Bargains

[verismissimo]

This looks to be interesting. Geza Anda - 10 CDs mostly of concerto recordings under a tenner:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hungarian-Master-Pianist-Best-Recordings/dp/B00CSHCJSE/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1373698102&sr=1-1&keywords=%22hungarian+master+pianist%22

[visualnickmos]

Well, leaving aside the fact that a fair few of us here bought that Shostakovich set for even less on CD a few years ago when Superdrug were clearing them off their shelves,

Yes - £1,99 and also Dvorak's complete concertos for 99p; and a massive Vivaldi box set for the same price (The Strand and Lewisham shopping centre, no less!)

But why and how did Superdrug stock classical CDs in the first place - seems crazy?!

[Bryn]

Yes - £1,99 and also Dvorak's complete concertos for 99p; and a massive Vivaldi box set for the same price (The Strand and Lewisham shopping centre, no less!)

But why and how did Superdrug stock classical CDs in the first place - seems crazy?!

Same parent company as Brilliant Classics, apparently.

[richardfinegold]

Yes - £1,99 and also Dvorak's complete concertos for 99p; and a massive Vivaldi box set for the same price (The Strand and Lewisham shopping centre, no less!)

But why and how did Superdrug stock classical CDs in the first place - seems crazy?!

Superdrug--we don't have this in the States. Who owns it, Keith Richards?

[visualnickmos]

Superdrug--we don't have this in the States. Who owns it, Keith Richards?

That made me laugh! It's a cheapo but OK chain store selling cosmetics, household cleaning products, some food products and a range of odd sorts of "bits and bobs" but sadly no more CDs...

[Bryn]

The link, at the time Superdrug were selling off some Brilliant Classics titles, was Kruidvat, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brilliant_Classics and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superdrug (search for Kruidvat therein).

[Dave2002]

While we try to figure out how or why we bought Brilliant boxes cheaply from Superdrug, there are some more available from Selections.

There's this collection of guitar music - http://www.selections.com/classical-...ion-25cds.html I don't know what's on it, or who is performing, but it seems possibly good for guitar enthusiasts.

There is a set of Nielsen symphonies conducted by Kuchar, and some other choral/vocal music, such as by Monteverdi and Palestrina - all at rather low prices.

[Nick Armstrong]

Good shout from Discount Dave!

Like the look of the Russian Archive series from Brilliant, such as this

http://www.selections.com/rudolf-barshai-conducts-russian-music-3cds.html

inc. unfamiliar fare like Alexander Lokshin's Symphony No.7 "on ancient Japanese verses"

[Dave2002]

I found a better listing of the tracks on the Classical Guitar collection I mentioned earlier (msg 3172) - http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/B...BClassics/9090

Gives more detail of the pieces on each CD, though doesn't enlighten much more about the performers. In fact there might be even less information about the performers than the earlier link!

Might still be of interest while guitar lovers wait for the soon to be (re?) issued Julian Bream collection.

[johnb]

I found a better listing of the tracks on the Classical Guitar collection I mentioned earlier (msg 3172) - http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/B...BClassics/9090

Gives more detail of the pieces on each CD, though doesn't enlighten much more about the performers. In fact there might be even less information about the performers than the earlier link!

Might still be of interest while guitar lovers wait for the soon to be (re?) issued Julian Bream collection.

IMO, the quality of the guitarist is critical in this repertoire as a significant proportion of it consists of miniatures which sometimes verge on being 'salon pieces' .

[Dave2002]

IMO, the quality of the guitarist is critical in this repertoire as a significant proportion of it consists of miniatures which sometimes verge on being 'salon pieces' .

At about £1 per CD for the set, there don't have to be too many good ones to make it worthwhile, however. I do agree with you that the guitar player makes a difference, though many of the ones who manage to get recorded these days are at the very least technically excellent, which I think was not always the case.

I have only managed to find one review. One customer at amazon.co.uk gave it 5 stars, and suggested it makes good music to drive to.
Seems more and more like a worthwhile punt to me.

[hafod]

At about £1 per CD for the set, there don't have to be too many good ones to make it worthwhile, however. I do agree with you that the guitar player makes a difference, though many of the ones who manage to get recorded these days are at the very least technically excellent, which I think was not always the case.

I have only managed to find one review. One customer at amazon.co.uk gave it 5 stars, and suggested it makes good music to drive to.
Seems more and more like a worthwhile punt to me.

Full contents and artist listing in the pdf link towards the end of this link.

http://www.guitarcds.net/store/viewItem.asp?idProduct=3121

Much of the repertoire and almost all of the peformers are completely unknown to me.

[johnb]

I would suggest that much (but not all) of the music will mainly appeal to guitar aficionados and those pieces really need a guitarist of the quality of Bream to give them a touch of magic.

I'm not up on the names of classical guitarists but there is one I recognise: Alirio Diaz (CD19) who I once heard in concert - very technically proficient but somehow lacking in personality (friends said that he was a guitarist's guitarist, whatever that means). The person who (in the 60s) taught me to play the classical guitar had been to one of the Segovia summer schools which were held in Sienna and, according to him, Alirio Diaz did much of the teaching there, at that time.

[Dave2002]

I expect I may check it out, if not one else wants to try.

The guitar often sounds like a simple instrument! I once had a friend who played - and he would start off some of the well known pieces - Bach etc. with gusto, and things would be going along very well for about a minute or two - then crunch - something gave - followed by "Oh ****" and the piece would then either start from the beginning, or from the point where it went wrong the first time. He really was good though, apart from one or two difficult bars, and I really admired him for it all. I assume that if he'd stuck to folk songs he'd have mostly found it all too easy. Of course Bream himself had problems getting the guitar accepted as a serious instrument, when he turned up at music college. I think some of the music written for it is rather challenging.

I suppose if we are going to be picky though, note that often pieces are played on modern guitars, whereas a lot of the music which is nowadays played on a modern guitar would have been written for something arguably cruder, perhaps a Neapolitan guitar or a one of a variety of other old style plucked instruments. There seems to be a sort of revival in Italy of people who play on such old instruments - well at least some musicians do it, and maybe I just happen to find them. There are a few at the music school in Novara, or in that region.

[Rolmill]

I'm tempted by this - the complete EMI David Oistrakh recordings at what seems to be an excellent price:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001ASVXSE/ref=s9_simh_gw_p15_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-5&pf_rd_r=0WJNYGZCP477D0QW1ZRR&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=358548967&pf_rd_i=468294

Is this set recommended by forum members?

In particular:
- are the recordings generally OK?
- any comments on the chamber music recordings with Vladimir Yampolsky (which I do not know at all)?