For Karajan Fans - Karajan Complete

[Todd]

How about a nice 240 CD box-set?  HMV Japan lists it at 300,000 yen with an April release, though of course the constituent boxes will probably be available separately.  EMI is also re-re-re-reissuing Karajan discs.  Perhaps that's why BRO has so many Karajan titles now.  Perhaps they'll have more in the coming months . . .

[The new erato]

The latest Gramophone mentions an upcoming 169 disc EMI Karajan box.

[Todd]

Sweet - 409 discs to listen to.  That should take a while.  (I'm assuming Karajan's Decca recordings are included with the DG box.)

[The new erato]

Sweet - 409 discs to listen to.  That should take a while.  (I'm assuming Karajan's Decca recordings are included with the DG box.)

Not for me. Though I like his romantic core repertoire (which I have well covered in general and which anyway these days doesn't constitue a major part of my listening) I just yesterday happened to hear a Brandenburg by Karajan/BPO on the radio that really showed how far we've come in the preromatic/early romantic repertoire these last 20/30 years.

Lets hope for single disc rereleases. 

[Todd]

Lets hope for single disc rereleases.

Those are coming, and a number of new DVD releases too.  Of course, I'm kidding about buying the set - I neither want nor need 400+ (or even 169) CDs from any one conductor.  I'm just hoping that BRO gets more of the few titles I want and don't already have from Karajan. 

[The new erato]

Of course, I'm kidding about buying the set -

I got the irony   

But posted as a warning - anyody buying sets of this kind should know what they are in for. Can't really see the public for sets like these, they are bound to be uneven, cover a lot of territory with little interest for the owner if he is a general music lover, or - for the true Karajanophiles - must include tons of material already in their posesseion.

[Harry]

I am seriously considering of buying these two massive releases.....

[Harry]

The latest Gramophone mentions an upcoming 169 disc EMI Karajan box.

That one will be certainly on my list....

[Todd]

Can't really see the public for sets like these

People who like big boxes, and/or CD trophy hunters.  It may be telling that this appears to be a Japan-only set at this point.  No mention of it on DG's main site, for instance.

[knight66]

I don't get it. £1200 for any number of discs is a lot of money. Surely no novice will dive straight in and buy it. So, people who already know and probably have discs of his must be the target audience. Loads will have been available at bargain price and the per disc price is still not exactly ultra bargain when you are likely to be duplicating a lot of it.

Perhaps the Japanese have a lot of completists who will jump at the issue and E bay their old duplicates. Or, as suggested, it is simply a marketing ploy that is born to be split into manageable chunks.

Mike

[The new erato]

I am seriously considering of buying these two massive releases.....

Sorry Harry - I should have mentioned you as the special case. But still - you must have lots of these already, and is this repertoire you will listen to a lot in the future with all the interesting oddball material being released daily and taking up a lot of listening time? Not to mention that several of these dics actually may contain sopranos?

[Tsaraslondon]

I often wonder who, if anyone, actually buys these sets.

EMI recently brought out a 70 disc CD set of all Callas's studio recordings, which was selling at HMV for £70. Indeed a bargain and certainly worth the outlay for anyone just getting the bug and who maybe only had a few of the complete sets. They then went on to issue a luxury limited edition numbered set, which is basically the same thing in a luxury art-deco style box, but also includes a "sumptuous 80 page book". It is selling for £291.98 on Amazon. Now I am a huge Callas fan, but, of course, that means I already have all the music included in the sets, and for me that is what is important - not the box it comes in. So, if fans like me aren't buying these sets, who is?

[Que]

I often wonder who, if anyone, actually buys these sets.

So, if fans like me aren't buying these sets, who is?

I actually did buy the Callas set (the budget version  ) - not having many of her complete operas.
But it's in my case an exception to the general rule - though I have a fair amount of issues from the Heifetz and Rubinstein Editions, I wouldn't have dreamt of buying the whole lot.

I guess that of the Karajan Edition linked, the first box with recordings from 1938 - 1943 will be the most interesting: little chance of duplication and limited/no availability in the past or future.



Q

[knight66]

Whoever chose that specific photo for that specific box needs a bit of re-education; with a mallet to the head.

Mike

[Todd]

I guess that of the Karajan Edition linked, the first box with recordings from 1938 - 1943 will be the most interesting: little chance of duplication and limited/no availability in the past or future.

I'm guessing it's a repackaging of the below set, available for a while now.  I wonder which is cheaper?

[Que]

I'm guessing it's a repackaging of the below set, available for a while now.  I wonder which is cheaper?

Ah! I missed that one.

Q

[Harry]

Not to mention that several of these dics actually may contain sopranos?

Yes, that would be a serious drawback!
But then again, I have friends all over the world that would consider the rejects excellently worthy of their collection.

[M forever]

They then went on to issue a luxury limited edition numbered set, which is basically the same thing in a luxury art-deco style box, but also includes a "sumptuous 80 page book". It is selling for £291.98 on Amazon. Now I am a huge Callas fan, but, of course, that means I already have all the music included in the sets, and for me that is what is important - not the box it comes in. So, if fans like me aren't buying these sets, who is?

Well, people who have inherited a lot of money, like our friend Harry here for instance, so they have no relationship to the value of the money.

[Tsaraslondon]

I actually did buy the Callas set (the budget version  ) - not having many of her complete operas.
But it's in my case an exception to the general rule - though I have a fair amount of issues from the Heifetz and Rubinstein Editions, I wouldn't have dreamt of buying the whole lot.

Well I did say the Callas bargain box was a pretty good buy, and it's target market is obviously those who have sampled and liked some of the sets and now find this a cheap way of adding to them. But who would buy the luxury set? Presumably it's marketed at hard core fans, but all the hard core fans will already have all the music on it.

[M forever]

Well, people who have inherited a lot of money, like our friend Harry here for instance, so they have no relationship to the value of the money.