Recordings That You Are Considering

[George]

Familiar, familiar......................, this is for me one of the best performances around, so you have my full votes, over and over again.

Are they they DDD versions or the early ones form the 1960s? If it's the latter, it has my vote too. (But I think it's the former) 

[Harry]

Are they they DDD versions or the early ones form the 1960s? If it's the latter, it has my vote too. (But I think it's the former) 

Those are the seventies recordings George.
I have the early ones too, and think them even better.

[George]

Those are the seventies recordings George.
I have the early ones too, and think them even better.

Yeah, I have this one:

[Harry]

Yeah, I have this one:

Amazing stuff.

[marvinbrown]

Amazing stuff.

  George, Harry I really need all the Symphonies so I guess I am going ahead with the purchase of the Karajan 6 Symphony box set.

  marvin

[Mark]

  For a while now I have been looking to buy a COMPLETE set of Tchaikovsky's Symphonies, I have Symphonies 4-6 on cassette (Karajan BPO) and I figured its about time I got all these Symphonies on cd:

 

  anybody familiar with this box set? 

  marvin

Have it, love it - go for it!

However ... you might also want to carefully consider this much-feted set, which includes the Manfred Symphony:

[Mark]

Marvin, just one word of caution: the Karajan BPO set has some of the symphonies broken across discs to reduce the total amount of CDs. It's VERY annoying.

[marvinbrown]

Have it, love it - go for it!

However ... you might also want to carefully consider this much-feted set, which includes the Manfred Symphony:

  Mark thanks for this recommendation which I was not aware of.  I think I will investigate this too.  Yes breaking the symphonies across cds can be quite annoying  .

  marvin

[Mark]

I believe some of the Jansons set recordings were awarded the Rosette by the Penguin Guide, if that helps any? I'm told the sound is excellent, and that the peformances are all a cut above the average.

[marvinbrown]

I believe some of the Jansons set recordings were awarded the Rosette by the Penguin Guide, if that helps any? I'm told the sound is excellent, and that the peformances are all a cut above the average.

  Yes Mark, a Rosette by Penguin Guide, which I often refer to means a lot.  It signifies what they consider "exceptional" "ideal" etc.   For example they gave the Karajan/Schwartzkopf Der Rosenkavelier  (R. Strauss opera) a Rosette, I bought it and it was truely superb!!! 

  marvin

   

[Renfield]

  George, Harry I really need all the Symphonies so I guess I am going ahead with the purchase of the Karajan 6 Symphony box set.

  marvin

If you're in need of a full cycle of the symphonies, I suggest this:




You get Nos. 1-3 from the 70's (his only recording of the works), Nos. 4-6 from the 60's (all in all his best recording of the works), and a great lot of other excellent Tchaikovsky recordings by Karajan, including the Rococo Variations with Rostropovich.

[Harry]

If you're in need of a full cycle of the symphonies, I suggest this:




You get Nos. 1-3 from the 70's (his only recording of the works), Nos. 4-6 from the 60's (all in all his best recording of the works), and a great lot of other excellent Tchaikovsky recordings by Karajan, including the Rococo Variations with Rostropovich.

Yes second that, and leave the Jansons out, for it is too polite, and not such a good recording as they make out.
Furthermore I think hisTchaikovsky rather bland. Have the set, and regret buying it.

[sidoze]

If you're in need of a full cycle of the symphonies, I suggest this:

that was my intro and I agree it's an excellent set by any standards

[Mark]

If you're in need of a full cycle of the symphonies, I suggest this:




You get Nos. 1-3 from the 70's (his only recording of the works), Nos. 4-6 from the 60's (all in all his best recording of the works), and a great lot of other excellent Tchaikovsky recordings by Karajan, including the Rococo Variations with Rostropovich.

Are the symphonies split across discs in this set?

[George]

If you're in need of a full cycle of the symphonies, I suggest this:




You get Nos. 1-3 from the 70's (his only recording of the works), Nos. 4-6 from the 60's (all in all his best recording of the works), and a great lot of other excellent Tchaikovsky recordings by Karajan, including the Rococo Variations with Rostropovich.

Yes, an excellent idea!! 

[Renfield]

Are the symphonies split across discs in this set?

No! That's actually one of the best features of it, the fact that the discs follow a "Symphony + Extras" pattern, and so you get each symphony in its very own CD, with some very appropriate accompaniment to top it off (like the Serenade for Strings after the 5th).

And the ballet suites are in the last disc alone, for the record.

[George]

No! That's actually one of the best features of it, the fact that the discs follow a "Symphony + Extras" pattern, and so you get each symphony in its very own CD, with some very appropriate accompaniment to top it off (like the Serenade for Strings after the 5th).

And the ballet suites are in the last disc alone, for the record.

This is an LP set? 

[Mark]

No! That's actually one of the best features of it, the fact that the discs follow a "Symphony + Extras" pattern, and so you get each symphony in its very own CD, with some very appropriate accompaniment to top it off (like the Serenade for Strings after the 5th).

And the ballet suites are in the last disc alone, for the record.

Excellent! I only have these Karajan recordings as ... ahem ... copies, so I think I'll go for this rather than the Jansons set, and just pick up the Manfred Symphony singularly.

Thanks, Renfield.

[marvinbrown]

Excellent! I only have these Karajan recordings as ... ahem ... copies, so I think I'll go for this rather than the Jansons set, and just pick up the Manfred Symphony singularly.

Thanks, Renfield.

  OK it is settled then, I'll go for these Karajan sets also, thank you everyone for responding,  I did not know there were so many GMG Tchaikovsky fans  .

  marvin

[Que]

Guys, guys, what's up with all that Karajan/ Tchaikovsky? 

The number of Karajan photos in a row is simply overwhelming!

What about Tchaikovsky symphonies by the experts, like Markevitch? Or Mravinsky? Or Svetlanov? 

Check this thread on the old forum: A Tchaikovsky symphony set

Q