The Recording Legacy of Pierre Boulez

[BBMmk2]

With grateful thanks to Forum members Richard Barrett et al, I was reminded of the fact that I have very few recordings of this great much lamented man. I see there is a box set from DG of his recordings with them but as ever with this Forum, I be indebted to members who could highlight some to me.

[Pulcinella]

And of course there is the (not quite complete; a couple of bits of Ravel missing that feature in the separate Ravel box) Sony edition:

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/advsearch.php?&performer=Boulez&label=Sony&page=6

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

And of course there is the (not quite complete; a couple of bits of Ravel missing that feature in the separate Ravel box) Sony edition:
http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/adv...el=Sony&page=6

And the complete ERATO recordings, too:

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Erato/2564619048

[umslopogaas]

I dont know about DG, but I have a 67 disc set of all his Columbia recordings, produced by Sony. I cant remember what it cost, but per disc it was a bargain. As usual, they use the original LP cover art on the CD covers. I havent played them all, but was very happy with the sound quality of those I have heard.

There has never, I think, been a better time to buy CDs, this is only one of many such bargain boxes that the companies are issuing at rock bottom prices. Its their attempt to get one last bit of profit from the CDs before those of us who buy them die out and leave a younger generation that isnt interested in owning discs, it just uses downloads and streaming. My living room is awash with huge boxes of discs!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

... and the early, groundbreaking Domaine Musical set, too!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Domaine-Musical-Pierre-Boulez/dp/B00QXJAKQQ

[vinteuil]

And of course there is the (not quite complete; a couple of bits of Ravel missing that feature in the separate Ravel box) Sony edition:
http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/adv...el=Sony&page=6

... to which might be added the Erato box -

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00QFVL1PG

and the Domaine Musicale box -

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00QXJAKQQ

I wouldn't want to be without his Mahler -

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004NO5HLG

and I also prize his 'Ring'

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01K8NI4D8

[ ... EDIT : crossposting : I see ferney has jumped ahead of me ]

[Richard Barrett]

I hadn't seen either of those boxes before! although I think I have most of what I would need from them. Highlights that spring to mind would be -

from the Sony box:
Boulez: Livre pour cordes, Eclat/Multiples, Rituel
Carter: A Symphony of Three Orchestras
Messiaen: Et Exspecto Resurrectionem Mortuorum, Couleurs de la cité céleste
Schoenberg: Gurrelieder, Moses und Aron, Serenade, Op. 24, Die Jakobsleiter
(but at least some of the Berio items listed, which are indeed indispensable, are surely conducted by Berio! What's going on there?)

from the Erato box:
Birtwistle: ...agm...
Boulez: Figures-doubles-prismes
Xenakis: Jalons

and from his DG recordings: all the Boulez, Mahler, Webern and Bartók for starters

[Richard Tarleton]

and from his DG recordings: all the Boulez, Mahler, Webern and Bartók for starters

and VPO Bruckner 8 recorded at St Florian

[gradus]

Parsifal anyone?

[Pulcinella]

I hadn't seen either of those boxes before! although I think I have most of what I would need from them. Highlights that spring to mind would be -

from the Sony box:
Boulez: Livre pour cordes, Eclat/Multiples, Rituel
Carter: A Symphony of Three Orchestras
Messiaen: Et Exspecto Resurrectionem Mortuorum, Couleurs de la cité céleste
Schoenberg: Gurrelieder, Moses und Aron, Serenade, Op. 24, Die Jakobsleiter
(but at least some of the Berio items listed, which are indeed indispensable, are surely conducted by Berio! What's going on there?)

from the Erato box:
Birtwistle: ...agm...
Boulez: Figures-doubles-prismes
Xenakis: Jalons

and from his DG recordings: all the Boulez, Mahler, Webern and Bartók for starters

The booklet is totally confused about the Berio pieces.
CD34 in the set contains Nones, Allelujah II, and Concerto for 2 Pianos.
Of these, only Allelujah II is listed in the index, and is attributed to the BBCSO and Berio.
But the page devoted to the CD gives the LSO as appearing in tracks [1/3] (sic, not 1, 3) with Berio as conductor [1--3], but also the BBCSO in [2] with Boulez as conductor!
Ravel's G major piano concerto is on CD21, with Ormandy conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra (and it too does not feature in the index). The missing Ravel pieces are Shéhérazade: Ouverture de féerie and the Fanfare pour L'Éventail de Jeanne.
The other Berio pieces all appeared originally on SK45862.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Corale-Chemins-II-Points-Curve/dp/B001GTQCNI/ref=sr_1_2?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1476268323&sr=1-2&keywords=berio+boulez

Hope that helps.

PS: Total confusion is really just a couple of typos. Change both the slash for where the LSO features and the dash where Berio as conductor features and it all makes sense for the CD contents, but the index is still wrong and incomplete.

[Beef Oven!]

Parsifal anyone?

[Richard Barrett]

and VPO Bruckner 8 recorded at St Florian

... I like it, but I think the striking thing about it is that it isn't really a re-envisioning of the music like Boulez's Mahler recordings are, but sounds more like just the VPO playing Bruckner as almost only they can.

I can't get on with Boulez's Wagner recordings, though I've tried hard, and he writes fascinatingly about his approach to them in Orientations.

Of course an area where Boulez is at his best is in Ravel and Debussy, although I don't know those recordings well enough to know whether I would prefer the CBS or DG ones. For me his earlier recordings of Messiaen and Schoenberg are preferable to the later ones, whereas with Webern it's the other way around.

[BBMmk2]

Well many thanks everyone, thus far! I have begun on Spotify Premium, the box set of Bartok. This must one of the best engineered recordings ever. I am completely bowled over by the sound of this recording!