T.D. Posted June 28, 2013 Report Share Posted June 28, 2013 Berkshire Record Outlet sells a lot of Membran boxes. To my surprise, I noticed that there's one with "contemporary" music, 10 CDs for $14.90...Never thought I'd see names like Scelsi and Stockhausen in one of these boxes! Bentzon [1919-2000], Symphony #8; Symphonic Variations {Gothenburg-Aarhus Philharmonic/ Bostock}. Ligeti, Chamber Concerto for 13 Instruments. Webern, Concerto, Op.24. Varese, Octandre. Lutoslawski, Chain I. Takemitsu, Rain Coming. Birtwistle, Ritual Fragment {Aarhus Sinfonietta}. Lars Klit [b.1965], 'Catwalk' Opera {vocal soloists w.instrumental ensemble/ Thomas Veto}. Schnittke, Concerto for Mixed Choir; Requiem {HYMNIA Chamber Choir w.instrumental ensemble/ Flemming Windekilde} + Other Works by Stockhausen, Berio, Norgard, Norholm, Tanggaard, Scelsi et al. (Title: 'Snapshots: Developments of Contemporary Classical Music') Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeweil Posted June 29, 2013 Report Share Posted June 29, 2013 Also this one here, already out, wasn't aware of it ... pioneering work, it seems, no idea how well it holds up: http://www.amazon.de/Musik-Alten-St%C3%A4dten-Residenzen-Harnoncourt/dp/B00BM9I028/ This one is even cheaper at the UK amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00BM9I028/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE Strange collection, this one. have you heard any of it? No, was just looking at the track list. The music is a starnge mix. This was just the beginning years of historically informed performance practice, so most is played on modern instruments, but the focus on certain residencies as centers of musical developmnt was new and exciting back then. If you like a geographical approach and do not mind a sometimes outdated sound and interpretational concept, it is still a nice listen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted July 7, 2013 Report Share Posted July 7, 2013 Moving this over here: Going to be pretty... Despite having a long way to go to even scrape the surface of the Boulez box I can't see myself holding out against this one. Again there will be some overlap and repetition but I'd imagine it will be mainly completely unknown to me. Haven't seen a breakdown of the actual contents of each disc yet. The contents are on the DG website. It is basically a re-issue of their earlier 14CD Henze box, all material from 70s or earlier, plus the Knussen recording of Ondine, plus a few short odds and ends from elsewhere in the catalogue. The earlier CD release included full texts and notes, but this one seems to have gone for original jacket (even though the CDs correspond to the earlier CD issues, not to the LPs) all of which may mean we don't get texts - which would be messed up really... The prestoclassical website says this about the box: A TRIBUTE TO ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT COMPOSERS OF THE 20th CENTURY For Henze music was “the communication of human experience…Music has made enormous progress in this century, as an art of the soul, as social refinement, as something important for people, as important as the air to breathe” This 16-CD set brings together for the first time all of Deutsche Grammophon recordings of Henze’s stage and concert works. • 16 CDs in mintpacks in a slipcase • featuring the original LP-cover artwork • fantastic repertoire • 68-page booklet • new essay by Max Nyffeler • interview Hans Werner Henze with Oliver Knussen • Photos of the Composer Source: http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/DG/4791522 And the full contents are listed here: http://www.deutschegrammophon.com/us/cat/single?PRODUCT_NR=4791522 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Ayers Posted July 7, 2013 Report Share Posted July 7, 2013 I have some doubts the Henze booklet will include all the texts. We'll have to see if we can piece it together in some way - I've made a start.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted July 7, 2013 Report Share Posted July 7, 2013 Actually, as a complete Henze newbie ... what texts do you mean? Sung texts? Or anything he wrote that was published along with the records? Or anything included in that earlier version? Just wanting to make sure, but I assume it's sung texts, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Ayers Posted July 7, 2013 Report Share Posted July 7, 2013 Actually, as a complete Henze newbie ... what texts do you mean? Sung texts? Or anything he wrote that was published along with the records? Or anything included in that earlier version? Just wanting to make sure, but I assume it's sung texts, right? Sung or recited texts, yes. Henze is probably more than anything a vocal writer. Most of the works here are vocal - Der Junge Lord and Elegy for Young Lovers are operas, the latter presented only in excerpt. The Raft of the Medusa and Der langwierige Weg in die Wohnung der Natascha Ungeheuer are also stage works, both very agitprop (!). El Cimarrón is a long recital, based on a slave narrative, and many other works are vocal (Whispers From Heavenly Death; 5 Neapolitan Songs; Being Beauteous; Essay On Pigs; Cantata Of The Ultimate Fable; Muses Of Sicily; Moralities), some political, some not. So basically CDs 7-14 are vocal, which is half the set. For that reason the texts could be quite helpful!I've got pdfs for three of those eight and could make one I suppose for another, but I am lacking the rest. PS also a pity they missed out the Decca material which they could have included - In fact I think there was more on Decca which never made it to CD. In fact I know there is - one of the pieces, Labyrinth, is a kind of 'jazz' and features Tony Coe. Ungeheuer features Gunther Hampel's group! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted July 7, 2013 Report Share Posted July 7, 2013 That all sounds very intersting! Somehow I ended up reading several long articles about and interviews with Henze in the past ten or so years, despite the fact that I hardly ever listened to anything (I did listen to the world premiere of his tenth symphony though, if I'm not mistaken ... I think I even taped it ... so it must be quite a while back, before it all turned digital ...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nessa Posted July 7, 2013 Report Share Posted July 7, 2013 (edited) Some years ago (2005) Rooster Ties gave me a copy of this and it is fascinating: Edited July 7, 2013 by Chuck Nessa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejp626 Posted July 8, 2013 Report Share Posted July 8, 2013 That Henze is kind of a strange set. I realize they are just going for the DG recordings, but to miss completely Symphonies 7-10! I almost never listen to classical vocal pieces more than a second time, so the balance is definitely off for me in this set. I just can't imagine getting enough enjoyment out of it to justify it. But if they ever split up the set and did a (complete) Symphony and Chamber Music set, that I might go for... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Ayers Posted July 8, 2013 Report Share Posted July 8, 2013 (edited) That Henze Requiem is much celebrated and there is even a DVD. Sony need to reissue that, it is a pity it has dropped into a black hole. The DG set represents what they did in the period up to the 70s (don't know the exact date), plus the Knussen recording of Undine plus odds and ends. So yes, it is not very complete, and as well as orchestral works of course his many subsequent operas and other vocal works are not there. We're trained, I suppose by the example of Beethoven, to see a composer in terms of symphonies plus the rest, i.e. with the ideas in symphonies being the most important, but it is a bit of an illusion with most composers and in Henze's case not really applicable. So these 'symphonies' are not really a 'cycle', just a succession of orchestral works - interesting but not the core of an oeuvre. Of the later symphonies I think 9 is the most serious and central, and 7 is more of a symphony in the conventional sense. Those two are available cheaply on EMI but without the necessary text for No. 9 so beware, 7-9 are on wergo, and 10 is on (can't remember). So this set is the history of a recorded collaboration, not a 'best of'. Of the vocal pieces, El Cimmaron has a real performing history, Medusa was recorded but not even performed once due to protests (I think by the musicians) against its leftist politics, I do not think Ungeheuer has ever been revived. Der Junge Lord is occasionally performed but Boulevard Solitude [not in this set] is I think the most revived and those wanting to put on Henze operas have had many to choose from recently. The shorter vocal pieces on this set do not seem to get revived (could be wrong). Again, Henze was so busy until the end of his life that there were always many new works for people to perform. Those interested in Henze's orchestral works and wanting a best of might do well to track down Requiem [instrumental - a mixture of piano concerto and trumpet concerto] , and if you can stand a choral symphony intended as a response to Beethoven's 9 but on a sombre anti-Nazi theme, then of course his Ninth Symphony (with caveat about text and note that this is not an Ode to Joy!). Edited July 8, 2013 by David Ayers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Ayers Posted July 8, 2013 Report Share Posted July 8, 2013 (edited) PS I haven't heard the recent Wergo recording of Symphonies 3-5 with Janowski, but it is a good bet they are preferable to the conductor's own versions on the DG set.... PPS Oh, and, i am also remembering that the Decca recording of Voices, which was much-praised and was also a hi-fi collector's favorite, does not make it on to this set which is strictly DG but is available on CD from an independent label. Edited July 8, 2013 by David Ayers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B. Goren. Posted July 8, 2013 Report Share Posted July 8, 2013 I ordered this 7 CDs set from amazon UK for £13.30. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted July 20, 2013 Report Share Posted July 20, 2013 Tomás Luis de Victoria - Sacred Works (Ensemble Plus Ultra/Michael Noone, 10CD) currently 32€ on amazon.fr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T.D. Posted July 20, 2013 Report Share Posted July 20, 2013 Thanks, interesting set! Going on the wish list (not ready to purchase yet)...Available at reasonable prices on Amazon US from the standard UK-based sellers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted July 20, 2013 Report Share Posted July 20, 2013 Price on this goes up and down ... got mine from amazon uk when it was similarly cheap. Haven't listened to it yet, but there's a single disc by Harry Christopher and The Sixteen on Virgin that I enjoyed a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Д.Д. Posted July 20, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2013 It's a good one. Not sure pone needs 10 CDs of it. Used to be £18 at amazon.co.uk when I bought it in 2011, might still go down to that level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T.D. Posted July 22, 2013 Report Share Posted July 22, 2013 It's a good one. Not sure pone needs 10 CDs of it. Used to be £18 at amazon.co.uk when I bought it in 2011, might still go down to that level. Thanks, point taken. I could likely survive with fewer Victoria CDs (say 3 to 5 at most). These box sets encourage one to go overboard. Will watch and wait for lower price... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alankin Posted July 25, 2013 Report Share Posted July 25, 2013 (edited) Another big 50-CD classical box is coming in September: The Decca Sound - The Analogue Years http://www.amazon.co.uk/Decca-Sound-The-Analogue-Years/dp/B00E0H8KAQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1374764046&sr=8-1&keywords=B00E0H8KAQ Edited July 25, 2013 by alankin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejp626 Posted July 25, 2013 Report Share Posted July 25, 2013 (edited) The new Decca set is a little tempting, though I'd need more details. I don't listen to the original Decca set nearly as much as the Living Stereo set, which didn't seem quite so gimicky (only one CD per conductor for the most part on the Decca).Here's a box of early Haitink on Philips: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bernard-Haitink-Philips-Years-Beethoven/dp/B00DI5BS8M/ref=sr_1_4?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1374769920&sr=1-4&keywords=decca+box(Sorry, more details here: http://www.deutschegrammophon.com/us/cat/single?sort=newest_rec&PRODUCT_NR=4785671&SearchString=4779548&javascript=1&UNBUYABLE=1&per_page=100&ADD_OTHER=1&presentation=list&SET_LANGUAGE=kr)I think I'll pass, as I just don't need most of these duplicated. I would probably go for just the final disk (CD 20), but I should be able to find that elsewhere.Still toying with the idea of the Reiner, but so much is duplicated on the Living Stereo box that it would be hard to justify. There would have to be a lot of material that I couldn't easily acquire elsewhere! Edited July 25, 2013 by ejp626 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigshot Posted July 25, 2013 Report Share Posted July 25, 2013 The first Decca Sound box is my favorite of all the mega boxes. More variety and all good. I'll definitely pick this one up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted July 28, 2013 Report Share Posted July 28, 2013 Not sure I'm in the market for these Decca boxes ... but I plan to get this new Sawallisch box, eventually: http://www.amazon.it/gp/product/B00D10ITAE/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted July 30, 2013 Report Share Posted July 30, 2013 Sviatoslav Richter's ICON box, currently 18.76€ on amazon.it http://www.amazon.it/gp/product/B001B1R1HC/ The Händel (famous, Penguin-crowned) sucks, but much of it is outstanding, I think! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.A.W. Posted July 30, 2013 Report Share Posted July 30, 2013 (edited) Sviatoslav Richter's ICON box, currently 18.76€ on amazon.it http://www.amazon.it/gp/product/B001B1R1HC/ The Händel (famous, Penguin-crowned) sucks, but much of it is outstanding, I think! Richter was one of the great pianists, but music from the Baroque Era was not his strong suit in my opinion. Edited July 30, 2013 by J.A.W. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Д.Д. Posted July 30, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2013 Sviatoslav Richter's ICON box, currently 18.76€ on amazon.it http://www.amazon.it/gp/product/B001B1R1HC/ The Händel (famous, Penguin-crowned) sucks, but much of it is outstanding, I think! Richter was one of the great pianists, but music from the Baroque Era was not his strong suit in my opinion. I agree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Д.Д. Posted August 9, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2013 Baroque Opera, 39 CD set on Harmonia Mundi, available for preorder. http://harmoniamundiuk.wordpress.com/tag/baroque/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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