The monster box just released claims to contain 'all the albums that Claudio Abbado made for the labels Deutsche Grammophon and Decca'.
However, there is a significant omission that passes, as far as I can find out from the books with the set, without comment.
In 2000 Abbado recorded a complete Beethoven symphony cycle with the Berliner Philharmoniker in Berlin. These recordings were issued but in the following year, 2001, Abbado and the BPO recorded another cycle in Rome for video on Euroarts. When DG came to issue the audio recordings of the latter set, Abbado expressed a wish that the 9th from the 2000 cycle be retained in preference to the Rome performance. That format is followed in the big box but the earlier set recorded in Berlin has not been included at all.
My view is that this decision is a mistake and that both the 2000 Berlin and 2001 Rome cycles should have been included for the sake of 'completeness'.
I don't know whether Abbado disowned the earlier set and asked for it to never be reissued but even if this was the case it surely needed an explanatory note to this effect in the accompanying booklets. It isn't even mentioned and has seemingly vanished apart from the 9th.
Fortunately, I have the earlier set (though not the Rome video cycle) but in my view DG should have made mention of what is a very significant omission from an otherwise seriously impressive box.
However, there is a significant omission that passes, as far as I can find out from the books with the set, without comment.
In 2000 Abbado recorded a complete Beethoven symphony cycle with the Berliner Philharmoniker in Berlin. These recordings were issued but in the following year, 2001, Abbado and the BPO recorded another cycle in Rome for video on Euroarts. When DG came to issue the audio recordings of the latter set, Abbado expressed a wish that the 9th from the 2000 cycle be retained in preference to the Rome performance. That format is followed in the big box but the earlier set recorded in Berlin has not been included at all.
My view is that this decision is a mistake and that both the 2000 Berlin and 2001 Rome cycles should have been included for the sake of 'completeness'.
I don't know whether Abbado disowned the earlier set and asked for it to never be reissued but even if this was the case it surely needed an explanatory note to this effect in the accompanying booklets. It isn't even mentioned and has seemingly vanished apart from the 9th.
Fortunately, I have the earlier set (though not the Rome video cycle) but in my view DG should have made mention of what is a very significant omission from an otherwise seriously impressive box.
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