BaL 8.10.11 Tchaikovsky's Queen of Spades

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

That's an interesting question. The answer must be yes or they wouldn't do it.

If you look at the cost of a new disk, there's the cost of recording which the reissue doesn't have and the costs of production, sales, advertising etc. which I suspect are not much more for a 60 disk set than a single disk. On this basis, a set at £70 may actually be very profitable compared with a single disk reissue at £6. What do others think?

Mike

But at little over a pound a disc, including licensing, production, distribution, royalties. Even postage in some cases. It's amazing.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I've just bought the Gergiev set. Amazing stuff, though the Kirov Orchestra sounds a little boxed-in, Bayreuth-style. I was surprised it wasn't recommended in the BaL broadcast.
I went rather silly a couple of weeks ago and bought sets of all the available Tchaikovsky operas. That's all of them apart from the destroyed Undina and Vakula the Smith, which the composer later revised as Cherevichki. Both of those unavailable ones were broadcast in the Radio 3 Tchaikovsky Experience a few years ago.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Quite unintentionally, I bought the recommended Alexander Melik-Pasheyev recording at the weekend, as I couldn't resist the Brilliant Classics Tchaikovsky Edition at under £28 for 55 CDs. It may be a great performance, but the sound is a bit of a challenge. I wouldn't recommend it as a library choice for this reason.

[akiralx]

I see Jansons is releasing a recording of this soon, made in concert. When was the last time he recorded an opera?

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I see Jansons is releasing a recording of this soon, made in concert. When was the last time he recorded an opera?

This was the Disc of the Week on CD Review today. It sounds superb and might well have won the BaL 4 years ago, had it been available then.

[pastoralguy]

Thank you for resurrecting this thread, Alpine. I enjoyed what I heard this morning as well. I played this work about 10 years ago and developed a great affection for it.

[David-G]

This was the Disc of the Week on CD Review today. It sounds superb and might well have won the BaL 4 years ago, had it been available then.

Indeed. I think it is going to have to be a Christmas present.

[Nick Armstrong]

More cost-savings for yours truly & friends & relations!

Really slim pickings for me in this morning's CD Review....