Box Blather

[Florestan]

Just out of curiosity, does anyone know what the biggest classical music box set is? How many discs? In circulation or OOP.

Top five:

The Complete Mozart Edition on Philips, 180 discs.

The Complete Bach Edition on Haenssler, 172 discs.

The Complete Mozart Edition on Brilliant Classics, 170 discs.

The Haydn Edition on Brilliant Classics, 162 discs.

The Complete Bach Edition on Brilliant Classics, 142 discs.

[ritter]

Just out of curiosity, does anyone know what the biggest classical music box set is? How many discs? In circulation or OOP.

The biggest I'm aware of is the Karajan on DG (330 CDs, 24 DVDs, and 2 BDs), followed by the Abbado (257 CDs and 8 DVDs), also on DG:





As far as composer-centred sets, it would be AFAIK the "Bach 333" (225 discs) and the "Mozart 225" (200 discs) sets:

[Florestan]

I was thinking in terms of composer-centred boxes only, but even so my information was outdated. 

[ritter]

I know it's not polite to brag about such things, but my boxes are bigger than yours! 

Good day, Andrei. 

[DavidW]

I wonder if at some point DGG goes "screw it!  The complete DGG catalog box set."

[Brian]

I wonder if at some point DGG goes "screw it!  The complete DGG catalog box set."

It arrives in a shipping container so you can store it outdoors if necessary 

[Franco_Manitobain]

Wow, over 300 discs (Karajan box) is insane! 

[Florestan]

I know it's not polite to brag about such things, but my boxes are bigger than yours! 

Well, as a Wagnerite you surely like it big. 

Good day, Andrei. 

Good day, Rafael.

[ritter]

I wonder if at some point DGG goes "screw it!  The complete DGG catalog box set."

They'd probably have to offer a storage hall in some business park as a bonus to the set...

[Florestan]

I wonder if at some point DGG goes "screw it!  The complete DGG catalog box set."

It arrives in a shipping container so you can store it outdoors if necessary 

You can be sure that Harry would jump at the opportunity. 

[Franco_Manitobain]

The biggest I'm aware of is the Karajan on DG (330 CDs, 24 DVDs, and 2 BDs), followed by the Abbado (257 CDs and 8 DVDs), also on DG:

In this photo, Karajan looks like he is flexing his muscles as if to say to Abbado: "See, mine is bigger than yours!" 🤣

[DavidW]

You can be sure that Harry would jump at the opportunity. 

Well he probably already checked that he already has everything in the box!

[Franco_Manitobain]

They'd probably have to offer a storage hall in some business park as a bonus to the set...

You mean.....this isn't Harry's storage shed? 

[JBS]

Top five:

The Complete Mozart Edition on Philips, 180 discs.

The Complete Bach Edition on Haenssler, 172 discs.

The Complete Mozart Edition on Brilliant Classics, 170 discs.

The Haydn Edition on Brilliant Classics, 162 discs.

The Complete Bach Edition on Brilliant Classics, 142 discs.

The Teldec Complete Bach is 154 CDs.

The Complete Artur Rubinstein box is 142 CDs plus 2 DVDs. Anyone know if there's a bigger performer-who-is-not-a-conductor set?

[Holden]

The Teldec Complete Bach is 154 CDs.

The Complete Artur Rubinstein box is 142 CDs plus 2 DVDs. Anyone know if there's a bigger performer-who-is-not-a-conductor set?

As far as pianists go I believe that this is it and am happy to say that I own it. I'm trying to think of a pianists who were alive and performing long enough to do that many recordings and the closest I can get is Cziffra with 41 CDs.

The Karajan is not surprising as he was prolific in the recording studio.

EDIT: I forgot Horowitz who went well past the 70 CD mark but no record company has obtained the rights to republish everything he recorded or played live. His live Carnegie Hall Box has 41 CDs and the Original jacket recordings (Sony) is 70 CDs but I don't know how many of those overlap. Then you have everything he recorded for DGG which is a further 7 CDs and then there is HMV and a few other labels as well. While he might get close to or surpass the 142 of Rubinstein there are bound to be some overlaps so I guess that Rubinstein is king. Regardless, if you are a pianophile and only owned the complete recordings of AR and VH that's a hell of a lot of listening.

[JBS]

As far as pianists go I believe that this is it and am happy to say that I own it. I'm trying to think of a pianists who were alive and performing long enough to do that many recordings and the closest I can get is Cziffra with 41 CDs.

The Karajan is not surprising as he was prolific in the recording studio.

EDIT: I forgot Horowitz who went well past the 70 CD mark but no record company has obtained the rights to republish everything he recorded or played live. His live Carnegie Hall Box has 41 CDs and the Original jacket recordings (Sony) is 70 CDs but I don't know how many of those overlap. Then you have everything he recorded for DGG which is a further 7 CDs and then there is HMV and a few other labels as well. While he might get close to or surpass the 142 of Rubinstein there are bound to be some overlaps so I guess that Rubinstein is king. Regardless, if you are a pianophile and only owned the complete recordings of AR and VH that's a hell of a lot of listening.

Isn't there some monster Richter box from Melodiya? His Decca/DG/Philips Complete box is 51 CDs, and on top of that there are EMI, Sony, and Teldec boxes, plus all the stuff recorded live or by Melodiya. That might surpass Horowitz.

The Samson Francois box is 54 CDs plus a DVD.

ETA

Vladimir Ashkenazy is at Rubinstein level or more
Decca Complete Solo Piano Recordings--89 CDs
Decca Complete Concertos--46 CDs plus 2 DVDs
And there's no complete set of his chamber music recordings, nor of course of his recordings as conductor.

[Todd]

It arrives in a shipping container so you can store it outdoors if necessary 

I'll take it!

I'm trying to think of a pianists who were alive and performing long enough to do that many recordings and the closest I can get is Cziffra with 41 CDs.

There's Perahia with 68 CDs and 5 DVDs on Sony. 

For flute, there's always Galway:

[Todd]

For pianists, there's also the Arrau Really Big Box (80):



For fiddlers, you got Heifetz (104) and Grumiaux (74).  I don't know which has the longer playing time.

[DavidW]

Don't forget Isaac Stern (75) and DFD (107).

[Todd]

Don't forget Isaac Stern (75)

Kinda want to forget that one.

And who could forget Leslie Howard's 99 disc passion project: