Sony/RCA Red Seal Box Sets

[Thropplenoggin]

I've just ordered the Leon Fleisher box set for under a tenner: all five Beethoven PCs with George Solti/Cleveland Orchestra, plus Brahms PC1 & 2 and a Mozart concerto.



I was also interested in the Murray Perahia Mozart PCs and wondered if anyone thinks this is likely to come down in price. The best I can find is £23 via the 'tax-dodgers' marketplace. Apparently, the sound has been remastered, though.



Which ones have you invested in and are you happy with them? I know they skimp on liner notes, etc., but can be good value and sometimes offer re-mastered sound.

There are more of these box sets forthcoming:

SCHOENBERG Chamber Works, Orchestral Works, Vocal Works. Pierre Boulez. Sony 11cds

KAPELL, WILLIAM Complete Recordings 1944-1953 Bach, Brahms, Chopin, Mussorgsky, Prokofiev, Rachmaninov, Schubert and more. RCA 11cds

SIBELIUS Symphonies Nos. 1-7, Symphonic Poems. London Symphony Orchestra / Sir Colin Davis. RCA 7cds

PERLMAN, ITZHAK Concertos and Sonatas. Brahms, Lalo, Leclair, Paganini, Prokofiev, Sibelius, Tchaikovsky and more. Sony 9cds

More details here.

[HighlandDougie]

I've had the Boulez/Schoenberg box for a couple of weeks (bought from the tax-dodgers' French offshoot) - not just skimpy liner notes but no liner notes and, worse, no texts. If that isn't a problem, fantastic bargain and in cleaned-up sound.

[mathias broucek]

I've bought quite a few of these. My favourites are probably Reiner/Strauss, the Stokowski set, a Tafelmusik set and the Kubelik one. I can also strongly recommend the Perahia/Mozart and Davis/Sibelius (although I have them in other incarnations).

I was dissapointed by the Budapest Quartet/Beethoven, Wand/Bruckner (not as good as his later, live recordings) and Slatkin/RVW.

I quite fancy the Schoenberg but no texts is a bit rude given the repertoire.

[Thropplenoggin]

I quite fancy the Schoenberg but no texts is a bit rude given the repertoire.

It's available on Qobuz to stream, if you have access to this: http://player.qobuz.com/#!/album/0886443720176

The 'Verklärte Nacht' is stunning.

[Petrushka]

I have a few of these boxes: Levine/Mahler, the Kubelik set, Bruno Walter/Mozart, the Janowski Ring, Wand/Bruckner and Abbado/Tchaikovsky.

The lack of liner notes doesn't particularly bother me but the omission of texts in the Schoenberg set would be a considerable drawback. Fortunately, however, I have some of the discs in their original CD incarnation and it shouldn't be too difficult to source from elsewhere. Nevertheless, the boxes offer great value and I plan to purchase others in time. Hope that Szell's and Walter's Beethoven symphony cycles eventually appear.

[amateur51]

Some very interesting 'stuff' here, especially the Schoenberg/Boulez, the William Kapell collection and the Perlman. Enjoyment of Perlman's magic has become somewhat frowned upon latterly but I really appreciate his sound and skills, perhaps others don't like the recording sound but I love it & shall grab this at the first opportunity.

I'll be interested to discover what the re-mastered Perahia set sounds like. I bought the LSO/Davis Sibelius set as it came out but I may well give the CDs to charity & buy the space-saving box

So much temptation, one feels obliged to yield de temps en temps

[antongould]

I have the Wand Bruckner and the Old Scoundrel Brahms and I find both excellent....

[Dave2002]

I have the Wand Bruckner and the Old Scoundrel Brahms and I find both excellent....

Which conductor's name are you taking in vain?

[antongould]

Which conductor's name are you taking in vain?

As if .......Arthur Rubinstein .........

[Dave2002]

As if .......Arthur Rubinstein .........

Ahhh. http://news.google.com/newspapers?ni...g=5165,2471466

[Thropplenoggin]

I expect the Boulez box set could provide a good entrance into Schoenberg. Tempting.

Any thoughts regarding the likelihood of the price dropping on the Perahia Mozart PCs set?

[antongould]

Ahhh. http://news.google.com/newspapers?ni...g=5165,2471466

Indeed Lady Sidcup loves him.......

[gurnemanz]

I seem to have two rather contrasting Red Seal boxes: Rachmaninov Complete Recordings (as performer) 10CD and Nathalie Stutzmann Schumann Lieder 5CD.

[mathias broucek]

Any thoughts regarding the likelihood of the price dropping on the Perahia Mozart PCs set?

These boxes tend to be cheapest around release date and then stabilise at a later date. If memory serves the Perahia used to ne cheaper.

Forgot to mention in an earlier post that the Levine Mahler box is pretty good

[Thropplenoggin]

These boxes tend to be cheapest around release date and then stabilise at a later date. If memory serves the Perahia used to ne cheaper.

Forgot to mention in an earlier post that the Levine Mahler box is pretty good

Thanks, MB.