Bargains

[johnb]

The other factor is that in the world of Bach Cantatas many people (including me) get very exercised about the merits of the various conductor's approaches. A seeming bargain might be no such thing if you dislike the performances.

[vinteuil]

The other factor is that in the world of Bach Cantatas many people (including me) get very exercised about the merits of the various conductor's approaches. A seeming bargain might be no such thing if you dislike the performances.

... yes. I have the Rilling - but very rarely listen to it.

To my taste it is too old-school - large forces, heavy textures, modern instruments.

I wd actually prefer the cheap and cheerful Leusink on Brilliant.

If you are looking for a more Historically Informed approach - such as Suzuki, Herreweghe, Kuijken, Koopman, Gardiner, Harnoncourt/Leonhardt - I don't think you will find the Rilling very enjoyable.

But of course some people very much like the plumper, more well-upholstered approach of the Rillings and Richters...

[Roehre]

... yes. I have the Rilling - but very rarely listen to it.

To my taste it is too old-school - large forces, heavy textures, modern instruments.

I wd actually prefer the cheap and cheerful Leusink on Brilliant.

If you are looking for a more Historically Informed approach - such as Suzuki, Herreweghe, Kuijken, Koopman, Gardiner, Harnoncourt/Leonhardt - I don't think you will find the Rilling very enjoyable.

But of course some people very much like the plumper, more well-upholstered approach of the Rillings and Richters...

I love both "schools".
The musicality of Rilling is for me just as enjoyable as the "modern" HIP recordings of Harnoncourt/Leonhardt (to start with) or the middle-of-the-road Leusink.
Those are just other interpretations and nothing else.

[vinteuil]

Those are just other interpretations and nothing else.

... that's fighting talk!
.

Yes, there are of course many different approaches. And - like you - I can get pleasure out of many approaches.

But as I said to my taste the Rilling does not give me pleasure. And I suspect people accustomed to more recent HIPP performers may find it not what they expect...

I love Bach on the piano, and in many guises - but the large-forces, heavy-vibrato, nineteenth-century approach in orchestral works I find hard to stomach.

But - again, as I said - I know many people love it...

[MickyD]

If I remember correctly, the complete cantatas by Leusink on Brilliant also not only field period instruments, but boys' voices too, like Harnoncourt/Leonhardt. I seem to recall various people saying that they had the same sort of unevenness as the Harnoncourt set, but I would still like to hear it. How do you think they compare, Vinteuil?

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

To my taste it is too old-school - large forces, heavy textures, modern instruments.

I agree - though I peobably wouldn't go for the "old-school" label: there are many individual recordings of the Cantatas that could be so described that demonstrate a far greater sense of the style I love to hear in Bach than I find from Rilling.

I wd actually prefer the cheap and cheerful Leusink on Brilliant.

So would I, any day of the week (including Leap Years).

[Dave2002]

I love both "schools".
The musicality of Rilling is for me just as enjoyable as the "modern" HIP recordings of Harnoncourt/Leonhardt (to start with) or the middle-of-the-road Leusink.
Those are just other interpretations and nothing else.

Now I'm finding this confusing! Several here seem to think that the Rilling set is not such a great buy, and that "even" the cheapo Leusink is to be preferred. I have been sampling Rilling, and I certainly don't find what I've heard objectionable in the way that some "conventional" performances of other works by Bach even by esteemed conductors really jar with me - even some conductors whose work I admire in other repertoire. Maybe if the price on the Rilling is not going to change in a hurry I should personally just try working through Leusink's versions, though that will take a while.

I'm guessing that for someone who doesn't already have a set of the Bach cantatas that Rilling's set would not be a bad thing to have at the current price.

[Bryn]

The pro rata price of the Rilling discs is not very different from that of the complete Bach works which includes them. There are some very fine recordings in that complete works set (around £135 for 172 discs via the amazon.co.uk marketplace - delivered from Germany, so no customs charges). I got an earlier incarnation of that set when it was going at £99 a few years ago. Apart from a few missing lute works (which are nevertheless represented in lute harpsichord versions) it has lived up to its name and given me many hours of enjoyment. Thoroughly HIPP they may not be, but there are many very fine soloists and they are not to be sniffed at.

[vinteuil]

... yes, many of the performances in the hänssler-bachakademie Complete Bach Edition overseen by Helmuth Rilling are very fine indeed - the Robert Levin of the Well-Tempered Clavier is a particular favourite of mine, and many of the other keyboard discs as well. It is Rilling's heavy-handed way with the cantatas which I find so disappointing.

[hafod]

There is to be a second 60cd "Living Stereo" box - due out on 3 February. The listed price on Amazon (£53.99) is artificially low so if you want it pre-order it soonest (one can always cancel without any fuss or hassle). The ASIN is B00GP8YHAU.

Contents:
1.-5.CD Beethoven: Klavierkonzerte Nr. 1-5 (Rubinstein, Symphony of the Air, Krips)
6.CD Strauss: Burleske für Klavier & Orchester; Rachmaninoff: Klavierkonzert Nr. 1 (Janis, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Reiner)
7.CD Tschaikowsky: Symphonie Nr. 6 "Pathetique" (Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Reiner)
8.CD Tschaikowsky: Symphonie Nr. 5 (Boston Symphony Orchestra, Monteux)
9.CD Hovhaness: Mysterious Mountain / Stravinsky: Le baiser de la fee (Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Reiner)
10.CD Brahms: Piano Concerto Nr. 1 (Graffman, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Munch)
11.CD Mussorgsky: Bilder einer Ausstellung; Liszt: Rigoletto-Paraphrase (Janis)
12. CD Rossini: Ouvertüren (Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Reiner)
13.CD Tschaikowsky: Derr Nussknacker-Suite (Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Reiner)
14.CD Beethoven: Klaviersonaten Nr. 7 & 23 “Appassionata” (Vladimir Horowitz)
15.CD Tschaikowsky: Symphonie Nr. 4 (Boston Symphony Orchestra, Monteux)
16.CD Mahler: Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen; Kindertotenlieder (Forrester, Boston Symphonie Orchestra, Munch)
17.CD Beethoven: Violinsonaten Nr. 5 “Kreutzer” & Nr. 9 “Frühling” (Arthur Rubinstein, Henryk Szeryng)
18.CD Schubert Streichquartett “Der Tod und das Mädchen” (Juilliard String Quartet)
19.CD Khachaturian: Masquerade-Suite; Kabalewsky: The Comedians (RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra, Kondrashin)
20.CD Copland: Appalachian Spring; The Tender Land-Suite (Boston Symphony Orchestra, Copland)
21.CD Bizet: Carmen for Orchestra (Morton Gould and His Orchestra)
22.CD Reiner conducts Wagner (Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Reiner)
23.CD The Virtuoso Liszt (Gary Graffman)
24.CD Brahms: Klavierkonzert Nr. 2 (Richter, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Leinsdorf)
25.CD Julian Bream spielt Gitarrenkonzerte von Guilini & Arnold (Bream, Melos Ensemble)
26.CD Schubert: Klaviersonate D. 850 (Emil Gilels)
27.CD Beethoven: Serenade op. 8; Kodaly: Duo für Violine & Cello (Jascha Heifetz, William Primrose, Gregor Piatigorsky)
28.CD The Golden Age of English Lute Music (Julian Bream)
29.CD Beethoven: Streichtrio op. 9 Nr. 2; Schubert: Streichtrio Nr. 2 B-Dur; Bach: 3 Sinfonias (Heifetz, William Primrose, Gregor Piatigorsky)
30.CD Grieg: Klavierkonzert op. 16; Klavierwerke (Rubinstein, Alfred Wallenstein and Orchestra)
31.CD My favorite Chopin (Van Cliburn)
32.CD Saint-Saens: Karneval der Tiere; Britten: The Young Person’s Guide To The Orchestra (Boston Pops Orchestra, Fiedler)
33.CD Chopin: Les Sylphides: Die Liebe zu den drei Orangen-Suite (Boston Pops Orchestra, Fiedler)
34.CD Dvorak: Symphonie Nr. 4 (Boston Symphonie Orchestra, Munch)
35.CD Mahler: Symphonie Nr. 1 (Boston Symphony Orchestra, Leinsdorf)
36.CD Debussy: Prelude a l’apres-midi d’un faune; Nuages; Fetes; Printemps (Boston Symphony Orchestra, Munch)
37.-39.CD Puccini: Tosca (Milanov, Björling, Warren, Rome Opera Orchestra, Leinsdorf)
40./41.CD Beethoven: Symphonien Nr. 8 & 9 (Price, Forrester, Poleri, Tozzi, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Munch)
42./43.CD Berlioz: Romeo e Juliette (Elias, Valletti, Tozzi, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Munch)
44.-46.CD Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor (Peters, Peerce, Tozzi, Maero, Rome Opera Orchestra, Leinsdorf)
47.-50.CD Rossini: Der Barbier von Sevilla (Merrill, Peters, Corena, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Leinsdorf)
51.-53.CD Verdi: Otello (Vickers, Rysanek, Gobbi, Rome Opera Orchestra, Serafin)
54.-56.CD Bach: Messe h-moll BWV 232 (Robert Shaw Chorale and Orchestra, Shaw)
57./58.CD Verdi: Requiem (Nilsson, Chookasian, Bergonzi, Flagello, Boston Chorus Pro Musica, Nash Petterson)
59./60.CD Chopin: Nocturnes (Arthur Rubinstein)

[Mark Meldon]

Just a quickie but the 50-CD "All Baroque Box" bargain order turned up, except it didn't! Received 9-CD set of Mozart stuff from AoSMiF! Barcode error? Now have the hassle of returns.

[french frank]

Thanks for the info, Mark. Welcome (and commiserations)!

[johnb]

Just a quickie but the 50-CD "All Baroque Box" bargain order turned up, except it didn't! Received 9-CD set of Mozart stuff from AoSMiF! Barcode error? Now have the hassle of returns.

Which supplier did you use?

[Dave2002]

Hafod

Msg 3700

Are there any particularly strong reasons to buy the second box of Living Stereo recordings? Do any of the CDs have claims either regarding the performances or their recording? Maybe cheapness is a reason, but surely these are now mostly older recordings and performances which may have passed their sell by date. Or am I missing something?

[hafod]

Hafod

Msg 3700

Are there any particularly strong reasons to buy the second box of Living Stereo recordings? Do any of the CDs have claims either regarding the performances or their recording? Maybe cheapness is a reason, but surely these are now mostly older recordings and performances which may have passed their sell by date. Or am I missing something?

There was a fair amount of comment on these boards when the first box came out as Living Stereo releases were previously quite pricey. Many of them in terms of recording quality were ahead of their time and many of the performances were very fine indeed. I passed on the first box because of heavy duplication but for me this appears to be much less of a problem for box 2. I have yet to check this carefully. The problem is that a number of these recordings have also turned up in much smaller Sony boxes. I have been caught before waiting to order and the price going up. However, as I said there is no difficulty cancelling so I can carefully check for duplication over the next couple of weeks.

I have always regarded (most) Living Stereo recordings as something of a benchmark not least because many of them were the first I heard of a particular work (a teacher at school ran a music appreciation society and acquired them as they were issued). Others can write more knowledgeably and objectively on the musical merits of the performances. I just love them for what they are - old friends beautifully recorded. A substantial majority would seem to agree -

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Living-Stereo-60-Collection-Box/dp/B003UCPEJ2

http://www.amazon.com/Living-Stereo-60-Collection-Box/dp/B003UCPEJ2