Bargains

[teamsaint]

I think that the boxed set is all 40 CDs - there is no "Vol1" on the cover, and the back of the box image gives details of 40 CDs (and the Amazon review, from which I got the listing of works and performers, is of the CD set and mentions all 40 CDs).

I'm as puzzled as you (and, from ts' comments, as Amazon itself) as to what might be on the free download that you get when buying the box - it suggests that everything is included; but if this is so, why not offer it in the download-only offer?

yes, its very odd that they offer auto rip on this, but apparently can't get it together to offer the full set as a standalone download. Perhaps my query will get this process underway.
this is a very common issue with box set downloads, that the box set page leads to a cheaper download page, which often offers just a single CD, but with no obvious warning.

Anyway, I guess the box offers great value, and may well come down in price yet.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Pike!

He frequently referred to me as "Frank". I thought he meant "plain-speaking".

[Beef Oven!]

He frequently referred to me as "Frank". I thought he meant "plain-speaking".

[visualnickmos]

Now I'm confused! (More than usual). I have just got my Amazon player going again on my iPad - seems like a new version, and I wondered if I was going to be re-enrolled back into Prime, which I don't want. I was just about to hit Buy on the download, but I came back here and noticed the Warnings.

If I order the CDs will that be the whole set, as listed on the Presto site, or a subset? Is it only the downloads which are (cunningly!) organised into subsets of the whole collection? Hopefully the CDs should sound better, and there should be access to all the MP3s if I've read correctly. £40 +pp for such an unusual collection is not such a bad deal - or £44.42 with the Autorip MP3s..

How devastatingly complicated it is to buy music these days! (although it doesn't have to be)

Gone are the halcyon days of popping into the Co-Op on my home from school (6th form) and counting out my change to pay for a CfP record, and then playing it on my parents old, but good-sounding Ferguson radiogram - although judging by the damage that the heavy playing arm (technical term, somebody please help) did to them after a few years, it could have been a tractor.

[Parry1912]

Domingo's baritone Verdi recital on Amazon for £1.19

[Pianorak]

Now I'm confused! (More than usual). I have just got my Amazon player going again on my iPad - seems like a new version, and I wondered if I was going to be re-enrolled back into Prime, which I don't want. I was just about to hit Buy on the download, but I came back here and noticed the Warnings.

If I order the CDs will that be the whole set, as listed on the Presto site, or a subset? Is it only the downloads which are (cunningly!) organised into subsets of the whole collection? Hopefully the CDs should sound better, and there should be access to all the MP3s if I've read correctly. £40 +pp for such an unusual collection is not such a bad deal - or £44.42 with the Autorip MP3s..

All 40 CDs have just arrived - you may safely order.

[Conchis]

I've have been in Edinburgh for the past two weeks and noticed that the city's branch of Fopp (best bricks and mortar music store in the UK) had various bits of the Universal 20th Century Masters set going for £3.00 a piece. I picked up the following:

Berg: Three Orchestral Pieces/Early Songs - VPO/Abbado, Von Otter
Dutilleux: Concertos for Violin and Cello
Glass: Heroes Symphony/Violin Concerto
Henze: El Cimarron
Ligeti: Atmospheres, etc. - Abbado, Boulez, Atherton
Martin: Wind Concerti
Prokofiev: Sonatas 6-8, Ashkenazy
Stockhausen: Gruppen BPO/Abbado
Tippett: A Child Of Our Time BBCSO/Davis

[remdataram]

The Wilhelm Kempff 1964 Complete Beethoven Piano Sonatas are currently available on Qobuz for just £8.18 Lossless or £11.01 in Hi-Res.

[teamsaint]

I think that the boxed set is all 40 CDs - there is no "Vol1" on the cover, and the back of the box image gives details of 40 CDs (and the Amazon review, from which I got the listing of works and performers, is of the CD set and mentions all 40 CDs).

I'm as puzzled as you (and, from ts' comments, as Amazon itself) as to what might be on the free download that you get when buying the box - it suggests that everything is included; but if this is so, why not offer it in the download-only offer?

Just to clear this up: I have had a reply from Amazon which confirms that the autorip on this set does NOT include the full 40 CDs, only the first 20.

[gurnemanz]

Recently I downloaded the very good Songs And Opera Arias set with Galina Vishnevskaya and Mstislav Rostropovich, (at £12.99 about half the price of the 3 CDS). One aria was missing and when I emailed pointing this out they agreed and reimbursed me, so I of course got to keep the rest free of charge. I note that Amazon have removed the download option on their site.

[Dave2002]

Henryk Szerying box set from am.it

Might be a good set to have - https://www.amazon.it/gp/product/B01...81_em_sim_2_im

Haven't checked priced in other places.

[mikealdren]

Looks interesting:
Bach, J S:
Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, BWV1041
Violin Concerto No. 2 in E major, BWV1042
Concerto for Two Violins in D minor, BWV1043
Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major, BWV1068: Air ('Air on a G String')
Bartók:
Roumanian Dance, Sz. 47a, BB 61
Beethoven:
Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61
Triple Concerto for Piano, Violin, and Cello in C major, Op. 56
Berg:
Violin Concerto 'To the Memory of an Angel' (1935)
Brahms:
Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77
(1962 and 1973 recordings)
Double Concerto for Violin & Cello in A minor, Op. 102
Debussy:
La plus que lente
Khachaturian:
Violin Concerto in D minor
Kreisler:
Hungarian Dance In F Minor (After Brahms)
Lalo:
Symphonie espagnole, Op. 21
Marroquin:
Mexican Lullaby
Mendelssohn:
Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64
(1964 and 1976 recordings)
Novácek, O:
Perpetuum mobile - Concert Caprice Op. 5 No. 4
Paganini:
Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major, Op. 6
Violin Concerto No. 3 in E major
Violin Concerto No. 4 in D minor
Ravel:
Tzigane
Rimsky Korsakov:
Flight of the Bumble Bee
Saint-Saëns:
Violin Concerto No. 3 in B minor, Op. 61
Havanaise, Op. 83
Introduction & Rondo capriccioso, Op. 28
Schumann:
Violin Concerto in D minor, WoO 23
Tchaikovsky:
Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35
Vivaldi:
The Four Seasons
Concerto, Op. 3 No. 9 'Con Violino Solo obligati', RV 230
Concerto, Op. 3 No. 6 'Con Violino Solo obligato', RV 356

It isn't clear what the source of the violin/piano items is, if they are the Mercury items, it's a shame they aren't complete.

Mike

[cloughie]

Looks interesting:
Bach, J S:
Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, BWV1041
Violin Concerto No. 2 in E major, BWV1042
Concerto for Two Violins in D minor, BWV1043
Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major, BWV1068: Air ('Air on a G String')
Bartók:
Roumanian Dance, Sz. 47a, BB 61
Beethoven:
Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61
Triple Concerto for Piano, Violin, and Cello in C major, Op. 56
Berg:
Violin Concerto 'To the Memory of an Angel' (1935)
Brahms:
Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77
(1962 and 1973 recordings)
Double Concerto for Violin & Cello in A minor, Op. 102
Debussy:
La plus que lente
Khachaturian:
Violin Concerto in D minor
Kreisler:
Hungarian Dance In F Minor (After Brahms)
Lalo:
Symphonie espagnole, Op. 21
Marroquin:
Mexican Lullaby
Mendelssohn:
Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64
(1964 and 1976 recordings)
Novácek, O:
Perpetuum mobile - Concert Caprice Op. 5 No. 4
Paganini:
Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major, Op. 6
Violin Concerto No. 3 in E major
Violin Concerto No. 4 in D minor
Ravel:
Tzigane
Rimsky Korsakov:
Flight of the Bumble Bee
Saint-Saëns:
Violin Concerto No. 3 in B minor, Op. 61
Havanaise, Op. 83
Introduction & Rondo capriccioso, Op. 28
Schumann:
Violin Concerto in D minor, WoO 23
Tchaikovsky:
Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35
Vivaldi:
The Four Seasons
Concerto, Op. 3 No. 9 'Con Violino Solo obligati', RV 230
Concerto, Op. 3 No. 6 'Con Violino Solo obligato', RV 356

It isn't clear what the source of the violin/piano items is, if they are the Mercury items, it's a shame they aren't complete.

Mike

And isn't the box title rather misleading Henryk Szeryng in Concert suggests it is a collection of live recordings and not a reassembly of recordings, many of which you have collected over many years! A quick check and I have most already. Oh the joy of being a collector and how the record companies love us.

[Conchis]

Post-Brexit, are bargains 'bargains'?

[Dave2002]

Szerying set - Reasonable comments re the record companies - repackaging - and not actually putting out live concerts, even though the title suggests it might be. However, it might still be good - I don't know. I have a few of the recordings I think, but nothing like the whole set. It would appear to be around £25 at the current Euro price, plus a few pounds for postage. am.uk has it for between £35 (marketplace) and £37.28 currently. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Concert-Hen...ywords=szeryng

So, it probably is cheaper through the am.it site. That would work out at a little over £2 per CD, and the value to "you" will also depend on whether you have most of them already. I suspect the few I have already in total probably cost around the whole price of the current box offering.

So, should I go for it, given that I don't have most of the items? Possibly.

I looked to see if I could stream any of this from Qobuz - at present there may be technical issues (may be my end, but could be at the Qobuz end ...).
Perhaps several of the performances are mono recordings - which may, or not, be a problem, depending on your tastes. I don't know it there were some recordings which were done in both mono and stereo, but some are definitely being flagged as mono, so maybe that's all there is for some of the pieces.

Violin enthusiasts may like it anyway - and I've not ruled it out yet. If some of the items are from Mercury, would they be in any of the big Mercury boxes? That would represent more duplication for me, but would also give me a chance to sample the performances.

There do, in fact, seem to be three CDs in the Mercury Vol 1 box - CD37 - Brahms and Katchaturian concertos, CD 40 Kreisler "Treasures", and CD47 which has the Mendelssohn and Schumann concertos, plus some fillers. Are these the same performances as in the "new" box collection? Probably.
This is reducing my appetite for yet another box.