Colin Davis The Complete RCA Legacy

[Stanley Stewart]

Riches indeed! This 51 CD boxset arrived this morning. Usual puzzle corner bemusement gaining access to the cube style box but most impressed by the legibilty of the spine setting and details for each CD, all neatly placed by CD numerical order in one row. A detailed 82 page booklet is also included. A bonus, too, as the upright box slots easily into my CD shelving, although I had to displace other recordings to make room.

Still undecided whether it is Mahler 8, or a selection of Elgar and Sibelius for starters. The river people even made a lower price adjustment and the set is now available @ £46 45p.

Went shopping and my day was made when I saw the BBC MM, March, with a six page tribute to Claudio Abbado and the CD collection seems appropriate, Ravel/Miroirs and Faure Nocturnes - Vlado Perlemuter,piano.

[Ferretfancy]

Riches indeed! This 51 CD boxset arrived this morning. Usual puzzle corner bemusement gaining access to the cube style box but most impressed by the legibilty of the spine setting and details for each CD, all neatly placed by CD numerical order in one row. A detailed 82 page booklet is also included. A bonus, too, as the upright box slots easily into my CD shelving, although I had to displace other recordings to make room.

Still undecided whether it is Mahler 8, or a selection of Elgar and Sibelius for starters. The river people even made a lower price adjustment and the set is now available @ £46 45p.

Went shopping and my day was made when I saw the BBC MM, March, with a six page tribute to Claudio Abbado and the CD collection seems appropriate, Ravel/Miroirs and Faure Nocturnes - Vlado Perlemuter,piano.

I listened to the Perlmuter disc yesterday. IMHO it's OK but not collectible. His Ravel collection on Nimbus is more convincing to my ears, although the recording is rather cavernous. How strange that both the Ravel and Faure on the BBC CD were not recorded in stereo, but in rather dry mono as late as 1962 and 1970. The Beeb really were very late in realising the potential of stereo.

[Petrushka]

The record companies, Decca/Philips, Profil, EMI and RCA have done Sir Colin proud with their boxed sets issued since his death and I'm very tempted by this one. Very, very tempted actually.

[Cockney Sparrow]

Riches indeed!......Still undecided whether it is Mahler 8, or a selection of .......

Great admirer of Davis. And as I always try to attend UK performances of Mahler 8, his interpretations were the best - all aspects of the performance judged so well. Other conductors (don't mention Maazel to me!) proved to be a lottery. And his performance at R Albert Hall with Julia Varady will stay with me for a very long time....

So I too am looking forward to that recording...

[Roehre]

I listened to the Perlmuter disc yesterday. IMHO it's OK but not collectible. .... How strange that both the Ravel and Faure on the BBC CD were not recorded in stereo, but in rather dry mono as late as 1962 and 1970. The Beeb really were very late in realising the potential of stereo.

I concur, a pity as I admire his Fauré and especially Ravel interpretations

[Bryn]

Great admirer of Davis. And as I always try to attend UK performances of Mahler 8, his interpretations were the best - all aspects of the performance judged so well. Other conductors (don't mention Maazel! to me) proved to be a lottery. And his performance at R Albert Hall with Julia Varady will stay with me for a very long time....

So I too am looking forward to that recording...

Can anyone here recall which performance of the Mahler 8th was repeatedly (though sometimes incompletely) broadcast on TtN some years ago? I was wondering if it was the same as the 'live' recording in the box. Google seems unable to help in this instance.

[Bryn]

A couple of minor moans about the track disposition re. this set. The Brahms Violin Concerto is quite unnecessarily split over two discs. There would have been plenty of room for it to precede Part 1 of Mahler's 8th on that movement's disc. Also, Kullervo, with the 'dead air' at the end of the final track of disc 27 and that at the start of the first track of disc 28 (the first two movements of Kullervo) removed, lasts 81 minutes. That can be held quite easily on a single CD these days. Minor annoyances, but still annoyances.