Classical music bargains

[Д.Д.]

Agree with MomsMobley re Perahia and Marcelle Meyer. I missed the big Meyer box, but I guess Warner will reissue it, either whole or in parts. This Rameu piece sure is gorgeous.

[king ubu]

I've got the Meyer box - it's wonderful indeed!

Wasn't tempted by the Nat ...

And while I guess Buchbinder (modern) and Bilson (hip) would be my favourites in Mozart, there are many others I enjoy, namely Casadesus but yeah, also Perahia ...

[Stefan Wood]

Moms is frequently annoying and frequently "spot on" for me. I agree about Perahia.

Agreed. I have the box, and it is overall pleasant but Meyer is exceptional.

[David Ayers]

Unexceptional opinions wildly stated.

[paul secor]

That's something that could be said of most of us at times.

[David Ayers]

That's something that could be said of most of us at times.

Maybe...

[crisp]

FWIW that Perahia set is £59.84 at Amazon UK.

[jazzbo]

Mahler Symphonies 1 -10 on 15 Hybrid SACDs, and also a DVD, 28 dollars and shipping (unless you have prime).

http://www.amazon.com/Mahler-Symphonies-Tonhalle-Orchestra-Zurich/dp/B0045TN2MK/ref=sr_1_8?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1413947551&sr=1-8&keywords=DVD-Audio

Got this set in yesterday and sat in the dark and listened to the first symphony early this morning. The SACD Sound is quite good, an interesting recording.

[MomsMobley]

I don't think there is anything wrong with Perahia's Mozart. It's technically proficient, it has a distinct point of view, and it is consistent within that. If you want Mozart that is more masculine and angular, that is fine. But there's nothing wrong with Mozart that focuses on beauty and liquid fluidity. I personally think he is my favorite for this, but I recognize that Mozart piano concertos are a packed field with lots of great choices. I wouldn't pick him as a first choice for anything other than Mozart. But he puts up a good show, even of works that are way out of his milieu.

I don't disagree with this description of the Mozart but I do view it as an indictment: Mozart was the supreme opera composer of his and every age (equalled, never surpassed); it's ludicrous to pretend the same or very similar musical rhetoric (for lack of better term here) is absent from the piano concertos and yet-- YET... even allowing Perahia's pianism, the conducting there is unaccetably restrained and po' faced. The fact that Murray hasn't pursued conducting is to his credit-- it was clearly not his forte but meanwhile, there it is (even if perhaps ghosted by the ECO), boxed and pedestaled...

Now, I'm not going to argue a general case for Decca-era (London in US) Andras Schiff, he shares many of Perahaia's weaknesses-- but 1) Murray's best-- later-- Bach is better than Schiff's and 2) Schiff has a GREAT conductor and a GREAT orchestra on his Mozart piano concertos.

I can't imagine that, were each equally accessible, ANYONE, movement for movement, would prefer Perahia to Schiff. BOTH usually underplay Mozart but Sandor Vegh is exponentially more sensitive and wide ranging conductor than Perahia/ECO.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAHaw-oTywA

Ubu, Bilson/Gardiner is kinda interesting but Gardiner is too straitlaced, what works for drilling Handel choristers (so to speak) doesn't often work elsewhere and though he has made some decent opera & orchestral recordings... his Bach (first go round), Monteverdi, Mozart and Beethoven aren't among them. (Purcell aye, Handel sometimes, Schumann, mostly yes (he was getting better.))

Robert Levin w/ Chrisopher Hogwood is MUCH better, Levin improv caprice sparking usefully against Hogwood, who's peppy like a tickled scrotum.

Best "neutral" Mozart integrale btw is Christian Zacharias on MD&G though the EMI set is also pretty good, occasionally let down with heavy orchestra.

Buchbinder is OK, he-- unlike Perahia he does understand/feel the rhetoric-- but he's a bit ponderous at times also.

rambunctious Viviana Sofronitsky rules the period roost

esp. since Levin/Hogwood is incomplete ('mature', we don't need the kid stuff again) and Ronald Brautigan problematic (his solo Beethoven series on BIS is excellent howev), tho' I definitely wouldn't mind hearing Arthur Schoonderwoerd take 'em on. Here's Artie doing KV 281--

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zppndT_IcEo

Mozart is too great to accept less than the complete expression of his genius.

Edited October 24, 2014 by MomsMobley

[Van Basten II]

Resumé of deals you can make with Amazon.Italy

http://bons-plans-classique.blogspot.ca/#uds-search-results

[MomsMobley]

Resumé of deals you can make with Amazon.Italy

http://bons-plans-classique.blogspot.ca/#uds-search-results

The DG Messiaen box on that list is an excellent deal; not every performance is the 'best' or only one you'd want but that's because Ollie's achievement so capacious. Includes texts and translations, unlike some of these other coffins.

Edited October 26, 2014 by MomsMobley

[king ubu]

Thanks Moms! I love Gardiner's recordings of Mozart's late operas ... but then I love Mozart's operas so dearly, they're one of the rare cases ("La Traviata" is another) where the mere *idea* of what I'm hearing is bigger than any actualisation of it ... which kinda has me enjoy even mediocre Mozart (like HvK's sped up "sporty" Così fan tutte - oh, how I wish they let Furtwängler conduct all those recordings with the Viennese Mozart ensemble of singers! The blend of voices is amazing, but Karajan just rushed by and cuts out so much, it all nearly falls apart - similar for Klemp's Magic Flute - hard for me to imagine a much better ensemble, but it falls apart in mere numbers ... he kinda turns the great singspiel into an old-fashioned opera seria).

Anyway, I don't think Gardiner's Mozart opreas are mediocre, at least the (late) ones I've heard, I think they're pretty darn great.

What do you think of Currentzis' Figaro, Moms? I found it a bit, how shall I put it ... balanced? But the playing and musicality of it all are of the highest order, I guess ... just would have wished for a tad more exuberance or craziness here and there. Not sure I need the Don Giovanni that's being released soon - haven't checked out who's singing there.

[Bigshot]

Mozart was the supreme opera composer of his and every age (equalled, never surpassed); it's ludicrous to pretend the same or very similar musical rhetoric (for lack of better term here) is absent from the piano concertos

Do you feel the same about the Divertimenti?

[bogdan101]

The Seon Collection 119 loonies at amazon.ca

Edited October 28, 2014 by bogdan101

[Larry Kart]

Mozart was the supreme opera composer of his and every age (equalled, never surpassed); it's ludicrous to pretend the same or very similar musical rhetoric (for lack of better term here) is absent from the piano concertos

Do you feel the same about the Divertimenti?

About some of them, yes. For example K. 287, the theme-and-variations second movement especially( that second variation!) -- there's a whole world and life wrapped up in there. I wouldn't mind if that movement (in this recording) were played at my funeral:

[Stefan Wood]

Amazon spain has rediculous prices on these two set. Turns out, they won't ship to the US. I'm wondering is it worth it for someone in Europe to buy these then ship to me?

http://www.amazon.es/Complete-Opera-Collection-Dietrich-Fischer-Dieskau/dp/B0041IFTDK/ref=lh_ni_t?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3VGWN07M5P6UX

http://www.amazon.es/30-Complete-Operas-Maria-Callas/dp/B004JC16LM/ref=pd_sim_sbs_m_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0SHG3JP7MGNY2KKVP9SX

[king ubu]

Amazon spain has rediculous prices on these two set. Turns out, they won't ship to the US. I'm wondering is it worth it for someone in Europe to buy these then ship to me?

http://www.amazon.es/Complete-Opera-Collection-Dietrich-Fischer-Dieskau/dp/B0041IFTDK/ref=lh_ni_t?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3VGWN07M5P6UX

http://www.amazon.es/30-Complete-Operas-Maria-Callas/dp/B004JC16LM/ref=pd_sim_sbs_m_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0SHG3JP7MGNY2KKVP9SX

Whenever amazon does the shipping for vendors - as is the case for both of these - they will not ship in any other countries. They will not ship within Europe either, only within Spain.

Sucks, but has been like that for quite a while.

For the Callas box, you can find better offers and ones that do ship internationally, for instance here:

http://www.amazon.de/gp/offer-listing/B004JC16LM/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new

"neu" means "new" and Zweitausendeins should deliver, I assume ... you can alternatively (shipping costs may differ) order straight with them, too:

http://www.zweitausendeins.de/maria-callas-30-komplette-opern.html

They do not have that Wagner box (and offers on other European amazon sites don't seem as nearly cheap).

[Д.Д.]

Amazon spain has rediculous prices on these two set. Turns out, they won't ship to the US. I'm wondering is it worth it for someone in Europe to buy these then ship to me?

http://www.amazon.es/Complete-Opera-Collection-Dietrich-Fischer-Dieskau/dp/B0041IFTDK/ref=lh_ni_t?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3VGWN07M5P6UX

http://www.amazon.es/30-Complete-Operas-Maria-Callas/dp/B004JC16LM/ref=pd_sim_sbs_m_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0SHG3JP7MGNY2KKVP9SX

Whenever amazon does the shipping for vendors - as is the case for both of these - they will not ship in any other countries. They will not ship within Europe either, only within Spain.

Sucks, but has been like that for quite a while.

Sucks indeed, but this is not true . This one can be shipped within EU.

[king ubu]

Okay, for obvious reasons I wouldn't know ... Swiss are self-discriminating, so no reason to be pissed about evil A for once, I guess

[mjzee]

Popmarket has the Sony Bernstein box for $99.99.

[Dave Garrett]

Popmarket has the Sony Bernstein box for $99.99.

Sold out. That was quick.

[jazzbo]

I shouldn't have, but I squeezed in before the end.

[MomsMobley]

I shouldn't have, but I squeezed in before the end.

Now that's a great set, even if not every recording (esp. in Mozart, Bach) is tip-top... Damn near worth it for the Nielsen and American recordings alone... But there are near endless discoveries to be made in this set, Bernstein's own music included...

Which only heightens the Perahia Conundrum... cf. he will likely die, 40+ years a star, not having recorded anything more recent than that one Bartok recital?!

What a waste of talent, resources, opportunity.

If someone wants to counter with say Artur Rubinstein they're wrong because tho' he didn't do tons of contemporary works, here's a list of LIVING COMPOSERS he did record--

* Szymanowksi

* Stravinsky

* Prokofiev

* Poulenc

* Villa-Lobos

* Rachmaninov

* Falla

* Ravel

* Faure

If we add the list of composers living while Artur was also alive but not yet recording, we can add

* Albeniz, Granados, Scriabin, Debussy

# of living composers Murray Perahia has recorded: ZERO

# of composers once alive at same time as Murray that he's recorded: ZERO

Uh... Murray?

[Bigshot]

Why does a performer have to do works by living performers? That seems like a very odd criteria for judging the quality of a performer. It's great if they do, but it doesn't make them a better performer... just one who plays contemporary music.

[David Ayers]

Why does a performer have to do works by living performers? That seems like a very odd criteria for judging the quality of a performer. It's great if they do, but it doesn't make them a better performer... just one who plays contemporary music.

Fair question. Lack of interest in life? In others? In musical possibility? In the things that any educated person knows about music? Like if you never read a book by a person who had been alive during your lifetime and didn't think anyone else should either? Could be anything, I don't know.