GMG Classical Music Forum

Pretty much everyone here, to some degree, is a collector of music. I suppose that there are those who are here simply for the stimulating company or the intellectual discussion, but in the main, we are collectors.

What I am curious about are the little sub-collections that grow up inside the more mainstream parts. The special interest, so to say.

For example;

I delight in having possibly 2 or 3 (modern and period instruments most likely) versions of everything Beethoven composed. I really like his music and so having all of it seemed reasonable enough a goal. However, within that group, I am well-known to also have nearly 100 versions of the 9th Symphony. I don't have 100 versions of everything else Beethoven wrote, just that.

I suppose it is specialty enough to have all of Haydn's music on period instruments. But I also have every keyboard sonatas and trios disk I could ever find on period keyboards. There are, amazingly, dozens of them!

Then, more diversely, I collect (not duplicate though) keyboard sonatas on period instruments from the time period 1740 to 1830.  I have used William Newman's great book The Sonata in the Classic Period as a guide and amassed great quantities of composers who are otherwise unrepresented in my collection. Very interesting music, too. :)

So, my question, what sorts of oddments have you fastened onto yourself?  Share it with us here, maybe it will give ideas for specializing rather than just grabbing any intriguing sounding disk that comes along. Either way can be a voyage of discovery, but the focus could also be a help.   :)

8)

I'm of the belief that no music-lover really needs more than three different recordings of any single work.

That said, I don't entirely practice what I preach - I have fairly big collections of Bach's Cello Suites, and of three symphonies which are interestingly (like Beethoven's 9th) all 'last' symphonies - Sibelius 7, Shostakovitch 15, Mahler 9.
But in general I say it's better to limit the collecting instinct, and instead focus on the music you really like.

Quote from: Gurn Blanston on February 02, 2013, 02:16:26 PM
So, my question, what sorts of oddments have you fastened onto yourself?

"Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!" - Albus Dumbledore

I have almost literally every Beethoven symphony cycle released since 2000: Barenboim, Abbado, Nelson, Zweden, Haitink/LSO, Immerseel, Vanska, P. Jarvi, Chailly. If I don't have a set, it's either because it's available to me on Naxos Music Library (Dausgaard, Skrowaczewski, Rattle, Bruggen II, Krivine) or because of a combination of extreme recency and my own relative poverty (Thielemann, which is actually the only one I know I can't access at the moment).

I have the complete recordings of the Pavel Haas Quartet and almost everything by Yevgeny Sudbin and Alexandre Tharaud. I'll soon be ordering the complete Byron Janis and William Kapell boxes on GMG's recommendation, having little and no experience, respectively, with those performers. Brilliant's box sets made it all too easy to acquire the complete Rachmaninov and Brahms; ditto Hyperion and Chopin.

I have probably 9-10 cycles of Sibelius symphonies.

EDIT: And thirteen Gaspards de la nuit.

Quote from: aukhawk on February 02, 2013, 03:02:22 PM
I'm of the belief that no music-lover really needs more than three different recordings of any single work.

That said, I don't entirely practice what I preach - I have fairly big collections of Bach's Cello Suites, and of three symphonies which are interestingly (like Beethoven's 9th) all 'last' symphonies - Sibelius 7, Shostakovitch 15, Mahler 9.
But in general I say it's better to limit the collecting instinct, and instead focus on the music you really like.

I agree with aukhawk, but sometimes it is darned difficult to shake off the collector bug.  I do not have much Bach, shame on me, but a few years back I bought Torlief Thedeen doing Bachs Cello suites.  I was taken by it, and began the 'sub-collecting' of it over time, and now I can never make up my mind which ones I want to play - Starker, Rostropovich, Thedeen, Isserlis, Casals...etc.  Then, also for me, Tchaikovskys 4rth, which for a time I ravenously devoured by every conductor and orchestra I could find - all because I heard an mp3 performance somewhere along the line, was taken by it, then had to sift through plenty of Tchaikovsky to find out if I had it, or as close as...I didn't, I still haven't found it.  When the strings about 3 minutes into that work begin their dynamic descent, the mp3 by unknown had those violins positively crying and gnashing their guts in an explosive, heartbreaking way...I no longer have that mp3, but  did a jolly fine collection of Tchaikovskys 4rth just to find the one that hit me...it might have been Ozawa, that's the closest I've found, but I am not sure.  Before that, after crying to Mahlers 10th by Kubelik and the BRSO (he has the violins crying too!), I sought as many Mahler 10ths as I could, seeking who brought out the most intensity in that huge cry of the broken heart about 17 - 20 mins into the Adagio.  Nah.  Just Kubelik can do it the way I like it.
Sometimes I hear something which has such a tremendous effect on me that I pull out all the stops to get it, and anything else to go along with it in as short a time as possible.  This is a kind of 'sub-collecting' frenzy - notably it happened to me with Havergal Brian, Ture Ransgtrom, Duttileux, Sallinen and...of course by far and away...Hans Rott.
It is interesting to describe us as collectors.  I think while we are 'collecting' we do not know we are in the process of collecting, and we end up with a growing 'collection' which is incidental because all we were doing was buying CD's with music that interests us...we don't know we're collecting until things get so unwieldy that we have to 'sort' our collections...and therein we find out sub-collections!

Quote from: aukhawk on February 02, 2013, 03:02:22 PM
I'm of the belief that no music-lover really needs more than three different recordings of any single work.

That said, I don't entirely practice what I preach - I have fairly big collections of Bach's Cello Suites, and of three symphonies which are interestingly (like Beethoven's 9th) all 'last' symphonies - Sibelius 7, Shostakovitch 15, Mahler 9.
But in general I say it's better to limit the collecting instinct, and instead focus on the music you really like.

I love whatever can make an obviously moral man cross the line. Bless you Bach! And 'last symphonies' too. :D

Quote from: Brian on February 02, 2013, 03:22:50 PM
"Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!" - Albus Dumbledore

I have almost literally every Beethoven symphony cycle released since 2000: Barenboim, Abbado, Nelson, Zweden, Haitink/LSO, Immerseel, Vanska, P. Jarvi, Chailly. If I don't have a set, it's either because it's available to me on Naxos Music Library (Dausgaard, Skrowaczewski, Rattle, Bruggen II, Krivine) or because of a combination of extreme recency and my own relative poverty (Thielemann, which is actually the only one I know I can't access at the moment).

I have the complete recordings of the Pavel Haas Quartet and almost everything by Yevgeny Sudbin and Alexandre Tharaud. I'll soon be ordering the complete Byron Janis and William Kapell boxes on GMG's recommendation, having little and no experience, respectively, with those performers. Brilliant's box sets made it all too easy to acquire the complete Rachmaninov and Brahms; ditto Hyperion and Chopin.

I have probably 9-10 cycles of Sibelius symphonies.

EDIT: And thirteen Gaspards de la nuit.

That's an approach I haven't tried yet, Brian; performer's discographies. I hae damned near everything that L'Archibudelli recorded, but that isn't so much because it's them (except that quality is assured) as it is that they have recorded a whole lot of music that interests me. :)

Quote from: Scots John on February 02, 2013, 03:31:16 PM
I agree with aukhawk, but sometimes it is darned difficult to shake off the collector bug.  I do not have much Bach, shame on me, but a few years back I bought Torlief Thedeen doing Bachs Cello suites.  I was taken by it, and began the 'sub-collecting' of it over time, and now I can never make up my mind which ones I want to play - Starker, Rostropovich, Thedeen, Isserlis, Casals...etc.  Then, also for me, Tchaikovskys 4rth, which for a time I ravenously devoured by every conductor and orchestra I could find - all because I heard an mp3 performance somewhere along the line, was taken by it, then had to sift through plenty of Tchaikovsky to find out if I had it, or as close as...I didn't, I still haven't found it.  When the strings about 3 minutes into that work begin their dynamic descent, the mp3 by unknown had those violins positively crying and gnashing their guts in an explosive, heartbreaking way...I no longer have that mp3, but  did a jolly fine collection of Tchaikovskys 4rth just to find the one that hit me...it might have been Ozawa, that's the closest I've found, but I am not sure.  Before that, after crying to Mahlers 10th by Kubelik and the BRSO (he has the violins crying too!), I sought as many Mahler 10ths as I could, seeking who brought out the most intensity in that huge cry of the broken heart about 17 - 20 mins into the Adagio.  Nah.  Just Kubelik can do it the way I like it.
Sometimes I hear something which has such a tremendous effect on me that I pull out all the stops to get it, and anything else to go along with it in as short a time as possible.  This is a kind of 'sub-collecting' frenzy - notably it happened to me with Havergal Brian, Ture Ransgtrom, Duttileux, Sallinen and...of course by far and away...Hans Rott.
It is interesting to describe us as collectors.  I think while we are 'collecting' we do not know we are in the process of collecting, and we end up with a growing 'collection' which is incidental because all we were doing was buying CD's with music that interests us...we don't know we're collecting until things get so unwieldy that we have to 'sort' our collections...and therein we find out sub-collections

Yes, I try not to think of myself as a collector either; such a base idea really. And yet, de facto, if you collect, you are a collector. I know exactly what you mean about getting drawn in to some work and going for it that way. That's how I got started with 9ths. And 18th century Austrian sacred music too, another sub-collection that I forgot to mention earlier. I suppose that my real problem is that if something intrigues me, for whatever reason, and I make the mistake of 'looking into' the history of it, just a taste of course, then I'm stuck.  :-\

8)

Quote from: Gurn Blanston on February 02, 2013, 02:16:26 PMSo, my question, what sorts of oddments have you fastened onto yourself?

This may surprise some, but I've grown rather fond of Beethoven piano sonata cycles.  When FFG's V3 arrives, that will make seventy sets in my collection.  (Okay, 68 for those who might discount Emil Gilels and Walter Gieseking for being incomplete.)

I've also taken a shine to Mozart piano sonata cycles (around twenty), Debussy Preludes (around two dozen, I think), Mahler symphonies (seventeen complete sets, I don't know how many more Firsts, Fourths, Sixths, and Ninths).  Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra was my first obsession.  I don't know how many recordings I have now, but at one point it was at around thirty.  I've also got ten sets of his string quartets.  A couple years ago I went on a Cristobal de Morales bender.  I still have cravings.  I've recently taken up collecting sets of Biber's Mystery Sonatas - I'm at eight or nine now, and plan on buying one every month or so until I can find no more.

On the artist front, I've got complete or near complete collections from:

Robert Casadesus
Herbert Schuch
Michael Endres
Michel Block (all I can find, at any rate, save a Liszt transcriptions disc)
Yukio Yokoyama (not including his new complete Chopin recordings)
Arcadi Volodos
Alfred Cortot
Samson Francois
Clara Haskil
Annie Fischer
Zehetmair Quartet
Paavel Haas Quartet
Andras Schiff (almost there)
Byron Janis (well, I will later this year)
Esteban Sanchez
Maurizio Pollini
Hilary Hahn


I've also gone out of my way to get as many recordings as possible from the below artists, and hope that one day there entire output is readily available:

Eric Heidsieck
Russell Sherman
Andrea Lucchesini
Budapest Quartet
Prazak Quartet
Panocha Quartet
Christian Ferras
Paul McCreesh
Carl Schuricht
Michel Beroff
Anton Kuerti
Rudolf Firkusny
Walter Gieseking
Kun Woo Paik
Rafael Kubelik
Carlo Maria Giulini


In other words, I often go through bursts of buying, focusing on an artist or specific repertoire until sated. 

All that, plus a regular collection of standard rep (I've read lots of your posts over the years). Man! Some of that I knew about (the Beethoven and Mozart clearly) and some I didn't (the symphonies mainly, don't see you talking about those much). I always associated you with piano music in general, I guess. And it looks like you have a history of the pianist thing going on. Not necessarily the most famous, but seemingly the best. Thanks for sharing that, Todd. :)

8)

Quote from: Gurn Blanston on February 02, 2013, 05:22:15 PMAll that, plus a regular collection of standard rep

Space is at a premium in my stereo room, let me put it that way.

A simple question that requires a much more complicated answer on my part. I shall ponder this...

Since 95% of my music is not duplicates, I am afraid I will be somewhat boring. I only buy duplicates (purposely) of a few pieces: Puccini's La Boheme, Mozart's Marriage of Figaro, Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky, Beethoven's sonata 30 (op 109), Tchaikovsky's 5th, and Elgar's Spirit of England (only 3 versions of this though!). The first two I rarely buy these days - I know which I like most and all the best alternatives have not moved me (though many of them are quite worthy in their own right), which leaves Prokofiev, Beethoven and Tchaikovsky.

I was thinking of creating a Thaikovsky 5 thread just so that I could listen to various alternatives and comment on them. It is one of those rare pieces that I seem never to tire of.  I find it an odd symphony (in terms of collecting). Most people focus in on a few like Mravinsky, Bernstein, Gatti, etc. But it is actually hard to find someone who has heard more than a dozen say (maybe you'll come out now!?!), let alone two dozen. I mean, compare to Mahler. There are at least a dozen people on these boards who have heard 30-40+ versions (and maybe many more) of a given symphony. I find it equally frustrating when I read reviews, where sometimes I am dismayed when I see the recommendations (makes me think they haven't a clue).

And then we have some conducters who have done multiple versions, but do you know I am having huge difficulty finding anyone who has reviewed all (or many) of the versions by one conductor? Abbado did three versions - which is most successful (or are they all more or less the same)? Karajan has done at least 5 versions: 3 with the BPO (2 CD, 1 DVD), 1 with VPO, and 1 with Philharmonia. But which one is the one to go for (maybe there is a Karajan fan who knows).  Kletzki did at least two versions, neither of which I can find on disc. Mravinsky did at least 11 according to the info I can find (11!!), and figuring our which is which is not so simple (mistakes on the discs themselves are huge, often listing wrong performance dates!). Stokowski did several.  Monteux, Jansons, Celibadache, Muti, Ormandy, Barbirolli, Rozhdestvensky, Mengelberg, Svetlanov, and many more did at least 2 each! How many have heard both versions of a conductor, let alone all of them for each.

I was even thinking of doing a Blind Listening for this symphony, but don't feel it is ideal as there is an elephant in the room (Mravinsky). So hopefully when I get more time, I will start that thread and start giving feedback.

Aside from, like everyone else, seeking recordings and releases from the composers and performers I enjoy, I also collect by label. I have found this to be a very rewarding way to get exposure to composers, performers and even performances that would otherwise escape one's notice.

Quote from: petrarch on February 03, 2013, 07:43:42 AMI also collect by label. I have found this to be a very rewarding way to get exposure to composers, performers and even performances that would otherwise escape one's notice.

I personally could never do this because I like to have an idea of what I'm buying into. I don't like going into a recording completely in the dark, which is why I usually scour the internet for reviews, audio samples, etc.

Can a collection of moderate size (less than 3000) have sub-collections?

Well, OK, maybe I do try to have all recordings by artists I have dated. Does that count?

The closest thing I have is probably more than 20 Goldbergs, which is still only a fraction of the available Goldbergs out there.

Quote from: Mirror Image on February 03, 2013, 07:51:46 AM
I personally could never do this because I like to have an idea of what I'm buying into. I don't like going into a recording completely in the dark, which is why I usually scour the internet for reviews, audio samples, etc.

Come to think of it, I do the same wrt audio samples; the labels I "collect" are by no means complete collections, just the perhaps ~80% or more that passed examination (some labels are that consistent).

My two major sub-collections: Piano Babes and Violin Babes  8)  with Hélène Grimaud and Anne-Sophie Mutter being the two I'm most obsessive about, owning everything they've recorded.

Sarge

Quote from: mc ukrneal on February 03, 2013, 12:38:01 AM
Since 95% of my music is not duplicates, I am afraid I will be somewhat boring. I only buy duplicates (purposely) of a few pieces: Puccini's La Boheme, Mozart's Marriage of Figaro, Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky, Beethoven's sonata 30 (op 109), Tchaikovsky's 5th, and Elgar's Spirit of England (only 3 versions of this though!). The first two I rarely buy these days - I know which I like most and all the best alternatives have not moved me (though many of them are quite worthy in their own right), which leaves Prokofiev, Beethoven and Tchaikovsky.

I was thinking of creating a Thaikovsky 5 thread just so that I could listen to various alternatives and comment on them. It is one of those rare pieces that I seem never to tire of.  I find it an odd symphony (in terms of collecting). Most people focus in on a few like Mravinsky, Bernstein, Gatti, etc. But it is actually hard to find someone who has heard more than a dozen say (maybe you'll come out now!?!), let alone two dozen. I mean, compare to Mahler. There are at least a dozen people on these boards who have heard 30-40+ versions (and maybe many more) of a given symphony. I find it equally frustrating when I read reviews, where sometimes I am dismayed when I see the recommendations (makes me think they haven't a clue).

And then we have some conducters who have done multiple versions, but do you know I am having huge difficulty finding anyone who has reviewed all (or many) of the versions by one conductor? Abbado did three versions - which is most successful (or are they all more or less the same)? Karajan has done at least 5 versions: 3 with the BPO (2 CD, 1 DVD), 1 with VPO, and 1 with Philharmonia. But which one is the one to go for (maybe there is a Karajan fan who knows).  Kletzki did at least two versions, neither of which I can find on disc. Mravinsky did at least 11 according to the info I can find (11!!), and figuring our which is which is not so simple (mistakes on the discs themselves are huge, often listing wrong performance dates!). Stokowski did several.  Monteux, Jansons, Celibadache, Muti, Ormandy, Barbirolli, Rozhdestvensky, Mengelberg, Svetlanov, and many more did at least 2 each! How many have heard both versions of a conductor, let alone all of them for each.

I was even thinking of doing a Blind Listening for this symphony, but don't feel it is ideal as there is an elephant in the room (Mravinsky). So hopefully when I get more time, I will start that thread and start giving feedback.

Yes, Neal but you don't have to have any duplicates at all to qualify a sub-collection. My 'Classical Keyboard Sonatas' only has ones I couldn't avoid, or else ones on, say clavichord and harpsichord. I think your idea of collecting all the different versions of something by a single conductor can be quite interesting. You can see how his ideas changed over time. I see that done with various pianists doing the same repertoire at different times in their lives, comes out quite differently with age. :)

8)

Quote from: mc ukrneal on February 03, 2013, 12:38:01 AM
I was thinking of creating a Thaikovsky 5 thread just so that I could listen to various alternatives and comment on them...

Interesting. The Fifth is one Tchaikovsky symphony I've not found an ideal, or near ideal recording of. With the Fourth there is Szell/LSO; with the Sixth Lenny DG and Franck. I have Mravinsky but even he doesn't satisfy completely.

Sarge

Quote from: petrarch on February 03, 2013, 07:43:42 AM
Aside from, like everyone else, seeking recordings and releases from the composers and performers I enjoy, I also collect by label. I have found this to be a very rewarding way to get exposure to composers, performers and even performances that would otherwise escape one's notice.

Now there's something I hadn't thought of! When I first started listening to Classical music, I began with a genre I really liked (violin concertos) and no knowledge of anything else, and ended up with everything from Bach to Bartok. It was a great way to introduce myself to composers' styles and ideas. Kind of works the same way as labels, since you don't know what you're gonna get. I just don't think I would start with, oh, EMI for example. :D

8)

Quote from: Sergeant Rock on February 03, 2013, 08:31:53 AM
My two major sub-collections: Piano Babes and Violin Babes  8)  with Hélène Grimaud and Anne-Sophie Mutter being the two I'm most obsessive about, owning everything they've recorded.

Sarge

Ahem... and Ring Cycles and Mahler Symphonies.....  :D

8)

Quote from: Gurn Blanston on February 03, 2013, 08:40:29 AM
Ahem... and Ring Cycles and Mahler Symphonies.....  :D

8)

The difference between intentional (collecting) and unintentional (ending up with)...

My sub-collections have turned to the vinyl:

Any Six Eye Columbia mono recordings of classical (which can have black and white and red and white labels as well).

(http://i.ebayimg.com/t/RUDOLF-SERKIN-SCHNEIDER-mozart-concerto-no-21-27-LP-VG-ML-5013-6-Eye-6i-/00/s/MTU4MlgxNjAw/$(KGrHqR,!qME88f7ZhbpBPgN,Y4O-Q~~60_35.JPG)

(http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQRHfYCmrY7-1ZUpXG3PLARIxmvscXiBxycsuIOb_P5MSjgfpu_lQ)


Any Mercury Living Presence especially the ones that have HI-FI Stereo across the top. (I have the below lp, but the image is not mine.)

(http://d1xw7fnq30zy05.cloudfront.net/uploads/image/image/786318/scaled_Schubert_Susskind_-_Tragic_0411.jpg)

I was also on a Living Stereo run, but I found that they were not worth the price for my system, so I have cooled on those.

Outside of classical on vinyl: Jazz and Western Soundtracks/Gunfighter lps along with hot rod album covers.  I am not a gear head, but love 'em, so I collect them.

(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_EQXPQvxgn9A/RlSLYE_56cI/AAAAAAAAAdM/qHzcMOfc_EQ/s320/RodsNRatFinksLPFront.jpg)

(http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRPJiXUZ0AnylhwXzyhf_jdjQDaklgmvz8QctUXbaH9M7C-T347Jw)

(http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSrGqpUZ6wMnWnyEX-NIEKvn-3iBvvKPu7KjQPV9BGWOTopCBo3AQ)

As far as composers and performers, I change like the wind.

Quote from: Sergeant Rock on February 03, 2013, 08:37:42 AM
Interesting. The Fifth is one Tchaikovsky symphony I've not found an ideal, or near ideal recording of. With the Fourth there is Szell/LSO; with the Sixth Lenny DG and Franck. I have Mravinsky but even he doesn't satisfy completely.

Sarge

I've done a preliminary listening of some of them already and I was surprised by how much I was enjoying many of them (and good news, I like the first two you named - I don't have the Franck).

Quote from: Gurn Blanston on February 03, 2013, 08:40:29 AM
Ahem... and Ring Cycles and Mahler Symphonies.....  :D

8)

Oh yeah....I have a few of those  ;)  14 Rings. And I do love me some symphony cycles. 16 Mahler (359 Mahler recordings altogether); 19 Sibelius (348 Sibelius recordings altogether); 10 Nielsen; 8 Vaughan Williams; 14 Brahms; 9 Elgar; 12 Beethoven (574 Beethoven recordings in total); Prokofiev 8; Shostakovich 7; Dvorak 6. I collect most everything of Franz Schmidt and Albéric Magnard. Haydn symphonies and quartets have become an obession of late.


Sarge

Dang!

I do have seven Dvorak Cello Concertos...but you folks are wiping me out.

Might be fun to pick a piece and see how many I could put together.  But what piece?

Quote from: Bogey on February 03, 2013, 09:40:13 AM
Dang!

I do have seven Dvorak Cello Concertos...but you folks are wiping me out.

Might be fun to pick a piece and see how many I could put together.  But what piece?

Among the composers I don't obsess over, I do have a few pieces I collect. For example, Debussy La Mer, 19 and counting.

Sarge

Quote from: Sergeant Rock on February 03, 2013, 09:53:18 AM
Among the composers I don't obsess over, I do have a few pieces I collect. For example, Debussy La Mer, 19 and counting.

Sarge

My favorite all time piece is LvB's Op.80, but the Harnoncourt is so stinikin' good (plus I have a couple more), that I do not really care to pursue more discs.  As for a piece, I may have nailed it down to three, all Beethoven Winds:

Octet for Winds in E flat major, Op. 103
Sextet for 2 Clarinets, 2 Horns and 2 Bassoons in E flat major, Op. 71
Variations for 2 Oboes and English Horn in C major on "La ci darem", WoO 28

or just go crazy for the winds in general. ;D

Quote from: mc ukrneal on February 03, 2013, 12:38:01 AM
I was thinking of creating a Thaikovsky 5 thread just so that I could listen to various alternatives and comment on them. It is one of those rare pieces that I seem never to tire of.  I find it an odd symphony (in terms of collecting). Most people focus in on a few like Mravinsky, Bernstein, Gatti, etc. But it is actually hard to find someone who has heard more than a dozen say (maybe you'll come out now!?!),

*comes out*

I own Tchaikovsky 5 by Bernstein, Gatti, Jansons, V. Jurowski, Matacic, Mravinsky (DG), Mravinsky (live on Brilliant), Muti, Ormandy, Pappano, and Solti.

Don't count a blind listening game out. There's serious potential for upsets, as we've seen with Lenny in the Berlioz game, everyone who wasn't Jansons in the Mahler game, and any actual French ensembles in the Debussy game. I'd peg V. Jurowski as a surprise candidate, and folks who were raised on the broader pace of Ormandy or Muti might find themselves inadvertently voting for Antoni Wit.

Quote from: Brian on February 03, 2013, 11:03:16 AM
*comes out*

I own Tchaikovsky 5 by Bernstein, Gatti, Jansons, V. Jurowski, Matacic, Mravinsky (DG), Mravinsky (live on Brilliant), Muti, Ormandy, Pappano, and Solti.

Don't count a blind listening game out. There's serious potential for upsets, as we've seen with Lenny in the Berlioz game, everyone who wasn't Jansons in the Mahler game, and any actual French ensembles in the Debussy game. I'd peg V. Jurowski as a surprise candidate, and folks who were raised on the broader pace of Ormandy or Muti might find themselves inadvertently voting for Antoni Wit.

That's 11 - you need one more! :)

I understand, and the question would be how early the last movement comes into play, because anyone who has the set will probably recognize his last movement. The other problem is narrowing it down to just 20-30 candidates. And then there is the issue of participation. It seems to me that people maybe are a little tired of it for the moment. Only the Mahler seems to really drum up business. Maybe I'll ask in a poll (though I still would prefer to do Alexander Nevsky first even if there were interest). 

Well, my classical music collection is eclectic w/ an emphasis on the 18th century into the early 19th century; just completed looking through my database and selecting specific works in which I had 3 or more recordings, shown in the image below.  Now, I do have a lot of duplicates - I guess that if there is a reason to collect multiple copies for me, one important one (when applicable) is owning both a modern & period instrument performance(s) (many are in the listing) - another example of duplicates not listed would be Clementi's Piano Sonatas w/ Shelley vs. Mastroprimiano or having piano & harpsichord versions of the same work (most evident in my Bach collection).

I don't really have a sub-collection based on performer, conductor, orchestra, or label, although I do have some favorite labels (e.g. CPO, MDG, and others) - I also tend to collect more recent recordings, and probably have little before the 1950-60s.  Dave :)

(http://giradman.smugmug.com/Other/Classical-Music/i-nfbhQw7/0/O/ClassComposersMultiples.jpg)

Quote from: Sergeant Rock on February 03, 2013, 09:23:34 AM
Oh yeah....I have a few of those  ;)  14 Rings. And I do love me some symphony cycles. 16 Mahler (359 Mahler recordings altogether); 19 Sibelius (348 Sibelius recordings altogether); 10 Nielsen; 8 Vaughan Williams; 14 Brahms; 9 Elgar; 12 Beethoven (574 Beethoven recordings in total); Prokofiev 8; Shostakovich 7; Dvorak 6. I collect most everything of Franz Schmidt and Albéric Magnard. Haydn symphonies and quartets have become an obession of late,

Sarge

So there's actually one composer of whom I have more symphony cycles (albeit not more total recordings) than Sarge.  (I have 17 LvB cycles.) 

I feel like I've achieved something.

The composers who bulk largest in my collection are Bach, Mahler and Beethoven.  Bach was number one even before I got those two complete works sets (the Hanssler and Teldec);  Ludwig and Gustav were duking it out for number two the last time I counted, which was about two years ago. although my Mahler buying has slowed down somewhat, but not my Ludwig buying, so it's probably the latter in the number 2 spot now.

not much besides a section with 216 versions of the Mahler symphonies/lieder...  :-[

Other than that, the multiples are very seldom in my collection - mostly 2 to 4 symphonies cycles via Conductors boxsets for LvB, Schubert, Sibelius, Bruckner... and to my surprise actually, 5 cycles of Brahms as well...  0:)

Quote from: Jeffrey Smith on February 04, 2013, 10:19:04 AM
So there's actually one composer of whom I have more symphony cycles (albeit not more total recordings) than Sarge.  (I have 17 LvB cycles.)

In the words of Barney (How I Met Your Mother Barney): Challenge accepted! I will now have to buy another six cycles  ;D

Sarge

Quote from: Sergeant Rock on February 04, 2013, 10:47:33 AM
In the words of Barney (How I Met Your Mother Barney): Challenge accepted! I will now have to buy another six cycles  ;D

Sarge

How many Tchaikovsky 5's do you have? I want to make sure I have a good lead before I post anything!!!!   :laugh:

Well, apparently we've all got someone we love. :) 

I just wanted to drop a reminder here that we can also talk about a genre or label or specific work or series of works (by different composers) as well as just single works we have a lot of. My curiosity has the better of me here since I am always interested in expanding my collection AND my knowledge base and I like to do something different sometimes..  :)

8)

Quote from: mc ukrneal on February 04, 2013, 10:57:51 AM
How many Tchaikovsky 5's do you have? I want to make sure I have a good lead before I post anything!!!!   :laugh:

;D

Here's what I have on CD (not sure of the LP Fifths):

BERNSTEIN DG   NEW YORK PHIL
PREVIN RPO
MRAVINSKY LENNINGRAD PHIL
SZELL CLEVELAND
KOUSSEVITZKY    BOSTON
CELIBIDACHE MUNICH PHIL
MARKEVITCH LSO


Sarge

Quote from: Sergeant Rock on February 04, 2013, 11:01:37 AM
;D

Here's what I have on CD (not sure of the LP Fifths):

BERNSTEIN DG   NEW YORK PHIL
PREVIN RPO
MRAVINSKY LENNINGRAD PHIL
SZELL CLEVELAND
KOUSSEVITZKY    BOSTON
CELIBIDACHE MUNICH PHIL
MARKEVITCH LSO


Sarge

Oh - interesting. I guess it would be safe to say I have more than 50 or so then (with a few more on the way).  ::) I'm actually enjoying the process of listening to so many, but I can't imagine doing this with other works - I think I'd get bored of the pieces.

Quote from: Gurn Blanston on February 04, 2013, 10:59:06 AM
Well, apparently we've all got someone we love. :) 

I just wanted to drop a reminder here that we can also talk about a genre or label or specific work or series of works (by different composers) as well as just single works we have a lot of. My curiosity has the better of me here since I am always interested in expanding my collection AND my knowledge base and I like to do something different sometimes..  :)

8)

When you mentioned a series of works, it reminded me that I collect most of the Romantic Piano Concerto Series on Hyperion. For someone who loves piano concertos most of all and the romantic period most of all, well, it's a marriage made in heaven. And there is a new fix every 3-4 months.

I have tried to collect every record which Concert Artists published as a Joyce Hatto perfromance. I'm trying to do the same for Harnoncourt, Leonhardt, Walcha, Rubsam, Sergei Vartolo and Skip Sempe.

I have all the recordings, or nearly all, made by Bruno Maderna, Jon Vickers, Loraine Hunt Lieberson, Cortot, Moiseiwitsch and Sofronitsky, Mengelberg, the Juilliard Quartet, Glen Gould, Maria Yudina, Elly Ney, Alexis Weissenberg, Michelangeli and Arrau, Pletnev, Pogorelich, Schnabel and Moravec (solo music for the pianists).

I have a pretty large collection of Sv Richter and Grinburg  records.

I collect video recordings of productions by Ponelle and Calixto Bieito, Tristan,Parsifal, the Mozart/Da Ponte operas and Monteverdi operas.

I've collected all the live recordings by Pollini that I could find. And same for Sokolov, Kocsis, Ranki and Roger Muraro.

I have pretty large collections for certain pieces -- Gran Partita, Jupiter Symphony, Kreisleriana, Davidsbundlertanze, F Couperin's Lecons de Tenebre, Beethoven PC 4, Mozart PC 24. I'm building up collections for Art of Fugue, Bach chorales znd Buxtehude's organ pieces, Sweelinck and F Couperin.

There are a whole bunch of young musicians who I collect -- Ebene Quartet for example, Pavel Haas Quartet, Casals Quartet.

I have a pretty large collections of recordings from Van Beinum, Hans Rosbaud and Giulini, but with symphonic music I tend to limit myself to a few composers -- Brahms, Mahler, Haydn, Mozart.

Quote from: mc ukrneal on February 04, 2013, 11:21:20 AM
Oh - interesting. I guess it would be safe to say I have more than 50 or so then (with a few more on the way).  ::)

I don't have anything approaching the 50 mark. The most of anything I have is 36 versions of Mahler 1. See, I'm one of the few sane ones here  :D

Sarge

Quote from: Mandryka on February 04, 2013, 11:28:04 AM
[....] I have a pretty large collections of recordings from Van Beinum, Hans Rosbaud and Giulini, but with symphonic music I tend to limit myself to a few composers -- Brahms, Mahler, Haydn, Mozart.

Van Beinum: nice! Underrated IMHO, even though I do not even have that much of him myself (Beethoven 3, Brahms 1-4, Mahler 7 a.o.). They say his niche was the French Romantics, but I'm not really a francophile.

I have more-or-less (rather incomplete) subcollections of Lucia Popp and Gustav Leonhardt, and, compositions considered, of Bach's Passions and of his organ works, and also of Mozart's opera's (mainly the Da Pontes) and Mahler symphonies. My passion for Passions, Popp, Wolfie's dramas and Gustav's outbursts started already some 25 years ago, and after my conversion to harpsichord and organ, Leonhardt eventually joined in. I'm still happy with all of them! :)

Quote from: sanantonio on February 04, 2013, 11:33:03 AM
Do you really not have any recordings of the Haydn symphonies?

Please tell me it is an oversight .... :)

Hi SanAntonio - of course, I have Papa Joe's Symphonies, but not 3 or more complete sets, which was my criterion for putting together the list from my database - at the moment, just Fischer for all of them; 2 sets of the Paris Symphonies & 3 sets of the London ones.  Dave :)

Quote from: Sergeant Rock on February 04, 2013, 10:47:33 AM
In the words of Barney (How I Met Your Mother Barney): Challenge accepted! I will now have to buy another six cycles  ;D

Sarge

So you know what you're up against
Gardiner
Immerseel
Hanover Band
Bruggen (the new one released in 2012)
Karajan 1960s
Bernstein/DG
Bohm
Cluytens
Blomstedt/Dresden
Dohnanyi
Chailly
Thielemann
Zinman
P. Jarvi
the Naxos hodgepodge of Central European orchestras
Haitink/LSO

I'm not at home: either there's one more which I can't remember, or I miscounted the last time I checked and you only have to get five more.

Surprised you don't have Harnoncourt / COE, Jeffrey. It's an excellent cycle (despite not being on period instruments). :)

Got some nice ones otherwise though, reminiscent of my own. 0:)

8)

  My collection is not as large as other GMGer, because I tend to sell the recordings which I found too middle-of-the-road or nothing special appeared. What exists in my collection now is mostly Romantic era, focus on orchestral works from Beethoven (18 cycle), Brahms (20 cycle), Bruckner (9 complete or near complete cycle), Mahler (9 cycle), Sibelius (8 cycle), Tchaikovsky (15 recordings of late symphonies) plus hundred individual recordings. Otherwise, I have a good numbers of Bach (both orchestral works and instrument works), and piano music ( focus on Mozart, Schumann, Beethoven, Schubert, Rachmaninov, Chopin).

Quote from: Jeffrey Smith on February 05, 2013, 11:07:25 AM
So you know what you're up against
Gardiner
Immerseel
Hanover Band
Bruggen (the new one released in 2012)
Karajan 1960s
Bernstein/DG
Bohm
Cluytens
Blomstedt/Dresden
Dohnanyi
Chailly
Thielemann
Zinman
P. Jarvi
the Naxos hodgepodge of Central European orchestras
Haitink/LSO

Wow, there's barely any overlap! Here are mine, only the first two match yours:

KARAJAN 62 BERLIN PHIL
BERNSTEIN VIENNA PHIL
SOLTI CHICAGO
HARNONCOURT COE
KLEMPERER PHILHARMONIA
BARENBOIM STAATSKAPELLE BERLIN
NORRINGTON LCP
NORRINGTON RSO STUTTGART
SZELL CLEVELAND
MAAZEL CLEVELAND
BRÜGGEN   18TH CENTURY
CELIBIDACHE MUNICH PHIL (missing #1)

What I'm interested in, and may eventually acquire: Wand, Chailly, P. Järvi, Furtwängler

Sarge

Off the top of my head:

Gardiner, Immerseel, Bruggen (I), Karajan 1962-3, Bernstein (Sony), Blomstedt (Dresden), Chailly, Haitink (LSO), Harnoncourt (COE), Barenboim, Norrington (LCP), Szell, Vanska, Mackerras (Hyperion), Abbado (red box), Hogwood, van Zweden, Nelson

Almost complete: P. Jarvi (#s 1-8)
Odds and ends: Dohnanyi (#3, #9), Wand (#9), Naxos (#9) etc etc

...wow, I just beat Sarge, Jeffrey, and Trung  :o :o 8)

Quote from: Sergeant Rock on February 03, 2013, 09:23:34 AM
(359 Mahler recordings altogether)

Dude, you very nearly own a controlling share in Mahler Industries (NYSE: MII) ; )

Quote from: Gurn Blanston on February 05, 2013, 11:34:06 AM
Surprised you don't have Harnoncourt / COE, Jeffrey. It's an excellent cycle (despite not being on period instruments). :)

Got some nice ones otherwise though, reminiscent of my own. 0:)

8)

[slaps himself]

Thank you, Gurn!  That's the one I couldn't remember!

So it is 17 cycles.

Quote from: Sergeant Rock on February 05, 2013, 11:52:22 AM
What I'm interested in, and may eventually acquire: Wand, Chailly, P. Järvi, Furtwängler

Sarge

What are you waiting for, soldier!!!!
GET CHAILLY!!!!!

It is, imo, the best recent cycle by several miles.

P. Jarvi is pretty good, too, but not so necessary.

Also Immerseel.  And I though you had Dohnanyi?  (You, the Clevelander, especially!)

I will probably be getting at some point in the near future the symphonies in Barenboim's Beethoven for All project. (I have the other two components, and I hate to have incomplete series.) I have no idea if that's the same performances as your Barenboim.

Just put trigger on Celibidache's symphonies boxset on EMI and Konwitschny's cycle on Berlin Classics, now I have 20 Beethoven cycle   :laugh:

Quote from: Brian on February 05, 2013, 12:02:56 PM
...wow, I just beat Sarge, Jeffrey, and Trung  :o :o 8)

We unworthies bow before your magnificence  :D

Seriously, Brian, that's an impressive collection for one so young, and so poor  ;) That would be an impressive collection for a rich old fart!  At your age I probably had five Beethoven records in total.

Nelson...Nelson? Never heard his cycle, never heard of it. Any good? What made you purchase it?

Sarge

Quote from: trung224 on February 05, 2013, 12:15:30 PM
Just put trigger on Celibidache's symphonies boxset on EMI and Konwitschny's cycle on Berlin Classics, now I have 20 Beethoven cycle   :laugh:

You bastard! Trying to win this race, eh?  :laugh:

Sarge

Quote from: Sergeant Rock on February 05, 2013, 11:52:22 AM
Wow, there's barely any overlap! Here are mine, only the first two match yours:

KARAJAN 62 BERLIN PHIL
BERNSTEIN VIENNA PHIL
SOLTI CHICAGO
HARNONCOURT COE
KLEMPERER PHILHARMONIA
BARENBOIM STAATSKAPELLE BERLIN
NORRINGTON LCP
NORRINGTON RSO STUTTGART
SZELL CLEVELAND
MAAZEL CLEVELAND
BRÜGGEN   18TH CENTURY
CELIBIDACHE MUNICH PHIL (missing #1)

What I'm interested in, and may eventually acquire: Wand, Chailly, P. Järvi, Furtwängler

Sarge

And now a serious question: of those nine I don't have, which (if any) would you suggest I put on my wishlist?

Quote from: Jeffrey Smith on February 05, 2013, 12:07:59 PM
What are you waiting for, soldier!!!!
GET CHAILLY!!!!!

It is, imo, the best recent cycle by several miles.

Gotta say, I've now heard 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8 from Chailly and I'm starting to come around to this point of view. It's my new favorite for #8, and while the opening movement of #5 was a bit off the mark, the rest has been superb.

Quote from: Jeffrey Smith on February 05, 2013, 12:07:59 PM
I will probably be getting at some point in the near future the symphonies in Barenboim's Beethoven for All project. (I have the other two components, and I hate to have incomplete series.) I have no idea if that's the same performances as your Barenboim.

No! No no no no no. Barenboim Staatskapelle Berlin, a.k.a. Fedora Barenboim, a.k.a. Barenboim 2000. The orchestra's as rich and splendorous as Chailly's, with a similar "dark" hue, but the interpretive approach is EXACTLY opposite. I strongly recommend it. My favorite 'Pastorale', at over 45 minutes.

Quote from: trung224 on February 05, 2013, 12:15:30 PM
Just put trigger on Celibidache's symphonies boxset on EMI and Konwitschny's cycle on Berlin Classics, now I have 20 Beethoven cycle   :laugh:

Rats! I was at 19! I think.

Quote from: Sergeant Rock on February 05, 2013, 12:18:30 PM
We unworthies bow before your magnificence  :D

Seriously, Brian, that's an impressive collection for one so young, and so poor  ;) That would be an impressive collection for a rich old fart!  At your age I probably had five Beethoven records in total.

Nelson...Nelson? Never heard his cycle, never heard of it. Any good? What made you purchase it?

Sarge

The really impressive thing is that of the 19, only 4 are MP3s swiped from my old university's music library.  ;D Nelson is John Nelson, which is a HIP-influenced modern orchestra cycle. Good in that way, maybe not necessarily better than P. Jarvi, Dausgaard, or Norrington/SWR, which are its closest spiritual compatriots. The best aspect is the packaging: the booklet has a big long interesting interview with Nelson about his study of the music, and it's a really firm sturdy cap-box with little colorful digipaks for each CD inside.

What made me purchase it was GMGer 'tsrauser' posted it for $10 in the Buy, Sell, Trade forum  ;D I was buying Lenny's Sibelius and Wand's Brahms from him anyway, figured "eh, why not".

[asin]B000K15U2W[/asin]

Quote from: Sergeant Rock on February 05, 2013, 12:19:02 PM

You bastard! Trying to win this race, eh?  :laugh:

Sarge

Of course not. I heard some good reviews about two set long time ago, but till now I have lucky to buy them ( because the price now is very reasonable  )
  Brian: Your recommendation about Nelson maks me interesting. I have Beethoven from the German, the Austrian, the Italian, the English, the Russian, the Hungarian, the Czech, the American. Now it's the time for the South American

Quote from: Brian on February 05, 2013, 12:28:17 PM
No! No no no no no. Barenboim Staatskapelle Berlin, a.k.a. Fedora Barenboim, a.k.a. Barenboim 2000. The orchestra's as rich and splendorous as Chailly's, with a similar "dark" hue, but the interpretive approach is EXACTLY opposite. I strongly recommend it. My favorite 'Pastorale', at over 45 minutes.

Okay, since you put it that way,  I went ahead and ordered--
(drumroll, please)......

both (the Beethoven for All set and the Fedora 2000 set).

Now I'm at 19,  equal to Brian.  I'll hunt around tonight and see about ordering two more, so I stay ahead of Trung. :P

Quote from: Jeffrey Smith on February 05, 2013, 12:07:59 PM
What are you waiting for, soldier!!!!
GET CHAILLY!!!!!

Chailly is the one I'm leaning towards next.  There are nothing but superlatives here from everyone who owns it.

Quote from: Jeffrey Smith on February 05, 2013, 12:07:59 PM
And I though you had Dohnanyi?  (You, the Clevelander, especially!)

Considering I do own his Ninth, and that it's my favorite MI Ninth, yeah, it even surprises me that I haven't acquired his  complete cycle.

Quote from: Jeffrey Smith on February 05, 2013, 12:07:59 PM
I will probably be getting at some point in the near future the symphonies in Barenboim's Beethoven for All project. (I have the other two components, and I hate to have incomplete series.) I have no idea if that's the same performances as your Barenboim.

No, entirely different. Mine is with his Berlin band (the Staatskapelle...for my taste, a more interesting orchestra than Rattle's Philharmoniker). The "Beethoven für Alle" project is with his Israeli/Palestinian band.

Quote from: Jeffrey Smith on February 05, 2013, 12:22:35 PM
And now a serious question: of those nine I don't have, which (if any) would you suggest I put on my wishlist?

Szell, Norrington Stuttgart (I love his LCP performances too but they are quite controversial). Klemperer is classic Beethoven and utterly unique. Don't know if you'd respond positively to his broad tempos, but for me it's desert island Beethoven.

Sarge

You bastards, I was only winning the Beethoven game for 12 minutes, 34 seconds and I'm already in a second-place tie. Sarge, is Celi worth hearing, or Klemperer first?

I'm really glad I am not in this race!!!! But here's how it might seem to the rest of us:

"The Story You Are About To Read Is True.
The Names Have Been Changed To Protect The Innocent"


And they're off.
The Big Kahuna is off to a slow start out of the gate, while the rest of the pack gallops ahead. Meanwhile Alligator Alley holds a slight lead. As they come around the first corner it's Lucky London barrelling ahead. And they're almost neck and neck, but wait, sneaking up on the inside is Mystical Mackerel, and folks he takes the lead! As they thunder down the backstretch, with their wallets screaming for mercy, and the forum going wild, and Alligator Aley making a move, it's anybody's guess who has the longer will win this race ( ::)). But has the Big Kahuna been saving up for the second half? Or has Lucky London been toying with the field? Will Alligator Alley take a bite out of the competition? Will the Mystical Mackerel swim to an easy victory? Or will there be a surprise entry who cleans up. Stay tuned...

:P :D

Quote from: mc ukrneal on February 05, 2013, 12:52:13 PMOr will there be a surprise entry who cleans up. Stay tuned...

:P :D

Mirror Image finally has his Beethoven epiphany and spends his birthday money on 38 different complete cycles.

Quote from: mc ukrneal on February 05, 2013, 12:52:13 PM
I'm really glad I am not in this race!!!! But here's how it might seem to the rest of us:

"The Story You Are About To Read Is True.
The Names Have Been Changed To Protect The Innocent"


And they're off.
The Big Kahuna is off to a slow start out of the gate, while the rest of the pack gallops ahead. Meanwhile Alligator Alley holds a slight lead. As they come around the first corner it's Lucky London barrelling ahead. And they're almost neck and neck, but wait, sneaking up on the inside is Mystical Mackerel, and folks he takes the lead! As they thunder down the backstretch, with their wallets screaming for mercy, and the forum going wild, and Alligator Aley making a move, it's anybody's guess who has the longer will win this race ( ::)). But has the Big Kahuna been saving up for the second half? Or has Lucky London been toying with the field? Will Alligator Alley take a bite out of the competition? Will the Mystical Mackerel swim to an easy victory? Or will there be a surprise entry who cleans up. Stay tuned...

:P :D

Quote from: Brian on February 05, 2013, 12:53:22 PM
Mirror Image finally has his Beethoven epiphany and spends his birthday money on 38 different complete cycles.

The way this thread is going just cracks me up...

Quote from: trung224 on February 05, 2013, 12:15:30 PM
Just put trigger on Celibidache's symphonies boxset on EMI and Konwitschny's cycle on Berlin Classics, now I have 20 Beethoven cycle   :laugh:

Good on you for the Konwitschny. I predict you will be pleased with that. I quite like the 9th.  :)

8)

Quote from: mc ukrneal on February 05, 2013, 12:52:13 PM


"The Story You Are About To Read Is True.
The Names Have Been Changed To Protect The Innocent"
...

Very interesting and enjoyable story, mc ukrneal  ;D

Alligator Alley just ordered three more cycles:

Norwood/LCP
Klemperer Membran--I don't know if that's the same stuff as in the EMI box, but it also has Brahms and Bruckner to go with it
Hogwood/AAM.   Just because.

The price for Szell seems to be a little steep, to say the least.....

And I remembered that I already have the Muti cycle.  So 18 plus 5 now ordered equals 23.

:P :P :P

Quote from: Brian on February 05, 2013, 12:50:02 PM
You bastards, I was only winning the Beethoven game for 12 minutes, 34 seconds and I'm already in a second-place tie. Sarge, is Celi worth hearing, or Klemperer first?

Klemperer. I'm still struggling with Celi's Beethoven. I initially hated it...but it's growing on me...like fungus.

Sarge

Quote from: Gurn Blanston on February 05, 2013, 12:58:43 PM
Good on you for the Konwitschny. I predict you will be pleased with that. I quite like the 9th.  :)

8)

Thanks, Gurn. I have the impassioned live Third from Konwitschny and Dresden Staatkapelle (not the one with Leipzig Gewandhaus), which I found magnificient. And I'm very glad to acquire his Beethoven cycle at the bargain price (12 Euro).

When I get home tonight I'll count my meager few and give you all a laugh. I do seem to be the only one with Concertgebouw / Haitink right now though.... :)

8)

Quote from: Jeffrey Smith on February 05, 2013, 12:59:59 PM
The price for Szell seems to be a little steep, to say the least.....

Wait for it. The way Sony re-releases its core artists, there is bound to be a cheap box in the not so distant future.

Sarge

Quote from: Jeffrey Smith on February 05, 2013, 12:59:59 PM
Alligator Alley just ordered three more cycles:

Norwood/LCP
Klemperer Membran--I don't know if that's the same stuff as in the EMI box, but it also has Brahms and Bruckner to go with it
Hogwood/AAM.   Just because.

The price for Szell seems to be a little steep, to say the least.....

And I remembered that I already have the Muti cycle.  So 18 plus 5 now ordered equals 23.

:P :P :P

Now we are the one who keep the classical music market alive with hundred dollars was spent in only one hours :D
   The Klemperer on Membran is not the same one on EMI boxset, just the combination from the live items on Vox with WDR Orchestra, the Seventh and the Fifth is the same mono one on EMI box, otherwise is on the complete set on Music and Arts feature Klemperer and Philharmonia Orchestra on the tour in Vienna.

Quote from: Sergeant Rock on February 05, 2013, 01:04:38 PM
Wait for it. The way Sony re-releases its core artists, there is bound to be a cheap box in the not so distant future.

Sarge

Yes, but I don't know whether the Szell's boxset was the excellent DSD remastered like the Original Jacket collection or the inferior old 1980s remastered  just like some cheapo boxset recently.

Wow, Jeffrey's committed to winning.

Quote from: Sergeant Rock on February 05, 2013, 01:00:40 PM
Klemperer. I'm still struggling with Celi's Beethoven. I initially hated it...but it's growing on me...like fungus.

Sarge

I almost spat out my water laughing at this.

Quote from: Sergeant Rock on February 05, 2013, 01:04:38 PM
Wait for it. The way Sony re-releases its core artists, there is bound to be a cheap box in the not so distant future.

Sarge

This is one of the ones I have on MP3 only, so I'll be getting the CDs if Sony does a box. God, Szell/Casadesus in Mozart is so darn good.

Quote from: trung224 on February 05, 2013, 01:13:17 PM
   Yes, but I don't know whether the Szell's boxset was the excellent DSD remastered like the Original Jacket collection or the inferior old 1980s remastered  just like some cheapo boxset recently.

Yeah, that's always a problem. I bought the Original Jackect...worth the expense.

Sarge

Quote from: Brian on February 05, 2013, 01:14:26 PM
Wow, Jeffrey's committed to winning.

It's in the spirit of "He who dies with the most toys wins".   (Perhaps Cato can supply a Latin translation so I can make it my motto.)

I must admit that was the first time I spent a hundred and fifty bucks simply sitting at a library terminal.

And I also ordered the DG boxset of Lenny conducting Shostakovich and Stravinsky before I started my Beethoven binge....

Speaking of the Szell--I do actually have a couple of individual issues.  I'll have to check to see which ones they are, and then see if the others are available in that format as well.

Quote from: Gurn Blanston on February 05, 2013, 01:04:26 PM
When I get home tonight I'll count my meager few and give you all a laugh. I do seem to be the only one with Concertgebouw / Haitink right now though.... :)

8)

Don't fret.  Even with all these sets, and adding on the individual issues I have outside of these sets, I'd still need to get about 60 more performances of the Ninth to catch up to you.

And I still have more performances of Mahler 9 than I do of Beethoven 9.

BTW, Brian, technically, you're still in first place, and will remain so until my orders and Trung's actually land.

Quote from: Jeffrey Smith on February 05, 2013, 04:07:40 PM
Don't fret.  Even with all these sets, and adding on the individual issues I have outside of these sets, I'd still need to get about 60 more performances of the Ninth to catch up to you.

Well, I just wanted to give you guys some encouragement, since you all kicked my ass quite some time ago (I tend to buy Beethoven symphonies as singles (well, doubles usually));

Hogwood/AAM
Immerseel/Anima Eterna
Hanover Band/Goodman
Brüggen/Orchestra of the 18th Century
Gardiner/Orchestre Revolutionnaire etc
Norrington/London Classical Players
Harnoncourt/COE
Mackerras/Royal Liverpool
Mackerras/Scottish CO
Jochum/Bavarian RSO (early 1950's)
Haitink/Royal Concertgebouworkest
Karajan/Berliner Philharmoniker 1962 & 63
Karajan/Philharmonia 1955ish
Zinman/Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra

Only 14 that I can lay hands on right now. Not even worth getting out of bed for. :-\  Boy, I got a pisspot full of single disks though!  :D

8)

Edited to correct oversight

Quote from: Gurn Blanston on February 05, 2013, 04:28:00 PM
Well, I just wanted to give you guys some encouragement, since you all kicked my ass quite some time ago (I tend to buy Beethoven symphonies as singles (well, doubles usually));

Hogwood/AAM
Immerseel/Anima Eterna
Hanover Band/Goodman
Brüggen/Orchestra of the 18th Century
Gardiner/Orchestre Revolutionnaire etc
Harnoncourt/COE
Mackerras/Royal Liverpool
Mackerras/Scottish CO
Jochum/Bavarian RSO (early 1950's)
Haitink/Royal Concertgebouworkest
Karajan/Berliner Philharmoniker 1962 & 63
Karajan/Philharmonia 1955ish
Zinman/Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra
Only 13 that I can lay hands on right now. Not even worth getting out of bed for. :-\  Boy, I got a pisspot full of single disks though!  :D
8)

With such riches before you, methinks you may first reach for Immerseel?  Please?   :P  I used to like the Gardiner set a lot, and the old school style of Bruggen (really old school), but since I heard that Immerseel, things changed.   :)

Quote from: Scots John on February 05, 2013, 05:06:40 PM
With such riches before you, methinks you may first reach for Immerseel?  Please?   :P  I used to like the Gardiner set a lot, and the old school style of Bruggen, but since I heard that Immerseel, things changed.   :)

Just to rate the 5 (crap, it's 6, I just remembered that I have Norrington's too) period instrument cycles by my favorites:

Immerseel
Hogwood
Gardiner
Norrington
Goodman
Brüggen

So yes, Immerseel on top. Of course, my favorite Eroica is Savall's, and it's a one-off. So it goes. :)

8)

Quote from: sanantonio on February 05, 2013, 05:25:09 PM
Have you heard Bruggen's newest, live, cycle?  Or Krivine?  I enjoy both, but probably like the Krivine a bit more..

No, I haven't done. Undoubtedly will though. My 'want' list is longer than a West Texas well rope....

I have (and really like) Krivine's 9th. At the time I got it, the box set hadn't been released (or I didn't see it at Amazon yet). However, I don't collect cycles, just 9ths, so if I do end up with it, it will be unintentionally (like all my other cycles). :D

8)

Quote from: Gurn Blanston on February 05, 2013, 05:28:16 PM
No, I haven't done. Undoubtedly will though. My 'want' list is longer than a West Texas well rope....

I have (and really like) Krivine's 9th. At the time I got it, the box set hadn't been released (or I didn't see it at Amazon yet). However, I don't collect cycles, just 9ths, so if I do end up with it, it will be unintentionally (like all my other cycles). :D

8)

I thought Bruggen was excellent all the way through the first eight symphonies, and the first three movements of the Ninth, and the first portion of the Ninth's finale.  Then the bass/baritone soloist opened his mouth, and later on the tenor tried to sing....

Sorry, but I found the performance of those two singers so deficient that it made a major flaw in an otherwise outstanding set.

Quote from: Jeffrey Smith on February 05, 2013, 06:32:53 PM
I thought Bruggen was excellent all the way through the first eight symphonies, and the first three movements of the Ninth, and the first portion of the Ninth's finale.  Then the bass/baritone soloist opened his mouth, and later on the tenor tried to sing....

Sorry, but I found the performance of those two singers so deficient that it made a major flaw in an otherwise outstanding set.

Oh man, when the bass/baritone sucks, the whole performance is in the toilet... :-\  I hate that happened. :(

8)

Quote from: Jeffrey Smith on February 05, 2013, 04:07:40 PM
And I still have more performances of Mahler 9 than I do of Beethoven 9.

If I only had one recording of Mahler 9** that would still be more than I have of Beethoven 9  ;D

** actually I have 5 ...
Maderna (a recent buy, because it looked and sounded interesting)
Gergiev (cheap modern recording)
Haitink/CO (because I saw them do this live in London, around the time the record was made, early '70s)
Norrington (actually a recording of last year's 'farewell' Prom concert)
Sanderling/BBC PO (because he's my favourite conductor, and he helped raise this orchestra out of mediocrity)

5 is rather a lot, of a single work, for me.  Just Haitink would be enough, really.

Quote from: Gurn Blanston on February 06, 2013, 06:35:03 AM
Oh man, when the bass/baritone sucks, the whole performance is in the toilet... :-\  I hate that happened. :(

8)

I ought to make it clear that the set itself is still well worth getting.   And it is possible that I merely had a bad ear day, so to speak.

Quote from: aukhawk on February 06, 2013, 08:31:13 AM
If I only had one recording of Mahler 9** that would still be more than I have of Beethoven 9  ;D

** actually I have 5 ...
Maderna (a recent buy, because it looked and sounded interesting)
Gergiev (cheap modern recording)
Haitink/CO (because I saw them do this live in London, around the time the record was made, early '70s)
Norrington (actually a recording of last year's 'farewell' Prom concert)
Sanderling/BBC PO (because he's my favourite conductor, and he helped raise this orchestra out of mediocrity)

5 is rather a lot, of a single work, for me.  Just Haitink would be enough, really.

Maderna is very good, and so is Norrington, assuming it's equal to his recording with the Stuttgarters.

My clear favorites for M9 are Zinman,  Levine (Munich Phil, on Oehms), and Bernstein (the DG cycle).  If you end up liking Maderna, you'd love Zinman--same basic approach, but intensified and in better sound.

Haven't heard Haitink or Sanderling.

Quote from: aukhawk on February 06, 2013, 08:31:13 AM
If I only had one recording of Mahler 9** that would still be more than I have of Beethoven 9  ;D

Or: If I only had one recording of Beethoven 9 that would still be more than I have of Mahler 9*  ;D

*(or every other Mahler symphony combined, for that matter)  :)

8)

Quote from: Jeffrey Smith on February 06, 2013, 05:09:54 PM
I ought to make it clear that the set itself is still well worth getting.   And it is possible that I merely had a bad ear day, so to speak.

Yeah, that happens to me too. In both directions! I'll be like "what did I ever hear in this the first time??".   :)

8)

I have a side collection of CD's and MP3's which is called "NOT".
In the MP3 folder of "NOT" is everything that is not Classical Music - Radiohead, Muse, ELO, Movie Soundtracks, The Sex Pistols, this kind of thing  :o...  anyway, within "NOT" and jostling at the top of the folder list is a folder called...er..."Atonal".   ???   :o
***Runs away screaming***

Quote from: Scots John on February 06, 2013, 09:48:37 PM
I have a side collection of CD's and MP3's which is called "NOT".
In the MP3 folder of "NOT" is everything that is not Classical Music - Radiohead, Muse, ELO, Movie Soundtracks, The Sex Pistols, this kind of thing  :o...  anyway, within "NOT" and jostling at the top of the folder list is a folder called...er..."Atonal".   ???   :o
***Runs away screaming***

;D :D ;D :D

8)

Reminds me that I promised to write a wee atonal piece for Johnnie . . . .

Over the years of collecting Mahler recordings, the focus narrowed to the M3, M6 and M9 works. Eventually the M9 became the focus, with the M6 following close behind.

A sub-collection slowly but surely started to develop into an obsession with acquiring recordings of the M9 by Japanese orchestras and conductors, that can include European conductors leading Japanese orchestras on rather obscure labels,i.e. Bertini w/ the Tokyo Symphony.   

I wanted to acquire a decent collection documenting the performance history of Mahler's 9th in Japan, and I've done pretty well! Someday I'd like to write an article about it.

Another obsession/interest of mine is forgotten American symphonists, this collection is almost all from taped broadcasts, from the years c.1938 up until 1969 thereabouts. I look for those composers born late 19th century generally. I am interested in both tonal/conservative and experimental/atonal composers, most particularly the very academic composers who were professors all their professional lives.

Like Gurn, I've been fond of collecting every fortepiano/harpsichord recording that features 18th Century composers, most particularly off the beaten path, this collection also started an interest in classical opera seria from the rather unknowns.

A long time focus has been a collection representing the history of the symphony and concerto as it developed in the 18th century from composers known only by scholars and historians, musicians now lost in the annuals of time...for many years, (after Mahler
Collecting abated), this became an obessive focus. Thank God for
Naxos and CPO labels!

And my obsession with the academicism of Brahms led me to collect all (I can find) Germanic/Austrian composers that wrote in the Brahms style, this includes Brahms' unknown contemporaries as well as the generation after Brahms. Again, academic composers and  professors more known as teachers than composers.  I focus on both pseudo-Brahms chamber music and symphonies.

I have a couple of labels that have dedicated shelf space ( LP's) viz. New World - for their deep annotation and Louisville for the unusual repertoire,, and a batch of Argo/Transaccord discs of train sounds (Steam on the Lickey Incline, etc.)

In the last 2 years my fastest growing sub-collections were:

1. Jordi Savall on Alia Vox
2. Baroque music for flute / recorder
3. Romantic music for solo piano / solo violin / piano & violin

Quote from: Brian on February 02, 2013, 03:22:50 PM
"Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!" - Albus Dumbledore

I have almost literally every Beethoven symphony cycle released since 2000: Barenboim, Abbado, Nelson, Zweden, Haitink/LSO, Immerseel, Vanska, P. Jarvi, Chailly. If I don't have a set, it's either because it's available to me on Naxos Music Library (Dausgaard, Skrowaczewski, Rattle, Bruggen II, Krivine) or because of a combination of extreme recency and my own relative poverty (Thielemann, which is actually the only one I know I can't access at the moment).

I have the complete recordings of the Pavel Haas Quartet and almost everything by Yevgeny Sudbin and Alexandre Tharaud. I'll soon be ordering the complete Byron Janis and William Kapell boxes on GMG's recommendation, having little and no experience, respectively, with those performers. Brilliant's box sets made it all too easy to acquire the complete Rachmaninov and Brahms; ditto Hyperion and Chopin.

I have probably 9-10 cycles of Sibelius symphonies.

EDIT: And thirteen Gaspards de la nuit.

I have some 30 Beethoven Symphonies cycles, though the set by Haitink is the only post-2000 cycle in my Beethoven collection.  But my interests also extend to early/baroque/choral music and historical recordings. 

Quote from: Florestan on February 09, 2013, 06:09:02 AM
In the last 2 years my fastest growing sub-collections were:

1. Jordi Savall on Alia Vox
2. Baroque music for flute / recorder
3. Romantic music for solo piano / solo violin / piano & violin

For me, the fastest growing sub-collections were:

1. Early muisc - from about a dozen titles to over 200 titles spanning over 300 CD's.
2. Historical recordings - from next to nothing to almost 40 titles in Naxos Historical label alone. 
3. Bach Cantatas and Passions

Quote from: Gurn Blanston on February 02, 2013, 02:16:26 PM
Pretty much everyone here, to some degree, is a collector of music. I suppose that there are those who are here simply for the stimulating company or the intellectual discussion, but in the main, we are collectors.

What I am curious about are the little sub-collections that grow up inside the more mainstream parts. The special interest, so to say.

For example;

I delight in having possibly 2 or 3 (modern and period instruments most likely) versions of everything Beethoven composed. I really like his music and so having all of it seemed reasonable enough a goal. However, within that group, I am well-known to also have nearly 100 versions of the 9th Symphony. I don't have 100 versions of everything else Beethoven wrote, just that.

I suppose it is specialty enough to have all of Haydn's music on period instruments. But I also have every keyboard sonatas and trios disk I could ever find on period keyboards. There are, amazingly, dozens of them!

Then, more diversely, I collect (not duplicate though) keyboard sonatas on period instruments from the time period 1740 to 1830.  I have used William Newman's great book The Sonata in the Classic Period as a guide and amassed great quantities of composers who are otherwise unrepresented in my collection. Very interesting music, too. :)

So, my question, what sorts of oddments have you fastened onto yourself?  Share it with us here, maybe it will give ideas for specializing rather than just grabbing any intriguing sounding disk that comes along. Either way can be a voyage of discovery, but the focus could also be a help.   :)

8)

  Reading your opening post I must admit that I do have one oddity.  I like to specialize and subcollect Wagnerian operas, especially the Ring Cycle across the decades and with different casts.  Only Wagner has been awarded this honor.


  For the Ring Cycle:

  From the Golden Age of Wagnerian singing: 50s : I have Krauss 53, Keilbereth 55
  From the Silver Age of Wagnerian singing: 60s: I have Solti 50s-60s, Bohm
  From the Wood Age....brief period of decline: Karajan '67-'70
  From the Bronze age of Wagnerian singing 80s- 90s: I have Barenboim and Levine
 

  I consider myself a Ring affectionado.  The Ring Cycle is a work of art that lends itself to multiple interpretations: varying the casts, conductors, venues, and orchestras give a different feel for the music dramas. I must say that I get great pleasure from all of them.

  marvin
 

 

I just finished reading this thread being a newcomer to GMG! Very, very interesting to sense the echoes and reflections of fellow collectors. I can never quite figure out if it is an obsessive habit or a benign interest in music? At times it seems to be a quest towards some type of holy grail of music - the accumulation of listening and wrapping oneself in webs of sound. Or is it the imprint of composers and musicians?  - in a sense all these creative individuals composing and playing are bringing part of themselves forward in time - partial immortality.  I wonder..... are we drawn to that aspect? Or is it a combination of them all and more....?

Anyways, why did the thread stop so suddenly? It is fantastic! Thank you all that posted in it - it was very pleasant reading/pondering all your thoughts!

Quote from: Moonfish on March 11, 2014, 11:52:25 PM
I just finished reading this thread being a newcomer to GMG! Very, very interesting to sense the echoes and reflections of fellow collectors. I can never quite figure out if it is an obsessive habit or a benign interest in music? At times it seems to be a quest towards some type of holy grail of music - the accumulation of listening and wrapping oneself in webs of sound. Or is it the imprint of composers and musicians?  - in a sense all these creative individuals composing and playing are bringing part of themselves forward in time - partial immortality.  I wonder..... are we drawn to that aspect? Or is it a combination of them all and more....?

Anyways, why did the thread stop so suddenly? It is fantastic! Thank you all that posted in it - it was very pleasant reading/pondering all your thoughts!

Moon,
Thanks for liking this and bringing it back up. I always liked the concept and it gave me a lot to think about. As did your post. Benign interest or wild obsession??  I have that exact same thought. For me, the music itself provides its own answer, it is benign interest, I love to listen to it. However, the things associated with it, particularly history, which is a lifelong passion no matter the subject, are what have obsessed me. There are such a range of potential interests; instruments, chronology, philosophy, biography etc., that one can find inexhaustible intellectual stimulation even in the narrowest focus, like my current project involving just one composer! And all the time, great music to listen to!

Cheers,
Gurn 8)

Looks like this thread died about a month before I joined... reading over it makes me feel relatively sane. I have about 30 Beethoven 9's, probably 15 Beethoven Violin Concertos, and I think everything else is under 10.  Once I have a recording I am really happy with, I slow down my collecting; at that point it becomes more about wanting to hear a performer than wanting to hear another version of the piece.

My sensibilities lean more towards singles than cycles, but of course it depends on what's available and at what cost.

As far as performers go, I have a lot of Archibudelli (and a handful of Vera Beths and Anner Bylsma separately), Bernstein, and S.Richter, though my collections of those are dwarfed by some GMGers. The big Toscanini box gave me most of his recordings in one fell swoop. I have modest collections of Nathan Milstein (no recent activity on him) and Fricsay.

And, oh yeah, Immerseel. I have his Beethoven and Schubert symphony cycles, 6/10 of the Mozart PCs, plus a handful of others (some of which overlap with Archibudelli). At the moment, though, I'm not sure his position in my mind is as high as those in the preceding paragraph.

Quote from: Pat B on March 12, 2014, 11:55:31 AM
Looks like this thread died about a month before I joined... reading over it makes me feel relatively sane. I have about 30 Beethoven 9's, probably 15 Beethoven Violin Concertos, and I think everything else is under 10.  Once I have a recording I am really happy with, I slow down my collecting; at that point it becomes more about wanting to hear a performer than wanting to hear another version of the piece.

I agree with your basic premise; once I find something I like I'm happy with it. Although this works better on the composers that I am not rabid about better than it does with my favorites. It is more important to me to have every work by a composer than to have every recording of one of those works. Of course, in Beethoven's case I have the best of both worlds. :)  Actually, by now 110 versions of the 9th are a mere fraction of the possibilities. *sigh*   0:)

8)

I have a couple of smallish sub-collections.  I am trying to accumulate every recording of two works: the Duruflé Requiem and Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande .  I have a good start on both works, but when dealing with OOP recordings, things slow down.

Either way, far fewer than 110 recordings of either.  But we all know size does not matter.

Quote from: sanantonio on March 12, 2014, 12:40:21 PM
I have a couple of smallish sub-collections.  I am trying to accumulate every recording of two works: the Duruflé Requiem and Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande .  I have a good start on both works, but when dealing with OOP recordings, things slow down.

Either way, far fewer than 110 recordings of either.  But we all know size does not matter.

Man, I need to hook you up with Eric (Pinky). P & M was his absolute thing!    >:D

8)

Quote from: Gurn Blanston on March 12, 2014, 12:45:57 PM
Man, I need to hook you up with Eric (Pinky). P & M was his absolute thing!    >:D

8)

I know.  There is an odd sub-culture of fans of this work.  But I try to stay far away from that crowd.

;)

I haven't bought many duplicates on purpose, these are the only works I have more than two versions of (two recordings of Dutilleux CC, among others - Slava & Baudo, Queyras & Graf)

Beethoven late sonatas: Pollini (28-32), Peter Serkin (27-32), Crawford (30-32), and FF Guy (in the complete set)
Janáček Sinfonietta: Mackerras (Decca), Mackerras (EMI), Neumann & CzPO
Janáček Violin Sonata: Faust & Kupiec (HM), F-P Zimmermann & Lonquich (EMI), Sillito & Crossley (Decca), Korcia & Pludermacher (RCA)
Varèse: Amériques, Arcana, Deserts: Boulez (DG & Sony), Chailly
Mahler 5th: Rattle & BPO, Tennstedt & LPO (live), Chailly & RCO

Quote from: Gurn Blanston on March 12, 2014, 12:45:57 PM
Eric (Pinky). P & M was his absolute thing!    >:D

IIRC, he had yet another absolute thing, namely sniffing pant... but I'd better keep my mouth shut.  ;D

Quote from: Florestan on March 13, 2014, 01:35:23 AM
IIRC, he had yet another absolute thing, namely sniffing pant... but I'd better keep my mouth shut.  ;D

Yes, I didn't want to put the full range of his 'things' on display, but he was the most rabid P & M fan I've run across. :)

8)

Quote from: Pat B on March 12, 2014, 11:55:31 AM
I have about 30 Beethoven 9's...

I just took inventory and actually I only had 22 on CD. Today it became 23: I received Tennstedt 1985 via his 4-CD BBC Legends set.

I just discovered this thread and the discovery comes at an appropriate time.  The Sandor Vegh / Camerata Academia Salzberg recordings I bought in  the last week almost complete my collection of Vegh's Mozart and Haydn CDs.

For many years, I acquired a recording of works by composers that matter to me.  Then I acquired other recordings of the works that really mattered to me.  First I searched for the perfect performance.  Then I searched for a variety of interesting performances.

In recent years, I've tried to acquire more recordings by musicians whose performances of some works I have loved.  Szell was the first  conductor whose recordings I collected.  I've been through several other conductors since including Walter, Klemper, Monteux and Vegh.  I'm still working on Wand.

I've had the feeling that many classical recordings might disappear from the market in a few years.  Building a collection ensures that I can listen to a variety of recordings even if they are no longer available for purchase.

I have only 16 Beethoven Symphony No. 9 performances.  I have 27 performances of the Mozart Symphony No. 40 and 24 performances of the Haydn Symphony No. 104.

I don't know how I have overlooked this thread, so interesting to read people's obsessions. My sub collections/obsessions are, as those who know me would assume, vocal.

I have almost all possible recordings of Janet Baker and of Gundula Janowitz. Two contrasting singers there. The former obsesses me for her colouring of the words and the way she conveys a piece as would a great actor. She tells me about life through art. But I can't claim the same for Janowitz. She is not bland, though is occasionally guilty of it, but I am fixated on the sound of her voice.

Individually, these two have worked with many other great musicians and their discs pull in large swathes of repertoire.

Apart from those two there are a very few pieces I keep getting more versions of, even though I don't actively look for them any more, apart from:

Missa Solemnis: I have a Szell version that is probably as good as it gets, but I want better sound.I have around 15 versions the new Gardiner being the latest and a disappointment. So that holy grail quest goes on.

The other two pieces I will mention, I have versions of that entirely satisfy me, but a new singer comes along and I flex the debit card. Les Nuits d'ete, about 17 versions and Das Lied von der Erde. Probably about 15 there and open to any tempting well received new performances, the Sarah Connelly being the newest and one that sits towards the top of the pile.

I have many multiple versions of favourite pieces, six of Cosi, eight Fidelios....and so on. The advent of Spotify has substantially reduced my buying, probably by about 75%. It has not just saved me money, but saved me making a lot of mistaken purchases.

I don't only have vocal music: I have most of the standard repertoire pretty much across the board and some of that in duplicate or triplicate. It has been a long and rich journey of about 50 years, so far.

Mike

Quote from: Papy Oli on February 04, 2013, 10:26:07 AM
not much besides a section with 216 versions of the Mahler symphonies/lieder...  :-[

Other than that, the multiples are very seldom in my collection - mostly 2 to 4 symphonies cycles via Conductors boxsets for LvB, Schubert, Sibelius, Bruckner... and to my surprise actually, 5 cycles of Brahms as well...  0:)

I mostly aimed for breadth in the collection over 2012-2013, so not much change in a year, only a few additions :) ... Main sub collections remain :

- 15 Mahler cycles
- 5 Bruckner cycles
- 6 LvB symphonies cycles
- 5 LvB sonatas cycles (an increasing interest)

and my Amazon basket is made nearly exclusively of more of those as well. Guess my breadth phase is over for now.

and unintentionally, through the various symphony editions, now up to 8 Brahms cycles.... although I still have my first purchase bias for this (Eschenbach Houston).

Quote from: knight66 on March 15, 2014, 10:53:07 PM

I don't know how I have overlooked this thread, so interesting to read people's obsessions.

Exactly why I started this, and I am so pleased the little nap it took is over with. :)  Although the nap made time for Papy to provide a little update, for example. And Knight and Old L. to discover it as for the first time.

This all helps me to cope with my own little obsessions so much better. And also to give me new ideas for expanding the ones I have.  >:D

8)

PS: Typed while listening to Cleveland Orchestra / Dohnányi playing Beethoven's 9th - DIsk 24 of 110...  0:)

Quote from: Gurn Blanston on March 16, 2014, 06:19:24 AM

PS: Typed while listening to Cleveland Orchestra / Dohnányi playing Beethoven's 9th - DIsk 24 of 110...  0:)

My favorite of all 9ths!

Quote from: Bogey on March 16, 2014, 07:31:21 AM
My favorite of all 9ths!

I knew that. I was honoring you for signing up to my blog.   0:)

8)

Quote from: Gurn Blanston on March 16, 2014, 06:19:24 AM
Exactly why I started this, and I am so pleased the little nap it took is over with. :)  Although the nap made time for Papy to provide a little update, for example. And Knight and Old L. to discover it as for the first time.

This all helps me to cope with my own little obsessions so much better. And also to give me new ideas for expanding the ones I have.  >:D

8)

PS: Typed while listening to Cleveland Orchestra / Dohnányi playing Beethoven's 9th - DIsk 24 of 110...  0:)

Good thing that newbies dig through the old GMG threads, eh?    :)
It is hard to believe that this central theme of collecting music was ignored for more than a year. Interesting posts indeed!
Now we just need a psychologist to read the thread to confirm the cdcdcd diagnosis.   ;D   
Regardless, it is fascinating to read your entries in terms of how you shape your collections.

Quote from: Moonfish on March 16, 2014, 11:26:48 AM
Good thing that newbies dig through the old GMG threads, eh?    :)
It is hard to believe that this central theme of collecting music was ignored for more than a year. Interesting posts indeed!
Now we just need a psychologist to read the thread to confirm the cdcdcd diagnosis.   ;D   
Regardless, it is fascinating to read your entries in terms of how you shape your collections.

Yes indeed. After a while, even I had forgotten about it!

We have a shrink here (Springrite), but I'm afraid he has the disease as badly as any of us, so his decisions are suspect. :)

I take it you mean that generally. I agree with you, people have entirely different ideas, something we can all learn from in order to get worse before we get better. :D

8)

Quote from: Gurn Blanston on March 16, 2014, 11:36:54 AM
Yes indeed. After a while, even I had forgotten about it!

We have a shrink here (Springrite), but I'm afraid he has the disease as badly as any of us, so his decisions are suspect. :)

I take it you mean that generally. I agree with you, people have entirely different ideas, something we can all learn from in order to get worse before we get better. :D

8)

True, we shape them in very different ways. I tend to have these waves of being obsessed with an era, a composer or an artist that then moves over into a different one. It is peculiar. Do we all have that type of tidal "wave" affecting the differential growth of our collections?

Quote from: Moonfish on March 16, 2014, 11:43:18 AM
True, we shape them in very different ways. I tend to have these waves of being obsessed with an era, a composer or an artist that then moves over into a different one. It is peculiar. Do we all have that type of tidal "wave" affecting the differential growth of our collections?

Oh, I would think so. I have several waves in mine. The trick is to be able to run several concurrent waves without going bankrupt. Plus the smaller ripple waves (PI Haydn keyboard trios within PI Haydn generally, for example) which can take you over if you aren't careful. This is thin ice we are treading here, amigo. Disaster looms at every turn!   :o

8)

PS - and for us especially benighted souls, the corollary books to go with the recordings. :'(

Years ago on our old forum we had a collector, I think he was from the far east, who had many thousands of discs what were never unwrapped. He seemed to be a completist and whatever the focus of his collection was, he had to own all possible versions. Ownership was sufficient, he did not seem to listen to much at all. More akin to collecting say beer bottles and not drinking the beer.

Mike

Quote from: knight66 on March 16, 2014, 02:09:16 PM
Years ago on our old forum we had a collector, I think he was from the far east, who had many thousands of discs what were never unwrapped. He seemed to be a completist and whatever the focus of his collection was, he had to own all possible versions. Ownership was sufficient, he did not seem to listen to much at all. More akin to collecting say beer bottles and not drinking the beer.

Mike

Yes, the multi-talented Kwoon, IIRC. He did listen to some disks though, I bought a small boxful from him. They were in very good condition! I don't know that I understand that particular variant of The Obsession. The only Haydn disks I have still sealed are ones that I bought as downloads first and then bought the disk later. No point unwrapping those. Is there? :o

8)

I suppose mere ownership can be fufilling in a way. I look through discs and seeing them brings to mind very vividly elements or moments of the performances. It is different from listening to them obviously, but I know those discs sufficienly to be able to hear bits of them in my inner ear just by seeing the packaging. I don't look through them with this end in mind, I am looking for something that I then play. But it is almost comforting to encounter the well loved performances and know they will be there for another day.

Mike

*bump*

Any news about the piles and piles of cds accumulating in your collection..?    >:D

My collection begins with early music (not as many as I want) and ends with romantic style. As far as sub-collections are concerned, my priority is Beethoven. Mainly, I prefer collecting his piano concertos and sonatas, then the rest. I guess I have 132 complete piano concertos and 76 complete piano sonatas as of March of this year. I have many individual albums of them, too but lost track of them way long ago. Then comes his symphonies and violin concerto, then Bach, etc. Next to those, I happen to accumulate a few individual works, such as Allegri's Miserere and Vivaldi's Four Seasons, for no apparent reason because there are so many of them that I don't even unwrap. I don't distinguish between period or modern for the rest of my collection but I try to eliminate (burn/smash/waterboard) below par recordings as if it was an eternal duty for me.

I don't collect anything in the strictest sense. That is, I do not  strive to acquire all or most recordings of an artist or of a work. Some pieces I was or am somewhat obsesses with and I got a dozen or more versions (or they somehow piled up not quite intentionally) but I usually consider more than 10 a lot and if I have so many I usually stop getting more (or at least get more more slowly). I also get sometimes rid of recordings I find superfluous to save space even if the recordings are not bad. E.g., I gave away 3 recordings of Haydn's "Paris" symphonies (Weil, Kuijken, Wolff) and still have Bernstein, Marriner, Harnoncourt, Brüggen, Fey as well as Fischer's in the big box and half of Goodman's.

Some things that piled up (not all of them)

Messiah: Davis I, Marriner I, Somary, Mackerras (Mozart), Hogwood, Harnoncourt I, McCreesh, Minkowski, Jacobs

Art of Fugue: Koroliov, Sokolov, Hill, Guillot, Gould, Pommer, Scherchen, Bergel and the one on Arte Nova with 4 different ensembles

Beethoven symphonies: Scherchen 1950s, Cluytens, Karajan 1962, Leibowitz, Norrington/EMI, Brüggen/Philips, Harnoncourt, Gielen, Wand, Järvi (DVD), Bernstein (NYPO: 2,3,4,5,7 Vienna: 1,3,6,8,9)
also Weingartner (except 1+2), Furtwängler (except 2+8), Toscanini (except 6)
and so many singles that I probably have about 20 or more of each symphony.
Similarly for some Beethoven piano sonatas and string quartets.
Missa solemnis about 10, Fidelio: Walter, Furtwängler, Fricsay, Karajan, Bernstein, Klemperer

But the main bulk does not come from the things I have 10 or 20 recordings of, rather the many more pieces I have ca. 3-7 of.

I don't collect, either.  But I do accumulate.
Beethoven symphony cycles, about 35
Mahler symphony cycles, about 15
Mahler 2 and 9...about 30 each, in addition to the ones contained in the cycles
Beethoven piano sonatas, piano concertos, and string quartets, 10-12 each.
Bach solo violin works, at least 10.
If I looked, I might have similar numbers for some Chopin and Shostakovich.

Been a while since I attempted an actual census.

I don't like duplicates tbh.* However I have sort of accumulated a few things, mostly by accident—9 Kreislerianas (I thought I had 10, but evidently got rid of one somewhere down the line), 7 Kinderszenen...en, 6 Hammerklaviers, 5 6 Schumann Fantasies, 6 Schumann Fantasiestücke Op. 73, 5 Ravel Piano Trios, 5 Davidsbündlertänze, 4 New World Symphonies, 4 of each Brahms violin sonata, 4 Rosamundes and Death and the Maidens, 4 Brahms Clarinet Quintets, 4 Bruckner Symphony 6s, 4 Shostakovich Quartet 13s. I'm sure there are other things I have 4 or more of and just don't know about.

I acquired something like 40 Schubert String Quintets for the blind comparison, but most weren't purchases exactly, and only six are retained in my library at the moment.

* Well, I say that. But I'm side-eying the Annie Fischer Beethoven cycle (which would be my 3rd integral of piano sonatas!) and the Brentano's late quartets (my 4th recording of those works!). And maybe a third Nielsen symphonic cycle as well! I don't know why, tbh. I have little enough hard disk space as it is.

Today I realized I have 18 Rites of Spring -- but only 2 standalones. I have the 10-version Sony set (same cost as a single mid-priced CD) and 6 in other sets.

Quote from: amw on November 20, 2015, 03:29:18 PMWell, I say that. But I'm side-eying the Annie Fischer Beethoven cycle (which would be my 3rd integral of piano sonatas!)

Stop eyeing, start buying.

Quote from: amw on November 20, 2015, 03:29:18 PM
Well, I say that. But I'm side-eying the Annie Fischer Beethoven cycle (which would be my 3rd integral of piano sonatas!)...

Sample before buying. Over-hyped, imo.

I guess my main sub-collection would be String Quartets. Im not sure of the numbers but I have the String Quartets of most Composers I am interested in.
I also love Russian, French and British Romantic-Contemporary music and have increased my collection in these areas a fair bit over the last few years.

I have absurd numbers of some Chopin pieces although I consciously bought only a few. I think I only bought one disc with the b flat minor sonata because I wanted that sonata (Sokolov, but even here the Etudes op.25 are maybe the main piece of the disc for me now) but among the big Francois and the big Rubinstein boxes I got already about 7 or so more version. Of course I have listened only to a fraction of them.

Some Schumann piano stuff I probably also have in low double digits without purposeful collecting: Carnaval, Symphonic Etudes, maybe Kinderscenen.

With the Schubert quintet I went from about three recordings to 10 or more even before the comparison and I got another one or two since then (but I also got rid of the rather bland Villa Musica/Naxos):
Alban Berg, Melos/Rostro, Petersen, Hagen, Casals, Weller, Vogler, Heifetz, Archibudelli, Orpheus, Vellinger, Tatrai, Marlboro (Frank, Galimir etc.), Budapest and one in the Heimbach festival box.
(unlike those boxes of Beethoven symphonies or sonatas I have actually listened to all of those quintets at least once, usually more often)

I also have too many trout quintets, Unfinished symphonies and B flat major sonatas.

But since several years ago I tend to avoid boxes and cycles. I only bought a couple or so each of Zinman's and Barenboims Beethoven, completely ignored Thielemann, Chailly and other more recent cycles. Nowadays, I usually do not buy any Beethoven symphonies at all.

I never bought a complete Mahler or Bruckner symphony set. When I started listening to that stuff 25 years ago, complete sets were to expensive for a high school student and this music was also difficult enough that I needed time to get to know it. Later on I bought alternative versions but never a cycle. I probably have about 10 recordings each of Bruckner's 7th and Mahler's 9th but only two of Mahler's 8th because I do not much care for the piece.

I didn't actually own a complete Beethoven cycle until this year (?—I wasn't keeping track) when I obtained Gardiner's—I started out by inheriting a collection containing several individual recordings (Szell 3/8, Kleiber 5/7, Abbado 6/8, a couple of others) and a complete cycle of which one disc had gotten lost (Dohnányi). As for Bruckner and Mahler, I currently have 1x Bruckner 3rd, 1x 4th, 2x 5ths, 4x 6ths, 2x 7ths, 3x 8ths and 1x 9th (with original versions of the 3rd and 4th en route); and one of each Mahler symphony except #2.

(Actually I lied because I have the Bernstein symphony box which gives me complete Beethoven and Mahler cycles. I'll admit I never bothered to listen to the former though, and only parts of the latter, and most of it remains undigitised and therefore not "part of the library".)

For a while my approach was actually to choose recordings based on duplicating as few pieces as possible. Usually if the only way to get a piece I wanted was to also buy a duplicate of something I already had a recording of, I just wouldn't bother. With cds acquired from libraries I would often rip only the pieces that I didn't have in my collection. (I would also skip anything that had singing in it.)

When I started buying CDs in 1988 they were still fairly expensive for someone relying on odd jobs and pocket money. My first complete Beethoven symphony set was Kegel's because even as an Xmas present most other options would have been too expensive. As a teenager Beethoven was my favorite composer by a huge margin and I had had only 3,5,6,9 on LP or MC I really needed a cycle soon. (And I stupidly believed in the superiority of "digital" for a year or so...)

The first I bought myself when I had a little more money was Harnoncourt's in 1991. With Mahler and Bruckner I got single discs, sometimes also as presents (if I wanted the expensive ones), e.g. Giulini's Bruckner 8 which was on two discs and cost about 70 hard Deutschmarks.
And of course for many years I was mainly interested in getting music I did not know, not in alternative recordings. This only started in the mid/late 90s with reading too much stuff on the internet (usenet at that time) and CDs getting comparably cheaper all the time.
When boxes became really cheap in the early/mid 2000s I had already sufficient recordings of e.g. Mahler and Bruckner, so I never felt the need for a complete box (I also had and have very strong favorites and considerably less liked pieces among their symphonies which is another point against boxes).

I too have only ever bought one 'complete' box set and that was the Maazel Sibelius Symphonies way back in the days of LP.  I didn't even get the Kertesz Dvorak set from the same label which was an equally good bargain at the time.  Boxes (either LP or CD) don't really sit well on the shelves for me.  I suppose I have much more recently acquired the Cafe Zimmermann Bach set, which is 'complete' for his orchestral music.

However I'm quite ashamed to admit that things have got a bit out of hand lately and, having reported earlier in this thread that I had 5 recordings of Mahler 9, that has now grown to 8 - Elder, Gergiev, Gielen, Haitink/CO, Klemperer, Maderna, Norrington, Sanderling - of these I'd still take Haitink to the desert island with me, which was the first version I bought (again on LP) - er, so I'm unable to explain the rest  :-[
I must also hold my hand up to 21 recordings of Sibelius' 7th ...

I bought plenty of (complete) sets, just no Mahler or Bruckner.

With today's low box set prices, I think it is usually a good strategy to get one complete set and than singles for different or special interpretations. Especially if one is interested in stuff like Bach cantatas or Haydn symphonies it is usually far more expensive (and also time consuming) to collect everything in single discs (or partial sets).

But for me, I realized that I hardly listen to those big cheap boxes and therefore I stopped buying them, no matter how cheap. (And I will keep to cobble together recordings of Bach cantatas and organ works in a piecemeal fashion ;))

Quote from: Jo498 on November 21, 2015, 12:42:18 AM
I have absurd numbers of some Chopin pieces although I consciously bought only a few. I think I only bought one disc with the b flat minor sonata because I wanted that sonata (Sokolov, but even here the Etudes op.25 are maybe the main piece of the disc for me now) but among the big Francois and the big Rubinstein boxes I got already about 7 or so more version. Of course I have listened only to a fraction of them.

Some Schumann piano stuff I probably also have in low double digits without purposeful collecting: Carnaval, Symphonic Etudes, maybe Kinderscenen.

With the Schubert quintet I went from about three recordings to 10 or more even before the comparison and I got another one or two since then (but I also got rid of the rather bland Villa Musica/Naxos):
Alban Berg, Melos/Rostro, Petersen, Hagen, Casals, Weller, Vogler, Heifetz, Archibudelli, Orpheus, Vellinger, Tatrai, Marlboro (Frank, Galimir etc.), Budapest and one in the Heimbach festival box.
(unlike those boxes of Beethoven symphonies or sonatas I have actually listened to all of those quintets at least once, usually more often)

I also have too many trout quintets, Unfinished symphonies and B flat major sonatas.

But since several years ago I tend to avoid boxes and cycles. I only bought a couple or so each of Zinman's and Barenboims Beethoven, completely ignored Thielemann, Chailly and other more recent cycles. Nowadays, I usually do not buy any Beethoven symphonies at all.

I never bought a complete Mahler or Bruckner symphony set. When I started listening to that stuff 25 years ago, complete sets were to expensive for a high school student and this music was also difficult enough that I needed time to get to know it. Later on I bought alternative versions but never a cycle. I probably have about 10 recordings each of Bruckner's 7th and Mahler's 9th but only two of Mahler's 8th because I do not much care for the piece.

Do not ignore Chailly's Beethoven.  I think it is the best cycle of any produced by a currently active conductor.  Paavo Jarvi is the runner up on that category.  Theilemann, otoh, deserves to be ignored.  Zinman is also good but given your basic approach, I can understand not having him.

Quote from: Jo498 on November 21, 2015, 01:32:07 AM
When I started buying CDs in 1988 they were still fairly expensive for someone relying on odd jobs and pocket money. My first complete Beethoven symphony set was Kegel's because even as an Xmas present most other options would have been too expensive. As a teenager Beethoven was my favorite composer by a huge margin and I had had only 3,5,6,9 on LP or MC I really needed a cycle soon. (And I stupidly believed in the superiority of "digital" for a year or so...)

The first I bought myself when I had a little more money was Harnoncourt's in 1991. With Mahler and Bruckner I got single discs, sometimes also as presents (if I wanted the expensive ones), e.g. Giulini's Bruckner 8 which was on two discs and cost about 70 hard Deutschmarks.

I had a similar timeline and thought process. The first cycle I got was Klemperer's Beethoven in the mid-90s when it came out at mid-price ($40 IIRC). Before that it seemed like cycles cost the same as all the individual discs separately. Now, with bargain pricing for cycles, I have several but still gravitate towards smaller issues.

For whatever reason, maybe promotion, the Harnoncourt came out at midprice or even lower right away, I don't remember but I think I paid about 80 DM for 5 discs. (It was expensive enough that there was an interview/promotion disc sold before for DM 5!)
I think the Kegel had even been closer to budget price (50-70 DM for 5 discs when a single full price disc was 30-35 Marks) already a few years before that. In any case, a single midprice disc was around DM 20 around 1990 although there were sometimes sales and I tried not to pay more than that. More expensive things I would ask for as presents (from people who didn't really care whether they spend a few Marks more or less...)

Actually, I think the OP was interested in things you intentionally collect, something out of the main stream of what you may generally do. It is probably the case with all of us that we have a bunch of duplicates which we have unintentionally amassed over the years. But what have we gone out of our way to collect? For me, it was Classic Era keyboard sonatas, many of mine are the only things I have by those particular composers, and a lot of them brought the thrill of the hunt along with them, being less than commonly available! :)

8)

Quote from: Jeffrey Smith on November 21, 2015, 09:34:39 AM
Do not ignore Chailly's Beethoven.  I think it is the best cycle of any produced by a currently active conductor.  Paavo Jarvi is the runner up on that category.  Theilemann, otoh, deserves to be ignored.  Zinman is also good but given your basic approach, I can understand not having him.

Try as I might to come up with a Chailly counterexample, the only one I can think of is Barenboim. Abbado and Mackerras are, after all, no longer active.  :( Dohnanyi is technically active, but when I caught him live in 2011, he seemed to be running on fumes.

Maybe Reference Recordings can convince Pittsburgh/Honeck to record 1-4, 6, and 8-9... *dreams on*

Quote from: Brian on November 22, 2015, 07:05:16 AM
Try as I might to come up with a Chailly counterexample, the only one I can think of is Barenboim.

For me the nod goes to this one, and not just among live conductors. Flying low low under the radar and of course stubbornly out of print, but "a contenda" nonetheless:



[asin]B0000B1JWK[/asin]

QuoteMaybe Reference Recordings can convince Pittsburgh/Honeck to record 1-4, 6, and 8-9... *dreams on*

I'd love to hear a new cycle by the Pittsburg. Crosses fingers...

Quote from: Gurn Blanston on November 22, 2015, 06:42:45 AM
Actually, I think the OP was interested in things you intentionally collect,

Hmm. Apart from Schubert Quintets (just collected another one!), I guess there are a few. I collect a lot of 20th century symphonic cycles, even if I don't necessarily like them much, just for exploration. I collect the works of the "Darmstadt school" (not only major figures like Stockhausen but also lesser-known figures such as Goeyvaerts). I collect a lot of electronic music, including some pieces I've found to be too physically unpleasant for frequent listening (but sufficiently rewarding when I am in the right mood to listen). I collect some artists, not "to completion" but more in a buy-it-if-I-see-it way: the Taneyev Quartet, the Arditti Quartet, musikFabrik, the Leipziger Streichquartett, Steffen Schleiermacher, Accroche Note, Ensemble Recherche, András Schiff, Noriko Ogawa, etc—and some labels in a similar way, with exceptions for pre-existing repertoire: hat[NOW]art, NEOS, Stradivarius, New World, aeon, col legno, Kairos, MDG. Though the label I have the most of in my collection (ahead of any of the majors) is probably CPO, due to all those symphonic cycles.

As for my purpose in doing so, I'm not sure. Something about exploration of overlooked narratives, or something.

Quote from: Gurn Blanston on November 22, 2015, 06:42:45 AM
Actually, I think the OP was interested in things you intentionally collect, something out of the main stream of what you may generally do.

That's why the first sentence in my post above was "I don't collect anything in the strict sense", neither main nor sub. And of course the dozen Diabellis or Schubert String quartets did not just happen by accident, so I am kind of collecting those, but not striving to listen to or own every recording and these are of course all mainstream and also from composers my accumulation is focussed on anyway.

10 years ago or so I thought about collecting all the Viennese New Years Day concerts but I gave that up soon because while I like Strauss this was a bit too much. (I ended up with about 10 NYD concerts)

Quote from: Jo498 on November 22, 2015, 11:26:39 PM10 years ago or so I thought about collecting all the Viennese New Years Day concerts but I gave that up soon because while I like Strauss this was a bit too much. (I ended up with about 10 NYD concerts)

Do all of the recordings rely heavily on Strauss? Do they not also play some bigger pieces? I have a couple of 9ths from NYD concerts, one of them is Inbal and it's really nicely done. Another is Chailly. Are these from a different affair or is it all one big Viennese party? This is a tradition which I have nearly totally missed out on, I'm afraid.  :-\

8)

Quote from: Jo498 on November 22, 2015, 11:26:39 PM
10 years ago or so I thought about collecting all the Viennese New Years Day concerts but I gave that up soon because while I like Strauss this was a bit too much. (I ended up with about 10 NYD concerts)

All you need is Kleiber.
- John Lennon

The viennese New years day always focus on Strauss dances (they include often a few from other Viennese composers (like Suppé or Lehar) or from someone with a jubilee (e.g. they did the Mephisto Waltz for Liszt once and Lohengrin Act III prelude for Wagner). Only these NYDC were my collecting intention.

There are other New years Eve or New Years Day concerts that do a similar but more varied "light music" program and some (I think Leipzig?) do Beethoven's 9th and some (Abbado in Berlin) do all kinds of stuff with no particular focus.

@Brian: Kleiber has no Kaiserwalzer and is missing a few more favorites. Karajan 1987 is very good and both of Abbado's have nice repertoire, Maazel, Muti, Mehta... one does not need I think. That's basically why I gave up collecting them. ;)

Quote from: Jo498 on November 23, 2015, 04:28:24 AM
The viennese New years day always focus on Strauss dances (they include often a few from other Viennese composers (like Suppé or Lehar) or from someone with a jubilee (e.g. they did the Mephisto Waltz for Liszt once and Lohengrin Act III prelude for Wagner). Only these NYDC were my collecting intention.

There are other New years Eve or New Years Day concerts that do a similar but more varied "light music" program and some (I think Leipzig?) do Beethoven's 9th and some (Abbado in Berlin) do all kinds of stuff with no particular focus.

@Brian: Kleiber has no Kaiserwalzer and is missing a few more favorites. Karajan 1987 is very good and both of Abbado's have nice repertoire, Maazel, Muti, Mehta... one does not need I think. That's basically why I gave up collecting them. ;)

Ah, I see, a plethora of choices then. Well, the Inbal is with the Vienna Symphony, IIRC, and it's from 1989(??). The Chailly is indeed from Leipzig from 2009. I understand that this will be Chailly's last year doing it. I have a friend in Zurich who has watched it live on TV every year for years, but he can't record it for me because of the different video format.

Many years ago (late '80's or early '90's), PBS in USA (Public Broadcasting) used to replay the Vienna concert on New Year morning here, so I have seen a couple. Long time ago though!

8)

Quote from: Jo498 on November 23, 2015, 04:28:24 AM
The viennese New years day always focus on Strauss dances (they include often a few from other Viennese composers (like Suppé or Lehar)....

@Brian: Kleiber has no Kaiserwalzer and is missing a few more favorites. Karajan 1987 is very good and both of Abbado's have nice repertoire, Maazel, Muti, Mehta... one does not need I think. That's basically why I gave up collecting them. ;)

I wonder how long until that invite that complete blister Andre Rieu to conduct the NY concert?

Mike

Quote from: Gurn Blanston on November 23, 2015, 05:11:31 AM
Ah, I see, a plethora of choices then. Well, the Inbal is with the Vienna Symphony, IIRC, and it's from 1989(??). The Chailly is indeed from Leipzig from 2009. I understand that this will be Chailly's last year doing it. I have a friend in Zurich who has watched it live on TV every year for years, but he can't record it for me because of the different video format.

Many years ago (late '80's or early '90's), PBS in USA (Public Broadcasting) used to replay the Vienna concert on New Year morning here, so I have seen a couple. Long time ago though!

8)

PBS still does, although of course Walter Kronkite no longer emcees.

Quote from: Jeffrey Smith on November 23, 2015, 06:45:39 PM
PBS still does, although of course Walter Kronkite no longer emcees.

Julie Andrews has the gig for now, or at least she did for the last few years.  No matter the host, a little Strauss goes a long way.

Actually, I would love to see is a NYD concert conducted with the bow by someone who also plays the violin, while the audience, casually dressed, have a drink, chitchat or even dance. Now, that would be a true hommage to the Strausses and the spirit of old Vienna.  Currently, except for the final Radetzky-Marsch moment, the stiff atmosphere and formal dressing of the audience is suited more for Requiems than for waltzes and polkas. ;D

There is something grotesque about the NYD with tickets going to those with lots of money or connections, the whole thing being a huge TV event, representation of Austria worldwide etc. and the very narrow program (including the obligatory encores of Danube and Radetzky). Still, if one likes the music, it is usually fun and some of them, like Kleiber's and Karajan's are really highlights.

Quote from: Todd on November 23, 2015, 06:53:42 PMa little Strauss goes a long way.

I couldn't agree more. Though wellwritten, extremely ennervating music. Give me Brahms' and Dvorak's sets of dances any time instead.

I disagree. I tend to listen to Strauss more often than to Dvorak's and Brahms's dances, but they are quite different anyway. Many great composers liked Strauss, not only Brahms and Richard Strauss, but also Schönberg and Berg, Stravinsky and Webern.

Still, collecting all those concerts seemed excessive, so I stopped fairly soon ;)
But in addition to about 10 discs from those concerts, I have probably another dozen or more of studio or historical recordings with Strauss (and similar Viennese) music.

Quote from: The new erato on November 24, 2015, 12:59:57 AM
I couldn't agree more. Though wellwritten, extremely ennervating music.

Was it ever intended for a two-hour long, listening-only experience?  ;D

Makes for great driving music, though. I plan to drive my way (pun intended) through the complete works of Strauss sr, Strauss jr and Josef Strauss, chronologically and in that order. My next trip will have CD 4 of Strauss sr.  :D

EDIT: The liner notes on those fantastic Naxos series are exhaustively informative on every work and takes one to a fascinating cultural, geographical and horeca tour of old Vienna.  8)