Attracted by a slightly misleading email from Snaisburgs I found this set of Mozart symphonies on their website - https://www.sainsburysentertainment....duct=E10105986 for under a tenner. Cross checking on Amazon suggests that it might be a reasonable buy. Many of the CDs available cost more than the £5 mentioned in the email - though I can't blame them for trying.
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I found them on Spotify - http://open.spotify.com/track/2jc2QoAK0ydwK0EPVNNGzr
Odd that the set claims to have 46 symphonies, yet the link given claims to be to number 55! How many symphonies do we now think Mozart actually wrote?
The quality does seem to be reasonable - though I've not sampled the "standard" ones. As the review (msg 2477) suggests this set is more likely to be of interest to anyone wanting to explore the parts of Mozart which are not so often played/heard. The recording is OK, though spatial localisation seems a bit odd and vague, and the oboes appear to come from the right - my hearing anyway. This could be due to the digital compression used by Spotify, though I rather doubt it. There is an echo at times which reminds me of tape print through. I still think it could be worthwhile at under £10 - if only for playing in one's car etc. If bought from Amazon would this now automatically also result in access to a cloud version? That seems to be a new feature when buying from Amazon - it's been in the states for a little while I think, and I saw an announcement that it's now come over here.
However the Amazon price is more than Snaisburg's right now, so not worth following that route unless the cloud feature works and is considered worth having. The performances seem straightforward - not revelatory earth shattering, but as I've already written "reasonable", and quite decently played.Last edited by Dave2002; 23-01-13, 07:11.Comment
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One of the most comprehensive surveys of the Mozart symphonies was undertaken by Christopher Hogwood and The Academy of Ancient Music - 19 CDs, and I think the number of symphonies recorded is around 60. Still available in a bargain box from Decca.Comment
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It's around £60 - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mozart-Symph...8941465&sr=1-1 (currently £57.10) and some might not consider that a bargain. That's about £3 per CD. I would expect the recordings and performances to be very good. Not all of Mozart's music is up to the high quality of the works by which he is generally best known, so appreciation of the box will be personal. I think some (e.g. bbm) will not be tempted!Originally posted by MickyD View PostComment
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Well, many here will know that I am a HIP enthusiast, and I hold those vintage performances by the AAM in very high esteem. I guess they will not be considered the most polished performances by today's HIP standards, but for me they continue to be thrilling recordings, with that wonderful Decca/L'Oiseau Lyre sound. I do think that the price should be lower than that mentioned by Dave.Comment
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... ain't it extraordinary - that some of the finest Mozart recordings might be thought to be 'not a bargain' - at £3 per CD!Originally posted by Dave2002 View Post
When I think how much I paid for 'em when they first came out...
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Times have moved on. Once I could have bought 10 CDs for £60, and thought I was doing well.Originally posted by vinteuil View Post... ain't it extraordinary - that some of the finest Mozart recordings might be thought to be 'not a bargain' - at £3 per CD!
When I think how much I paid for 'em when they first came out...
I have even been known to pay £15 for a single CD. Now I'd be unlikely to do that unless it was for something very special. Also, I think there is a wide disparity between the financial
circumstances of different people. I am fortunate in that if I wanted to buy that AAM set right now (and this discussion is making me think of it), I would be able to - I wouldn't starve or
go significantly without anything else I need. Yet I believe there are others out there for whom that would be an indulgence which they could not afford, while some might have to save up for (quite) a while,
as I did when LPs were 32s 6d. I'm fairly sure about the high quality of the performances in the AAM set.
As with the cheaper set by Arigoni, the performances are also available via Spotify - http://open.spotify.com/album/02lS4ia1d8HwYR5c83T84a
PS: If you have Spotify try comparing the finale of Symphony 34 - K338. Arigoni - at a different pitch - is OK, but Hogwood positively fizzes along.Last edited by Dave2002; 23-01-13, 16:54.Comment
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Reckon this is a fantastic Bargin, Verdi's "The Great Opera's", just come out, a 35 Disc set for £44.29
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That's got to be bargain of the year so far! Mehta's "Aida" is stunning..... and Muti conducting all that Verdi; pure gold.Originally posted by Mahler's3rd View PostComment
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Eek, yes, Vinteuil...I think around £40 per volume if I remember rightly....the only consolation is that we got luxury packaging and all those scholarly notes by Neal Zaslaw. I wonder if all of the latter have made it into the 19 CD set? I would suspect not.Originally posted by vinteuil View Post... ain't it extraordinary - that some of the finest Mozart recordings might be thought to be 'not a bargain' - at £3 per CD!
When I think how much I paid for 'em when they first came out...Comment
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Thanks. Duly ordered, where it will complement my Decca "Complete Verdi" box.Originally posted by amateur51 View PostComment
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http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...OK/mffindcd-21http://www.amazon.es/Mozart-Sinfonie...SIN=B0041KU1OKOriginally posted by Dave2002 View PostComment
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see market place seller.Comment
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