Bargains

[Thropplenoggin]

Klemperer's Brahms Symphonies, overtures and Requiem for £7.21 on the Marketplace: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Brahms-Symph...ords=klemperer

Wonderful Walter Legge sound on these. I was listening to the Fourth today - a wonderfully dynamic recording.

[visualnickmos]

Mozart Piano Concertos: I've tried unsuccessfully to search this thread for any recommendations. I'd like a box set (not necessarily complete) for a gift for a friend.

Any suggestions would be very welcome.

Thanks, kb

Probably not to everyone's liking, but I recently discovered Ashkenazy's set of these. Very fine and enjoyable performances.

[hafod]

The 172 disc Complete Works of JS Bach from Haenssler, is currently just over £101 on AmUk. The price has been slowly rising from £95 (when I bought it) over the past few days. The ASIN is B003LR4QPE.

[kernelbogey]

Mozart Piano Concertos: I've tried unsuccessfully to search this thread for any recommendations. I'd like a box set (not necessarily complete) for a gift for a friend.

Any suggestions would be very welcome.

Thanks, kb

Thanks to all who've made suggestions. I think I'm going for Geza Anda. (Personally I like Uchida, too!)
BW, kb

[cloughie]

Thanks to all who've made suggestions. I think I'm going for Geza Anda. (Personally I like Uchida, too!)
BW, kb

Coming late on to this one kb I like Schiff and Brendel.

[Bryn]

I have all the Alban Berg CDs - which are very good - but I do think they are over aggressive in some (many?) of the works. Indeed, they may actively prevent the listener dozing off, IIRC. There is no single way to play these pieces, and different groups do bring different views and insights.

That's interesting, Dave. I have read comments elsewhere which take the exact opposite view, regarding the ABQ's late '70s/early '80s set as too tame. A similar criticism has been leveled at the Tokyo Quartet's fairly recent SACD sets. What I found was that the latter treated the humour in Beethoven's writing as smile, rather then chuckle, inducing. However, while the earlier Tokyo boxed set might enjoy bargain status, the SACD sets don't really fall in to that category. That brings me back to the ABQ. As has been mentioned, their EMI/Warner CD set was recorded partly in analogue and partly (the late quartets) in early digital. However, it was not the earliest of digital. The last of their analogue recordings (of two of the Op. 18 set) was as late as May 1981. Their first digital recordings were made in December of that year, by which time many of the teething problems had been ironed out, though sample rate and quantization depth were far more limited than those employed today.

The ABQ returned to recording the quartets, this time live in concert, in the summer of 1989. That survey can be found on three double DVD sets at competitive prices via the amazon.co.uk marketplace. In addition to 2 channel PCM (48/16) stereo, the DVDs also offer what is described as 5.0 surround (both Dolby Digital and dts). I have my suspicions about the surround claim since the credits refer to "mSurround upmixing". That notwithstanding, I find the performances on those DVDs somewhat more compelling than the studio sessions. As with the studio recordings, Op. 133 was done separately from Op. 130, though only days, rather than 6 months, later.

[Oh dear. Since posting, amazon.co.uk has run out of Vol. 3 of the DVD sets.]

[Dave2002]

The EMI Wagner Great Operas box is currently under £42 at you know where - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wagner-Great...=Wagner+operas

While this price is somewhat higher than it once was, when the set first came out, it is the lowest price it has been for some while.

[kea]

The Beethoven quartet cycle I'm still looking for is the Juilliard's 1964-70 recordings, but those seem unlikely to make it to the bargain bin anytime soon (last I checked Amazon US had a new copy for only $1,699.99). I suspect that if their approach doesn't do it for me, a listener who finds Endellion and ABQ a bit on the tame/moderate side of things (though favouring Vegh for an alternative "introspective" approach), I'll have to learn how to play violin, viola and cello and record my own cycle :<

Anyway... bargains. There's one copy of the Percussions de Strasbourg 50th anniversary set left at £41 or so, does that count?

[Dave2002]

That's interesting, Dave. I have read comments elsewhere which take the exact opposite view, regarding the ABQ's late '70s/early '80s set as too tame.

Bryn

I'm currently rethinking this, and will get back in a while (maybe days, weeks) after doing more comparisons. However there is certainly aggression in the opening of the Serioso Quartet - http://open.spotify.com/track/46IfV6f1MVEout3KTvyKYI (it's track 29 if the link doesn't get you there) but that may not be typical of the whole set, and is also perhaps justified for that particular work. Are any other quartets more aggressive than that?

I'll be back ... in a while.

[Dave2002]

A quickie, following msg 4359 - have we talked about Beethoven quartets in recent months? Maybe time for a new thread on these?

[visualnickmos]

The Beethoven quartet cycle I'm still looking for is the Juilliard's 1964-70 recordings, but those seem unlikely to make it to the bargain bin anytime soon (last I checked Amazon US had a new copy for only $1,699.99)

What about this? Still a luxury item, it seems......

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-String-Quartets-Juilliard-Quartet/dp/B00006OA6A/ref=sr_1_25?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1400057599&sr=1-25&keywords=juilliard+beethoven

[Bryn]

A quickie, following msg 4359 - have we talked about Beethoven quartets in recent months? Maybe time for a new thread on these?

Last post less than a year ago. Don's final word might cause a sharp intake of breath.

I assume the late quartets box referred to is that of the live 1989 recordings which are also to be found on the DVD sets already mentioned a few messages ago:

[amateur51]

Coming late on to this one kb I like Schiff and Brendel.

I find that I usually have an aversion to Andras Schiff but I recently bought second-hand his Mozart concerto cycle with Sandor Vegh and haven't regretted it for a moment - wonderful music-making

I've known and enjoyed Brendel's cycle with Marriner for a long time but I've yet to hear any of his recordings with Mackerras, something to look forward to.

[Bryn]

Bryn

I'm currently rethinking this, and will get back in a while (maybe days, weeks) after doing more comparisons. However there is certainly aggression in the opening of the Serioso Quartet - http://open.spotify.com/track/46IfV6f1MVEout3KTvyKYI (it's track 29 if the link doesn't get you there) but that may not be typical of the whole set, and is also perhaps justified for that particular work. Are any other quartets more aggressive than that?

I'll be back ... in a while.

I have both ABQ recordings (1979 and 1989, with a change of violist having taken place during 1981 when they also switched from analogue to digital) to hand so will have a listen to them now.

[Their 1979 recording certainly has the fastest opening movement of Op. 95 I know, though only a little quicker than the Emersons. However, the "aggression" you refer to is basically written into the score (lots of 'staccato' dots under/over the quaver groups, and plenty of sfs). Their 1989 performance on DVD is considerably slower, though no less "aggressive" to my ears.]

[Bryn]

The Beethoven quartet cycle I'm still looking for is the Juilliard's 1964-70 recordings, but those seem unlikely to make it to the bargain bin anytime soon (last I checked Amazon US had a new copy for only $1,699.99). I suspect that if their approach doesn't do it for me, a listener who finds Endellion and ABQ a bit on the tame/moderate side of things (though favouring Vegh for an alternative "introspective" approach), I'll have to learn how to play violin, viola and cello and record my own cycle :<

Anyway... bargains. There's one copy of the Percussions de Strasbourg 50th anniversary set left at £41 or so, does that count?

Thanks. I have ordered the Percussions de Strasbourg 50th anniversary set for delivery to a shop en route back from work tomorrow, (I'm currently in the first week of a one month's free trial of amazon.co.uk's one day delivery system - must remember to cancel before the month is up.). I got the Juilliard set in an HMV sale for around a tenner, a couple of years or so back. Lucky me, eh? I did think twice before actually buying it. Did I really need yet another complete Beethoven string quartets survey to add to the score or so others I had accumulated over the years? Of course I did, and the few others I have purchased since. Must get round to digitizing the Concert Hall LP set by the old Fine Arts Quartet some time. That, I would think, is even more of a rarity than the Juilliards. Came across the rather smartly boxed set at the back of a long since closed down record shop in Wardour Street in the early '80s. ISTR that was also around a tenner, though of course, that meant a relatively larger hole in my bank balance than it would today. I knew how good their Bartok set was, so took a chance. The Fine Arts set is labeled as volume II, but all it lacks is the Op. 18 set, and it has the Op. 16 arrangement and Op. 29 Quintet played by the Pascal Quartet (with unattributed second violist) as a supplement.