EMI Icon Series

[mikealdren]

The Michael Rabin box is taken straight from the Electrola set, sad because that wasn't very well done! Are the Testament transfers different and better, anyone know?

[Barbirollians]

A great shame that Warner killed this series off especially before a Paul Kletzki set. I have recently however laid my hands in the Elisabeth Schumann icon box and heavens it is marvellous.

[cloughie]

A great shame that Warner killed this series off especially before a Paul Kletzki set. I have recently however laid my hands in the Elisabeth Schumann icon box and heavens it is marvellous.

I’ve thought from time to time about the Keilberth icon box - still around at £30 for a 22 CD set! However I’m not convinced that adding this would give me any better performances of the works than I already have on my shelves!
That aside I think that Warner, though they have given us some big boxes such as Barbirolli and Previn have not done justice to the acquisition of the EMI catalogue in comparison with the great job Decca/DG/Philips have with Eloquence.

[gurnemanz]

I agree about the Elisabeth Schumann Box, which I got when it first came out. I have quite a few Icons, especially singers, and recently went through my collection to look at catching up on any good ones I might have missed first time round, before they disappear. As a result I recently got Tito Gobbi and Elly Ameling, now download only at Presto. Both are well worth having.

[Barbirollians]

I agree about the Elisabeth Schumann Box, which I got when it first came out. I have quite a few Icons, especially singers, and recently went through my collection to look at catching up on any good ones I might have missed first time round, before they disappear. As a result I recently got Tito Gobbi and Elly Ameling, now download only at Presto. Both are well worth having.

Move over all other performances of the Rosenkavalier Act II duet before that on Disc 6 !

[ChandlersFord]

I recently picked up the Cantelli box and have started going through it. These are marvellous performances and the sound is excellent for their vintage.

The Icon boxes seem to have been/are being phased out, so grab if you see one!

[smittims]

Yes, one of their virtues was their returning to circulation,among the famous items, rare recordings long forgotten. I found the Markevitch and Sargent boxes valuable for this. It was also useful to have EMI's own transfers of recordings reissued on CD elsewhere, sometimes in questionable quality.

[BBMmk2]

I recently picked up the Cantelli box and have started going through it. These are marvellous performances and the sound is excellent for their vintage.

The Icon boxes seem to have been/are being phased out, so grab if you see one!

I heard that, via Spotify, a few months ago. Truly, a marvellous set.

[Dave2002]

I just ordered the Cantelli box. I have had some of those on LPs before, but can't recall having them on CD. Very good IIRC. Currently around £16 on amazon.

I'm also interested in the Keilberth box - though not sure whether I "really" need it. I think the version of Dvořák's cello concerto was the first I heard - on a Telefunken LP. I don't really know whether Keilberth was generally good or not - though I like his Flying Dutchman which was on Decca Eclipse.

[Barbirollians]

Cantelli box is indeed outstanding.

[smittims]

Dave, I assure you Keilberth is well-worth exploring. He died well before his time, so his discography is frustratingly limited (no 'Indian Summer in the Studios' as other conductors enjoyed) but there are treasures, including, of course, the first stereo recording of the 'Ring' made at Bayreuth in 1955 by Decca and transferred on Testament CDs.

[Dave2002]

Dave, I assure you Keilberth is well-worth exploring. He died well before his time, so his discography is frustratingly limited (no 'Indian Summer in the Studios' as other conductors enjoyed) but there are treasures, including, of course, the first stereo recording of the 'Ring' made at Bayreuth in 1955 by Decca and transferred on Testament CDs.

I'll have to make sure I don't already have that box tucked away in a cupboard, and look for it at a good price if I haven't. I bought a whole bunch of Icon boxes earlier this century before the HMV stores went into liquidation for the first time. Keilberth's Flying Dutchman I mentioned is really good, and the sound of the sailors jumping up and down on the Bayreuth stage is likely to pass many by unless they have speakers with a good LF response. There is a version from Pristine, which I sampled, but I've not been convinced in that case that it's better than the LPs.

One which I was really looking forward to was the Silvestri box - which I now have - but I really do need to look at the score for Tchaikovsky 4, as he has an unusual way of phrasing the opening. This was discussed in previous threads, and apparently he always did it that way, and claimed it was authentic. I keep meaning to check, but I've not got round to it yet.

[ChandlersFord]

The Melos Ensemble box is another outstanding one.

I have the Stokowski box, too, but I'm not sure about that one. Stokowski was given a lot of free rein in Houston (and elsewhere).

[smittims]

I found the Stokowski box valuable for restoring the 1957 Capitol stereo recordings made by Richard C Jones, many of them I think previously unavailable in the UK. Natutrally, if one doesn't like Stokowski's interpretations it's not welcome, but I enjoyed it very much. Some lovely sounds.

[Barbirollians]

I missed the Stoky box - but the Annie Fischer, Cantelli ,Toscanini, Fremaux, and in particular the Silvestri boxes have given me great listening pleasure.