Bargains

[Thropplenoggin]

http://www.mdt.co.uk/brahms-complete...ics-12cds.html

I am tempted by this. It will involve some duplication though.

Hmm. Brandis Quartett? Who are they? Superficially it looks good, but this is why I generally avoid box sets. I doubt I'd return to much of this over individual CDs containing stellar performances of the works.

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Thanks, robk, for reminding me of MDT. I see that Harmonia Mundi have a sale on there. This label still offering appalling value. Take the Arcanto Quartet. £8.75 (reduced from £11 for Schubert's String Quintet. And that's it. 52' on a disc that can squeeze in 80'. Why bother, when you can procure the Belcea Quartet on EMI for £7.30 and get the quintet and two quartets to boot?!

[amateur51]

http://www.mdt.co.uk/brahms-complete...ics-12cds.html

I am tempted by this. It will involve some duplication though.

That looks very interesting, robk

[amateur51]

Hmm. Brandis Quartett? Who are they? Superficially it looks good, but this is why I generally avoid box sets. I doubt I'd return to much of this over individual CDs containing stellar performances of the works.

http://www.allmusic.com/artist/brand...t-mn0001664918

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Brandis

Thomas Brandis frequently gives quartet masterclasses at the Royal Academy of Music, London

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

http://www.mdt.co.uk/brahms-complete...ics-12cds.html

I am tempted by this. It will involve some duplication though.

I own this set, robk - some very good performances and not a duff one in the box: Isabelle Faust, Bruno Giuranna, Gyorgi Pauk, Roger Vignoles, Philippe Entremont, Karl Leister, Brett Dean, the Tokyo S4tet in the Quartets, the Brandises (basically the S4tet of the Berlin Philharmonic) in the Quintets, the Albernis in the Sextets, the Nash Ensemble - and all in recordings licensed from CRD, NIMBUS, VOX and such-like, mostly in the 1990s (the Sextets are dated "1978" but I wonder if it should read "1987"). The Musicians and performances in this boxed set don't put a foot, finger or bow wrong and never get between these glorious works (the best of Brahms is here!) and the listener; and at a decent price, too although it was considerably cheaper a couple of years or so ago when I got it!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Hmm. Brandis Quartett? Who are they? Superficially it looks good, but this is why I generally avoid box sets. I doubt I'd return to much of this over individual CDs containing stellar performances of the works.

I shared your suspicions, Thropple, but decided to give it a go anyway - it was either that, or not have these works in my collection at all; and, at just under £12, it seemed silly to dismiss it. It turned out to be that rare and precious creature, a genuine bargain - one that I have returned to frequently and with great pleasure.

(The Brandis 4tet consisted of the principals of the String section of Karajan's Berlin Phil in the late '70s & '80s: Thomas Brandis, Peter Brem, Wilfried Strehle and Wolfgang Boettcher - with Bret Dean in the Quintets.)

[Thropplenoggin]

I shared your suspicions, Thropple, but decided to give it a go anyway - it was either that, or not have these works in my collection at all; and, at just under £12, it seemed silly to dismiss it. It turned out to be that rare and precious creature, a genuine bargain - one that I have returned to frequently and with great pleasure.

(The Brandis 4tet consisted of the principals of the String section of Karajan's Berlin Phil in the late '70s & '80s: Thomas Brandis, Peter Brem, Wilfried Strehle and Wolfgang Boettcher - with Bret Dean in the Quintets.)

Thanks for that, FHG - I may well reconsider given such praise.

[Dave2002]

http://www.mdt.co.uk/brahms-complete...ics-12cds.html

I am tempted by this. It will involve some duplication though.

I wonder if most of those were in other packages in earlier times. I suspect I may find I've got most or all already, perhaps plus some more. Otherwise it does look quite good.

What other Brahms could one want? Which other performances?

Pollini for the F minor quintet perhaps. Raphael Ensemble for the quintets and sextets. Any number of reasonable clarinettists for the clarinet works - perhaps Gervase de Peyer or Sabine Meyer. Maybe Anne-Sophie Mutter for the violin sonatas. I have the Alban Berg Quartet for the string quartets. I don't know how good they are really, as they've not convinced me to like those works yet. The box set should cetainly work out cheaper than looking for individual performances.

Who's best, or at least very good, for the horn works?

[teamsaint]

Don't know if this Bax symphony set has been at this download price for long, i certainly didn't notice it before.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bax-Symphonies-Tintagel-interview-Handley/dp/B003H3G46G/ref=sr_1_2_digr?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1371416155&sr=1-2

[amateur51]

Don't know if this Bax symphony set has been at this download price for long, i certainly didn't notice it before.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bax-Symphoni...1416155&sr=1-2

Hooge bargain cf CD set

But I don't do downloads

[Dave2002]

Hooge bargain cf CD set

But I don't do downloads

Amazingly easy to do on the Amazon site via iPad. The only danger is that with the One-Click ordering it could be easy to actually buy something not needed - with presumably no come-back. I generally prefer sites which at least require some confirmation for each purchase. AFAIK even iTunes forces a password check from time to time. That said, the Bax set is almost £40 from the iTunes store, so this is a good deal unless (a) you really don't want Bax at all (b) you have the recordings already (c) you don't like Handley. I'm not wild about all of Bax, but if you're going to listen to his music Handley is pretty much tops. I only heard Handley conduct once - in Bax Tintagel, and the sound he got from the orchestra was amazing.

[Thropplenoggin]

20% off all Ivan Fischer releases over at Presto. Not the best of bargains, but the best Mahler 4 you're likely to hear, and in the most sumptuous sound, too: http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/fis...p?k=2&w=Mahler

His other works here: http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/fischer.php

[Dave2002]

But I don't do downloads

Just curious. Why not?

Is it that you think CDs (DVDs, SACDs etc.) are better?
Is sound quality a factor?

Is it a technology "thing"?

Fear of online?

Other?

[amateur51]

Just curious. Why not?

Is it that you think CDs (DVDs, SACDs etc.) are better?
Is sound quality a factor?

Is it a technology "thing"?

Fear of online?

Other?

Fundamentally an age/technology thing plus I like having CDs. I have a dodgy broadband connection too & I guess that this would be a problem.

[amateur51]

Presto are offering some significant other bargains in addition to the ones that Thropplenoggin highlights

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/profil.php

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/musicalpicture.php

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/historical.php

[Dave2002]

Fundamentally an age/technology thing plus I like having CDs. I have a dodgy broadband connection too & I guess that this would be a problem.

I suspect the broadband problem is not insuperable. I go with CDs too, unless there's a substantial reduction with downloads, which in the case of the Bax and some others - e.g Tchaikovsky,Glazunov, Sibelius, plus odd ones such as Riley's in C, there often is. I'd suggest giving the occasional download a whirl - see how you go.