Do you own the complete works of any composer(s)?

[BachQ]

I'm aiming to collect all of Wagner's solo piano music (for left hand) ......... And once that lofty Wagnerian goal is achieved, who knows where my ambitions will focus next .........

[JoshLilly]

Scott Joplin's complete works fit on 7 CDs or so, not too hard. 5 CDs of pure piano music and 2 CDs for Treemonisha. His other completed opera seems lost.

The complete works of Chopin wouldn't be all that huge compared to some other composers. Considering how long he lived, he really didn't write all that much.

[marvinbrown]

Or indeed, do you plan to?

What got me thinking about this was the 60-CD set of Beethoven's masterpieces released by Sony (admittedly, not complete, but it goes a long way towards being comprehensive), as well as the first two issues in the Complete Sibelius Edition now underway from BIS.

I'm keen to collect everything by Beethoven, Sibelius and possibly Dvorak, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov or Mozart. That's to name just a few of the 'bigger' composers. I'm also interested in owning everything by Finzi and Britten. An expensive ambition if fulfiled for all eight composers.

Anyone care to share their views on this? I'd be interested to hear the opposing views of members for and against collecting all and everything by a particular composer.

 No Mark unfortuantely I don't.  Not even WAGNER  0:) believe it or not, I do have all his operas though even the first three (Reinzi, the Fairies and the Ban on Love) but none of his limited instrumental work (except the Seigfreid Idyll). I do own 85% of Beethoven's works: I am missing the string trios and some of the piano trios and probably some of his lesser known works.  But thats as close as I get to completeness.  

 The bottom line:  I believe that it is pointless to collect music you do not enjoy.....buy what pleases you and let completeness fall wherever it may (i.e. 50%-60%-90% etc.)

 marvin

[marvinbrown]

I'm aiming to collect all of Wagner's solo piano music (for left hand) ......... And once that lofty Wagnerian goal is achieved, who knows where my ambitions will focus next .........

  LOL....Don't forget to send me a copy D.....

  marvin

[Kullervo]

Forgot that I own the complete Barraqué too. I hardly ever listen to it. 

[DavidW]

Varese should be easy to manage, ditto Webern.

[btpaul674]

The only thing I come close is about 95 percent of Rautavaara. 90 percent of Vaughan Williams after that.

[Larry Rinkel]

I'm aiming to collect all of Wagner's solo piano music (for left hand) ......... And once that lofty Wagnerian goal is achieved, who knows where my ambitions will focus next .........

Nothing like aiming high!

[greg]

Is the question about recorded stuff or all of written music? Because there is less than 50% of Xenakis' works that are recorded. Even with composers like Debussy who have a small "official catalog", there are tons of melodies and little works that have never been recorded.

i don't really know, the original question i think was just "complete works"

but no, actually almost all of Xenakis' works (in his catalogue) have been recorded, and they're out there somewhere, i've found most of them searching around. But..... it is true that if you were to go to Amazon looking around to find his complete stuff, you might only be able to find half  (too many multiple recordings)

[Mark]

To clarify, I meant recorded music, though of course, there's no reason why scores shouldn't count.

[jochanaan]

To clarify, I meant recorded music, though of course, there's no reason why scores shouldn't count.

I'd rather have the score, myself.  That way I'm always assured of a perfect performance--the one in my head.

[johnshade]

~
98% of the recorded works of Richard Strauss collected over many years. This represents many hours of music that I greatly enjoy. The more I listen to all 15 operas and vast number of lieder, the more I appreciate his genius.

[Holden]

I've got just about all of Beethoven's works for solo piano with maybe about half a dozen exceptions. The same applies to Chopin.

Naxos said they were going to eventually record the complete works but they haven't got there yet which is why I'm missing those few piano pieces. Complete in my LvB are:

Variations
Sonatas
Bagatelles
Rondos
Ecossaises
plus I have sundry other works.

Chopin:

Ballades
Etudes
Impromptus
Mazurkas
Nocturnes
Preludes
Polonaises
Rondos
Scherzos
Sonatas
Waltzes

Plus Tarentelle, Berceuse etc. Somehow I need to get hold of Ashkenazy and Biret to round out the set for those dozen or so small works that are missing.

[Grazioso]

Yes: Bach and Mozart, and soon, almost all of LvB. Others to follow I'm not a completist or hoarder, but if there's an easy, affordable way to hear all the works by a favorite composer, I'll go for it. One thing I've found repeatedly: there's plenty of hugely enjoyable listening to be had outside the core repertoire, be it an obscure composer or lesser-known work of one of the giants.

[Mark]

One thing I've found repeatedly: there's plenty of hugely enjoyable listening to be had outside the core repertoire, be it an obscure composer or lesser-known work of one of the giants.

Amen to that.

[RebLem]

Complete--
Thomas Tallis
J.S. Bach--hanssler set.
Mozart--almost all, I believe, but not an integral series.  I have the Warner Classics set of the operas, which is missing a few marginal and fragmentary stage pieces.  I have about 21 boxes in the Philips complete series, three complete symphony sets (Graf, Hogwood [my favorite] and Mackerras}, the Bilson/Gardiner set of the piano concerti, and lots of other stuff.

Beethoven--I believe I have a complete Beethoven, though not an integral cycle, including 18 complete sets of the symphonies, two of which, Scherchen and Zinman, are still awaiting their first audition. The others are Abbado, Furtwangler, Gardiner, Harnoncourt (the only one I got at a used CD store, sans slipcase, but with the booklet) Klemperer, Leibowitz, Maag, Mackerras, Masur, Menuhin, Monteux, Morris, Rattle, Solti, Szell, & Toscanini.  Oh, yes, I have two other LP sets--the 1977 Karajan, and the Dorati set, bringing the total on all media to 20.

I think I have a complete Brahms now, except maybe for some songs and vocal duets and quartets,  though I do have the 8 CD  Brilliant set of a capella or lightly accompanied choral works.

I have the first Sony Boulez complete Webern, and the MTT complete 2 LP Ruggles, and the complete extant Scott Joplin.

I have ambitions for completeness in other areas--pick up those few remaining Brahms pieces, a complete Dvorak (I am woefully lacking in his operas--I have only Rusalka, and there are some choral and vocal pieces and minor chamber works I don't have.  I do have a number of sets of the symphonies, two sets of the string quartets, lots of other chamber music, though not complete, and the complete solo piano music.

I also have the Kempe set of the complete Strauss orchestral music, and I 'd like to complete my collection of his operas--I only have about a third of them.  Complete Janacek and Kodaly colllections would be nice, too.  Vox once issued the complete Kodaly chamber music with players taken mostly from the Chicago Symphony, but they were horrible pressings; I wish they would have them cleaned up and issued on CD.  And, I'm close to completeness in Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, and Shostakovich, too.

[Harry]

To many to name really.

[Florestan]

To many to name really.

C'mon, man, you could have at least named the best and the brightest: Tele....

[Harry]

C'mon, man, you could have at least named the best and the brightest: Tele....

Well I hate to disappoint you, but Telemann is far from complete, in my collection.
But only because the companies refuse to undertake that, apart from Brilliant, but it will take them a long time.
I have everything from Bruhns, if you must know!

[Florestan]

I have everything from Bruhns, if you must know!

Accept no substitutes!