Artur Rubinstein

[George]

Holy box sets Batman, it arrived!  Even before my Schumann order that I placed a day or so before!

Sweet! 

[Peregrine]

Whilst $18 (£10ish?) is a great price for a Chopin 'starter set', I don't think late Rubinstein really offers the cream of interpretation by any means. I've owned the ballades, scherzo's, nocturnes, mazurka's, polonaises, waltz's, sonata's from this era and have only kept the complete Mazurka set, more for reference than anything else. It's all quite nice in that autumnal kinda of way, but not really grab you by the balls Chopin playing.

Early/middle era Rubinstein, Rosenthal, Michelangeli, Richter, Sofronitsky, Cziffra, Pletnev, Zhukov(Op.58), Tipo(complete nocturnes), Lhevinne, Demidenko, Sokolov, Brand, Van Cliburn, Rachmaninoff etc will offer the discerning buyer far more in the long run IMO. In fact, I can't think a composer that deserves cherry-picking as much as Chopin does.

[Bogey]

Whilst $18 (£10ish?) is a great price for a Chopin 'starter set', I don't think late Rubinstein really offers the cream of interpretation by any means. I've owned the ballades, scherzo's, nocturnes, mazurka's, polonaises, waltz's, sonata's from this era and have only kept the complete Mazurka set, more for reference than anything else. It's all quite nice in that autumnal kinda of way, but not really grab you by the balls Chopin playing.

Early/middle era Rubinstein, Rosenthal, Michelangeli, Richter, Sofronitsky, Cziffra, Pletnev, Zhukov(Op.58), Tipo(complete nocturnes), Lhevinne, Demidenko, Sokolov, Brand, Van Cliburn, Rachmaninoff etc will offer the discerning buyer far more in the long run IMO. In fact, I can't think a composer that deserves cherry-picking as much as Chopin does.

I am sure that there are other recordings out there worth exploring.  Wonder if we have a thread for this yet?  If not, let's start one.  However, for me, I only had 4 or so Chopin cds on the shelf and also enjoy the Rubinstein cds that I do have.  Therefore for $1.80 per disc, I'm very pleased.  Now, I can review Chopin at my leisure for a very nice entry price and then begin to give other performers a try should I want to go that direction.

[Mark]

A question: is this set the complete works of Chopin? I'm guessing it's 'the works' minus the Concerti, yes?

[Bogey]

A question: is this set the complete works of Chopin? I'm guessing it's 'the works' minus the Concerti, yes?

I believe alll solo stuff Mark.

[Bogey]

Or my next pick-up for Chopin would probably be:



Anyone know how the transfers are here on this EMI set?

[Que]

I believe alll solo stuff Mark.

Rubinstein never commercially recorded the études.
(He was afraid to record them, some are on live recordings.)

Or my next pick-up for Chopin would probably be:



Anyone know how the transfers are here on this EMI set?

Bad.
The ones in the AR edition are superb but as Gorge found out, some of the '30s Chopin (vols 4, 5 & 6) is OOP.

Q

[George]

A question: is this set the complete works of Chopin? I'm guessing it's 'the works' minus the Concerti, yes?

The Concerti are included actually.

[Brian]

Is this a real box set, or one of those sets where they put all the individual plastic CD cases in one big paper slip?

If you've received the box and can tell me, it would be awful nice ~ thanks

[George]

If you've received the box and can tell me, it would be awful nice ~ thanks

It's like the DG boxes, with cardboard sleeves (track listing printed on the sleeve) in a space-saving box (about an inch thick). 11 pages of liner notes.   

[Bogey]

It's like the DG boxes, with cardboard sleeves (track listing printed on the sleeve) in a space-saving box (about an inch thick). 11 pages of liner notes.   

George,
Mine was a large thin box containing three double jewel cases with 4 cds in the first two and three in the last case.  Also a booklet was included.

[George]

George,
Mine was a large thin box containing three double jewel cases with 4 cds in the first two and three in the last case.  Also a booklet was included.

Hmmm. Was the cover the same as the one posted earlier in this thread?

[Brian]

Hmmm. Was the cover the same as the one posted earlier in this thread?

It seems that Amazon is selling an import for $18, and that there is another listed item which has the same cover and same tracks, but costs nearly three times that much from third-party sellers...? It makes a difference to me because my dorm's little CD-nook is, shall we say, limited. And almost full, now that I got the Beatles Blue Album and Berganza's Carmen in the mail. 

[George]

It seems that Amazon is selling an import for $18, and that there is another listed item which has the same cover and same tracks, but costs nearly three times that much from third-party sellers...? It makes a difference to me because my dorm's little CD-nook is, shall we say, limited. And almost full, now that I got the Beatles Blue Album and Berganza's Carmen in the mail. 

I absolutely understand. My copy only takes up about an inch of shelf space. I recommend emailing the seller prior to purchase to inquire which one they have.

PS The Beatles have a blue album? Oh, do you mean one of their Gr, Hits compilations?

[Brian]

I absolutely understand. My copy only takes up about an inch of shelf space. I recommend emailing the seller prior to purchase to inquire which one they have.

PS The Beatles have a blue album? Oh, do you mean one of their Gr, Hits compilations?

Thanks ~ yes, it is a compilation, I believe it includes the "hits" from Sgt. Pepper's, Abbey Road, Let it Be, and a couple other late records.

[orbital]

Even before my Schumann order that I placed a day or so before!

Reminds me... my Schumann Box set (Yves Nat) never arrived 

[sadness]

Looks like the price increased to $26.

[sadness]

Holy box sets Batman, it arrived!  Even before my Schumann order that I placed a day or so before!

How's the sound?

Mine still hasn't shipped yet...

[Mark]

Looks like the price increased to $26.

Still being offered at the ridiculously low price of £14.51 to UK buyers.

[Great Gable]

Or my next pick-up for Chopin would probably be:



Anyone know how the transfers are here on this EMI set?

I have just got this and it sounds ok but with a little hiss, but that's only the first two discs - I have not heard the last three yet. It's cheap and it's Rubinstein. It sounds great compared to a lot of the Furtwangler stuff I am curently buying.

If you like I'll update soon?