Complete Symphony Boxsets

[Solitary Wanderer]

Nothing is less than excellent here, and this orchestra has a warm, bronzen sound on these recordings.

Thanks for mentioning that. I also have this Schumann:

[Daverz]

For the Prokofiev symphonies, maybe the Rozhdestvensky set on Melodiya will be available eventually.  I think the Weller box was an excellent CD set, but it's probably hard to find now.

For the Brahms symphonies, I'd start with Bruno Walter's stereo recordings on 3 separate CDs.

[SonicMan46]

 

Well, just to add a few more Schumann Symphony Cycles - I have the two below, i.e. Zinman & Gardiner - these are outstanding, so many choices! 

 

[Cato]

For Bruckner you must have Eugen Jochum: the DGG is older with better playing, the EMI has better sound, rawer playing, but now and then more excitement.

The only Schumann you really need is from George Szell with the Cleveland Orchestra, not one by a poseur like Bernstein!  

Neeme Järvi's Prokofiev set is also a fave!

Did Mravinsky never record the first 3 Tchaikovsky symphonies?  People usually recommend his recordings of 4-6.

[Dancing Divertimentian]

How about a Sibelius twin bill:

Vänskä and Ashkenazy!

[George]

Another vote for:

1. Ashkenazy's Sibelius
2. HvK's Beethoven

and I'll add...

3. Kondrashin's Schostakovich

[Brian]

I'd dodge Kubelik's Dvorak, which will leave you with bitter feelings toward the earlier symphonies - the Suitner and Kertesz set are better in this regard. If you do get Kubelik, find Ivan Anguelov's obscure set too - great performances of the early works, if not the later ones (so Kubelik's opposite).

[Harry]

I have this Beethoven set:

Very good, the finely remastered 60th recordings, you need no other!

[david johnson]

check the naxos 'white box' series and the brilliant classics boxes.  excellent stuff and much lower prices.
some are the same ones mentioned in this thread, just a different label/better price.

dj

[Harry]

Yes true, the Brilliant boxes are a marvel, not to be ignored.
I have quite a lot of them, and non regretted.

[Grazioso]

Bruckner, is of course Karajan, without doubt.

I'd say approach the Karajan set with great caution. It sounds beautiful, but HvK seems rather insensitive the spiritual core of the music, which is a huge issue with Bruckner.

Some other recommended sets:

Schumann: Sawallisch EMI
Shostakovich: Barshai Brilliant

[Daverz]

I'd dodge Kubelik's Dvorak, which will leave you with bitter feelings toward the earlier symphonies - the Suitner and Kertesz set are better in this regard. If you do get Kubelik, find Ivan Anguelov's obscure set too - great performances of the early works, if not the later ones (so Kubelik's opposite).

I don't feel that 1-3 are really necessary.  The Neumann set comes as 3 boxes of early, middle, and late symphonies (the complete set is just the 3 boxes in a cardboard sleeve).  The downside is that there is a symphony in each set that is split between discs.

[Harry]

I don't feel that 1-3 are really necessary. 

Why ever would you say that?

[longears]

My two cents:

Complete set Tchaikovsky—Markevitch is OK, but I haven't heard anything close to Mravinsky for 4, 5, & 6.

Shosty—Barzai

Proky—gorgeous playing from the Berlin with Ozawa, but my heart belongs to the new Gergiev/LSO

Dvorak—you'll not go wrong with Kertesz

Kubelik for Mahler, YOU BET!  Also Chailly and Bertini.

Jochum for Bruckner

I'd take Blomstedt, Vanska, Bernstein, Maazel, Segerstam, Saraste, Sanderling, any of Berglund's, Rozhdestvensky, Jarvi, or even Colin Davis before Ashkenazy (yet some folks whose taste I respect like this set...to me it's overcooked)

And while you're at it, how 'bout Handley for RVW, Blomstedt for Nielsen, MacKerras for Brahms (and Mozart), Zinman for Schumann, Handley again for Bax, and for Beethoven a fine all around set is the Blomstedt

[Daverz]

Why ever would you say that?

Because those symphonies have never made much of an impression on me.

[SonicMan46]

Second the Mendelssohn Symphony Cycle et al w/ Abbado; another recommendation are the 'teenage' works called the String Symphonies - outstanding 3-CD set from Hyperion w/ Ross Pople & the London Festival Orch - 

 

[Daverz]

For Bruckner you must have Eugen Jochum: the DGG is older with better playing, the EMI has better sound, rawer playing, but now and then more excitement.

I don't agree about the EMI set having better sound.  The DG has more natural, transparent sound.  I still like the sound on the EMI set, though, even though you don't get much of a sense of the recording space.  But I think I'd give the edge to the DG set.

[Bunny]

I wish I could contribute something useful to this thread, but I never met a boxset I didn't want.

[Solitary Wanderer]

I wish I could contribute something useful to this thread, but I never met a boxset I didn't want.

Yes! I want them all!

But seriously theres a heap of great suggestions here and I'm taking notes. 

[SonicMan46]

A Beethoven "run" may be something to look at down the road.  I apprenticed under jwinter and have these to suggest:

 

Bill mentioned a couple of Beethoven Symphony cycles; so many available & of such variety!  I'll just add the two that I currently own - would love to add a more HIP set, such as the Hogwood (or others):  Mackerras & Zinman sets, both excellent reviews (and the Zinman an amazing bargin) -