Bargains

[martin_opera]

I absolutely hate downloads. The day they become the only way to purchae music is the day I will STOP BUYING music.

Buying a CD, either in a shop or online, should be analogous to arranging a sexual assignation with a complete stranger.: your eyes meet across a crowded thoroughfare, you make a quick arrangement to meet in the near/immediate future, then hotly anticipate the liaison.

With downloads, it's all over before it's begun: and there's nothing to touch, or feel. Horrible.

Continuing the analogy (rather badly I fear) perhaps you could do as I do and swing both ways! You'd have a healthy collection of reference CDs - especially operas complete with libretti - and then for that occasional "quickie" behind the bike sheds jump into the amazon or itunes brothel for some guilty downloading. Firmly in the knowledge of course that your true love remains waiting for you on the shelf.

All untrue of course - better not upset my wife or she'll put a stop to this music buying "hobby"!

[Jonathan]

Instinctively I agree with you ... but upon reading Alan Walker's fascinating book about Liszt I resolved to investigate recordings of his Schubert song transcriptions. There are six CDs from Hyperion (Vol 32 and 33 of Leslie Howard''s Complete Edition.)
The downloads are less than half the price of the CDs. I then burned all the tracks in their compressed format onto one CD. I can look at it and touch it if I want to and have included Hyperion's cover picture which came with the download. I can play the tracks on my DVD player through my amp and the whole lot takes up less shelf space. (+ I'm really enjoying the recordings). I'm not a convert to downloading but it has its uses.

Hi Gurnemanz,
IIRC, there are some more song transcriptions on volume 31 as well (and 49 for an intermediate version of "Die Rose")...Sorry!

[Bryn]

With 96/24 downloads you get audio quality superior to that available on the CD alternative, and with software such as Audio DVD Creator can burn to DVD for playback via compatible DVD players (some cheapo models not be able to handle 96/24). 44.1/16 based FLACs are indistinguishable in audio quality to the CD options, and converting to PCM for burning to CD-Rs is a simple process. That way you get the best of both worlds. That said, I still tend to opt for the pressed CD package when available.

[gurnemanz]

Hi Gurnemanz,
IIRC, there are some more song transcriptions on volume 31 as well (and 49 for an intermediate version of "Die Rose")...Sorry!

I had spotted that but held back.

[gurnemanz]

I thought Philips had been abolished!

Watch out.....

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Philips-50-Various-Artists/dp/B0091HVMVO/ref=pd_sim_sbs_m_h__3

[Bryn]

Watch out.....

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Philips-50-V...sim_sbs_m_h__3

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Decca/4784614

I've got too many of them already for it to be worth buying.

Then there is this, also rather cheaper via amazon.co.uk

Oh, and this.

[Dave2002]

The recent spate of cheap CD offers from MDT seems to be ending on Thursday - 27th September. I spotted this for £25 - http://www.mdt.co.uk/lumieres-the-un...ndi-30cds.html

I may have paid rather more for this some while back, though on reflection that might have been one of the sets which I picked up really cheaply when the price suddenly dropped. There may still be other good deals if you go through the lists by Thursday, though I probably won't as I did a fairly extensive examination, followed up by an order, a few weeks ago. If others spot anything really good don't let me dissuade them from mentioning it/them, though!

[Dave2002]

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Decca/4784614

I've got too many of them already for it to be worth buying.

Moi aussi, je pense. Feels like a shame though, doesn't it?

Maybe if there were even 20 I really wanted that I haven't already got it could still be tempting, but I have around 20 of these already, plus versions which are as good or better of another 10 to 15, which leaves 15-20 which I don't want anyway!

[hafod]

The recent spate of cheap CD offers from MDT seems to be ending on Thursday - 27th September.

Thanks for the warning. The Naxos Haydn piano sonatas box is much reduced and I presume the deadline applies to this. I wonder about the 'virtual accoustics' feature; helpful innovation or gimmick? Has anyone heard this set which seems to have had a couple of favourable reviews from a performance point of view?

http://www.mdt.co.uk/haydn-the-virtual-haydn-complete-tom-beghin-naxos-12cds-dvd.html

[Pianorak]

The recent spate of cheap CD offers from MDT seems to be ending on Thursday - 27th September. I spotted this for £25 -

Just spotted this for £17.28 with free postage on Amazon - apparently used but I bet it's new (warehouse sale).

Hello Teamsaint - how right you were, it didn't last!

[Dave2002]

Thanks for the warning. The Naxos Haydn piano sonatas box is much reduced and I presume the deadline applies to this. I wonder about the 'virtual accoustics' feature; helpful innovation or gimmick? Has anyone heard this set which seems to have had a couple of favourable reviews from a performance point of view?
http://www.mdt.co.uk/haydn-the-virtu...12cds-dvd.html

Strange one this. What's going on?

You can hear or sample some here http://open.spotify.com/track/2E6R6U9dLZeNjWzwLsE9Z2
Sounds good to me.

I'll check to see if on Napster too. I think it is, as someone heard it there.

PS: Seems good - though allegedly the Blu Rays are even better - http://www.musicalpointers.co.uk/rev...tualHaydn.html

[hafod]

Amazon Italy has a few good deals -
Yo-Yo Ma: 30 Years Outside The Box - 90 discs €111.32 (note: the heading suggests that it is a French edition but running Google translate over the text doesn't appear to substantiate this).

http://www.amazon.it/dp/B002IC10Y8/ref=pe_115161_32063091_pe_epc_lm1

Contents list here (third review) - I love these price differentials!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002IC10Y8/ref=asc_df_B002IC10Y89843867?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&tag=hydra0b-21&linkCode=asn&creative=22206&creativeASIN=B002IC10Y8&hvpos=1o2&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6660084842084786648&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=

The recommendations in the first link include a 12cd Art of Valery Gergiev at €25.59 and 16 disc Art of Riccardo Chailly at €30.87 (the latter looks especially tempting).

There is also the Sony Stravinsky edition for €20.97.

http://www.amazon.it/Stravinsky-Edition-Igor/dp/B000PTYUQG/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2N9SFKJGPQ3BC&colid=XEAWU0LH9056

[hafod]

Strange one this. What's going on?

You can hear or sample some here http://open.spotify.com/track/2E6R6U9dLZeNjWzwLsE9Z2

I'll check to see if on Napster too. I think it is, as someone heard it there.

Thanks but playing anything through my sonically challenged laptop is a waste of time especially if it is sound quality (or lack of it) that I want to sample. I am a musical luddite and deal only in cds (and lps of course!)

[Dave2002]

Thanks but playing anything through my sonically challenged laptop is a waste of time especially if it is sound quality (or lack of it) that I want to sample. I am a musical luddite and deal only in cds (and lps of course!)

I think you'd certainly hear some odd effects in this one - http://open.spotify.com/track/2ox1X6otm3224xDKNjrjh8 - very odd tuning, and is it possible that the virtual reverberation could have made this even more "interesting"?

For preference I'd also go for CD, SACD, Blu-Ray etc, but some compressed audio is really almost indistinguishable.
I'm not talking about low bit rate mp3 quality, or the low bit rate streams put out by some streaming sites.

If you can hear this track you might be surprised. Use headphones with your laptop - it may not sound so bad.

[martin_opera]

Given that he sounds French and I adore his Ibert Divetissement I'm looking to order Martinon's Debussy and Ravel for a steal. Any one heard it?