' in my criticism, but as I've stated before, it wasn't without foundation. I should get out the Serebrier series on Warner and give those discs some spins. Unfortunately, all of the Glazunov belongs to my dad, so I might just buy Serebrier's series since it's boxed up now just to have a copy of my own.