Bargains
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Originally posted by hafod View PostThese seem to have come down in price quite substantially:
Janacek: Operas/Sinfonietta/Taras Bulba, Mackerras 9 discs £16.34
Messiaen Complete Edition, Deutsche Grammophon, 32 discs £51.47
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Messiaen-Com...SIN=B001D94L1Q
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Originally posted by kea View PostThe 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?
I also noted this Messiaen set - http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...&pf_rd_i=typ01 which some of us failed to get from the grocers a few years ago. I don't know whether the current price - around £30 is reasonable - depends how much you want the set I suppose.
It looks as though the late Beethoven quartets by the Juilliard Quartet are on Spotify - http://open.spotify.com/track/70tI7bdG14Le2KzE7fnrla but I can't see the earlier ones. I'm not sure if those recordings are the 1964-70 ones you wanted.
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amateur51
Originally posted by mathias broucek View PostThanks for sharing. IIRC the Janacek comes without texts and translations
I haven't regretted the decision for a moment
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Originally posted by Bryn View PostThe Juilliard Beethoven late quartets may well be their live set. Much later recordings, but worth hearing.
I suppose it is a certain degree of wildness/roughness that appeals (at least in Beethoven); found I preferred the Belcea over the Artemis, for instance, because their playing seemed less polished.
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Originally posted by kea View PostYes I've found their 1980s set on Naxos Music Library, which I enjoyed—however it was in many respects a completely different ensemble by that point, and in general I've found their 1950s-1960s recordings to be my favourites.
I suppose it is a certain degree of wildness/roughness that appeals (at least in Beethoven); found I preferred the Belcea over the Artemis, for instance, because their playing seemed less polished.
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Originally posted by amateur51 View PostIt was on this basis that I made the heavy-hearted decision to collect second-hand versions of the original releases rather than succumb to the temptation of this cheaper and space-saving set mathias.
I haven't regretted the decision for a moment
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Originally posted by Barbirollians View PostNot a particular bargain but I see you can get a arkiv music copy of that EMI Profile Leonid Kogan set that is/was going for ridiculous prices on Amazon for $20 .
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Brahms-Beeth...leonid+Profile However the ArkivMusic version for around $25-30 might be a CD-R if that is of concern - http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listi...&condition=all
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Originally posted by Dave2002 View PostI've recently (re-)discovered that I can access the Naxos Music Library via our local library service. I've not tried it recently - though I think I did check it out a few years ago - possibly via a different library service.
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Mark Meldon
Seeking Original Issues
Originally posted by mathias broucek View PostDon't understand why they don't include a data CD with pdfs....
Are we seeing a long-term "dumbing-down" of culture as far as music is concerned. Are most "classical" music collectors greying middle-aged men like me? Is it a "bloke thing"? I don't know the answer to these questions, but it seems such a pity that all of the effort made by re-creative artists in giving us a recording is clearly, with some exceptions, suffering from deflation right now!
I regretfully find, too, that the big box sets I have sit there glowering at me gradually accumulating dust!
And, is it just me, but do some of these purportedly "re-mastered" re-issues actually sound awful as they have been mastered with the ipod generation in mind? A simple example is the Dinu Lipatti "Icons" EMI box issued a few years ago; to my 50-year old ears the sound was terribly compressed, certainly in comparison with the initial EME Références issue from 25-30 years ago.
Anyway, JPC over in Germany is offering Buchbinder's excellent Mozart Piano Concerto set for twenty Euros at present. Now on Profil, this set was originally issued by Calig who, like Collins Classics, bit the dust years ago. I have always appreciated Buchbinder's pianism and heartily recommend this "complete" set.
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Originally posted by Mark Meldon View PostI think, basically, this is purely down to cost constraints. There can be very little profit from endlessly recycling back-catalogue in ever bigger boxes of CDs. Of late, I have also gone back to trying to find the original issue of a particular title as, simply, the all-important booklet will normally contain texts and translations, whereas the el-cheapo reissues (tempting as they are) rarely do. Clearly, some of these discs sold in tiny numbers (just a few dozen, anecdotally, in many cases) so they can be as rare as hen's teeth and priced accordingly. With rather a lot of patience and effort, though, bargains can be had. I just picked up (for better or worse) Karajan's early "Figaro" in it's "Great Recordings of the Century" edition in a slip-case with full libretto from Zoverstocks for £1.27 and the condition was near-mint! Same with the Fritz Busch "Don Giovanni" for £5.04. Why are these things so cheap nowadays?
Are we seeing a long-term "dumbing-down" of culture as far as music is concerned. Are most "classical" music collectors greying middle-aged men like me? Is it a "bloke thing"? I don't know the answer to these questions, but it seems such a pity that all of the effort made by re-creative artists in giving us a recording is clearly, with some exceptions, suffering from deflation right now!
I regretfully find, too, that the big box sets I have sit there glowering at me gradually accumulating dust!
And, is it just me, but do some of these purportedly "re-mastered" re-issues actually sound awful as they have been mastered with the ipod generation in mind? A simple example is the Dinu Lipatti "Icons" EMI box issued a few years ago; to my 50-year old ears the sound was terribly compressed, certainly in comparison with the initial EME Références issue from 25-30 years ago.
Anyway, JPC over in Germany is offering Buchbinder's excellent Mozart Piano Concerto set for twenty Euros at present. Now on Profil, this set was originally issued by Calig who, like Collins Classics, bit the dust years ago. I have always appreciated Buchbinder's pianism and heartily recommend this "complete" set.
As for the Arkiv CD-Rs I agree I have only ever bought things that are very rare and expensive like this awesome Kogan set . The Brahms concerto is spectacular - such personality compared with today's identikit virtuosi.
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Originally posted by Mark Meldon View PostAre we seeing a long-term "dumbing-down" of culture as far as music is concerned. Are most "classical" music collectors greying middle-aged men like me? Is it a "bloke thing"? I don't know the answer to these questions, but it seems such a pity that all of the effort made by re-creative artists in giving us a recording is clearly, with some exceptions, suffering from deflation right now!
I have to say I like the old box sets, with full libretti c/w three or four decent essays (French, German, English and Italian) at least, to stimulate the mind. IWHT the answer these days is to make these essays available online in pdf format, so that they can be downloaded by anyone interested. That way they avoid the paper and printing costs; and the punter can still get access to the gen. For me, an opera or lieder release is a no-go if there are no texts and translations. Moreover, there should be no need to reinvent the wheel. Decent essays and translations for almost all of the standard repertoire (and non-standard) exist and the copyright should not be as prohibitive as commissioning new writing.
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