Bargains

[Mandryka]

In London, over the weekend, I picked up:

from HMV, Oxford Street,

Mendelssohn - String Quartets (EMI, 3CD set)

Shostakovich 5, Chamber Symphony - VPO/Jansons

Vec Makropoulos - Supraphon version from the 60s, from an Upper Street charity shop

[barber olly]

The River People currently have the recent Chandos Tasmin Little Elgar VC for £4.99, well worth it I think.

[EdgeleyRob]

I don't have much Tchaikovsky in my collection and came across this which I have just downloaded. Seems like a real bargain.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tchaikovsky-Symphonies-Orchestral-Works/dp/B004OTND8O

[rubbernecker]

I don't have much Tchaikovsky in my collection and came across this which I have just downloaded. Seems like a real bargain.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tchaikovsky-.../dp/B004OTND8O

Crikey, that's cheap (even by Tchaikovsky's standards)!

[Lion-of-Vienna]

I don't have much Tchaikovsky in my collection and came across this which I have just downloaded. Seems like a real bargain.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tchaikovsky-.../dp/B004OTND8O

Click on the icon at the foot of the page and you will find the Lahti-Vanska set of the Sibelius symphonies for £5.99!! It includes both versions of No.5, the Lemminkainen suite and the Violin Concerto amongst others. There is also a complete Glazunov symphony cycle by Fedoseyev for £4.99.

[ostuni]

Thanks for the tip, LoV: Sibelius is downloading as I type!

[Barbirollians]

[QUOTE=barber olly;57450]The River People currently have the recent Chandos Tasmin Little Elgar VC for £4.99, well worth it I think.[/QUOTE

But you can get Kennedy/Handley for £4.57 and Znaider/Sir C davis for just over £6 .

[robk]

Thanks from me too for the tip. I'm also now downloading the Sibelius. I've been after a recording of the Karelia Suite. Very happy to have the Vanska symphonies as well.

[Dave2002]

Amazon have sent me an email trying to persuade me to buy boxed sets.

In particular a set of Mozart Operas by JEG -at perhaps a reasonable price - to be issued on June 13. Does anyone know how complete that set is? 18 CDs I think, so maybe not as complete as some others.

Also Mahler symphonies by Bertini - not sure if that's worth following, but the JEG set might be.

[Dave2002]

Click on the icon at the foot of the page and you will find the Lahti-Vanska set of the Sibelius symphonies for £5.99!! It includes both versions of No.5, the Lemminkainen suite and the Violin Concerto amongst others. There is also a complete Glazunov symphony cycle by Fedoseyev for £4.99.

L-o-V

I thought I'd already replied/contributed to this one, but I guess that's part of the "joys" of computing - in my case recently using an iPad - sometimes things just don't happen!

Agree about the Glazunov/Fedoseyev - it's very good, but those who are not already into Glazunov, which is probably most, may find it hard going, and the recordings seem a bit oldish. If you look you'll also find the BBC NOW set with Otaka (mostly) as a download, and the sound quality is much better. It comes up for me at £4.99. I'd give the link, but I'm worried in case my id gets embedded - it's happened before. Go to Amazon, search in the MP3 store for Glazunov Otaka.
I recommend that as well as the Fedoseyev. I liked it so much I bought the CDs as well. Some people may not notice the difference in quality between the CDs and the MP3s in the BBC NOW set - both are good - though I'd say the CDs are better - but £26ish vs £4.99!

Oddly I've come to like the Fedoseyev more as time goes on, even despite the recording and sometimes arguably dodgy playing. It has intensity where needed etc., though the opening of number 5 is just weird. I could hardly believe the sounds I thought I was hearing!

I'd also recommend the Myaskovsky Cello Concerto and some of Myaskovsky's symphonies also played by Fedoseyev - again Amazon has them listed for me at £4.99 as a download. Maybe not such a bargain as the Glazunov sets, but a cheap way to get to hear some Myaskovsky.

[Curalach]

Also Mahler symphonies by Bertini - not sure if that's worth following.

I cannot recommend the Bertini Mahler set highly enough, it does not have a weak link. At the current Amazon price it is fantastic value.

[Dave2002]

I cannot recommend the Bertini Mahler set highly enough, it does not have a weak link. At the current Amazon price it is fantastic value.

Curalach

Thanks - I'm sure my bank manager will be pleased! Yet another Mahler set ...

Ah well, it's only money!

PS: Re the Fedoseyev Glazunov Amazon downloads, I think there are two versions. One is £5.99 and has the symphonies, plus two other pieces. Amazon calls the first "Slavonic Feast" - in G, while the other is a March in E flat. £4.99 gets you only the symphonies. I couldn't possibly suggest that you save your money, but you may be underwhelmed with these additional pieces. On the other hand, it's only £1 more!

[Mandryka]

One of the rules I operate by: if something is advertised at an attractive price but I decide not to buy it, then has increased in price by the time I decide that I want it....I hold fire and wait until the price has slipped (at least) to the one that I declined to act on earlier.

The Bertini Mahler set was advertised at £18.99 just before Christmas, but I opted for Bernstein (at even less) instead. When Bertini hits that low again, I will be in there....

[rubbernecker]

Picked up the box set of the complete Simpson Symphonies at HMV London, Oxford St for £20 yesterday. Unfortunately this is not a bargain they appear to be offering online: http://hmv.com/hmvweb/displayProduct...;-1&sku=556509

[Suffolkcoastal]

I also picked the Simpson box set up in HMV, this time in Cambridge for £20 a couple of months ago, they haven't had so much of interest at bargain prices recently, I think I must have already grabbed all the bargains!