Classical music bargains

[TedR]

I wonder why they still describe the Heifetz as the " greatest number of audio discs in a boxed set......by a single instrumentalist" when the Arthur Rubinstein complete album set has 144 discs and was described the same way.

[king ubu]

Because it's just re re-print, I guess ... seems they even went to Guiness Book of Records (that's a silliness I never understood).

Coming up:

pre-oder is 60.46 € at amazon.it:

http://www.amazon.it/gp/product/B00J498SOI/

Also, the big Richter box is down to 53 € currently (and in stock):

http://www.amazon.it/Solo-Recordings-33-Richter-Sviatoslav/dp/B00GYHSYW4/

[king ubu]

found this - maybe they don't know either, but hey ...

News

“The Complete Collection” Now Again Available

March 27th, 2014

Sony Clas­sics has just released a lim­ited num­ber of addi­tional copies of the 103-CD Heifetz Com­plete Col­lec­tion, avail­able through the link on this site worldwide.

“The great­est num­ber of audio discs in a boxed set of clas­si­cal record­ings by a sin­gle instru­men­tal­ist is 103, achieved by Jascha Heifetz — The Com­plete Album Col­lec­tion” GUINNESS WOLRD RECORDS LTD — Guin­ness World Records, Decem­ber 14, 2010.

“Befit­ting his leg­endary sta­tus, Jascha Heifetz-The Com­plete Album Col­lec­tion, is the biggest box set ever cre­ated for a solo artist. With 103 CDs and 1 DVD, this lim­ited edi­tion col­lec­tion fea­tures all of the violinist’s record­ings made by RCA Vic­tor between 1917 and 1972,those made in Eng­land for His Master’s Voice and dis­trib­uted in the U.S. by RCA Red Seal, three LPs issued on Colum­bia Mas­ter­works and one on Vox Cum Laude. Of spe­cial note is the inclu­sion of three bonus CDs con­tain­ing over two-and-a-half hours of pre­vi­ously unre­leased music and a DVD doc­u­men­tary, “Heifetz in Per­for­mance”, with footage of the artist play­ing his favorite reper­toire. Round­ing out this impres­sive col­lec­tion are CDs pack­aged in repro­duc­tions of the orig­i­nal LP sleeves and labels, plus a 260-page hard­cover book, mak­ing this THE must-have box set of the year.”

http://www.jaschaheifetz.com/news/

Case looks clear enough to me ... box turning up in high-brow stores, people there being aware of Sony re-pressing, official website announcing a limited re-run ... not that this means there are no Chinese boots, but I feel pretty safe mine isn't.

it's also announced on the German Sony site here, as Feb 2014 release:

http://klassik.sonymusic.de/Jascha-Heifetz/Jascha-Heifetz/P/2375141

And if you select Heifetz from the artist list on the US site, you get redirected to the official Heifetz site mentioned in the quote:

http://www.sonymasterworks.com/artists?page=2

Case closed, I assume.

[crisp]

Thanks for flagging this up. Just ordered it from Amazon UK for £165.54. I dithered and missed it the first time around.

I don't know when I'l get round to listening to it and it's a big outlay, but it's clearly one of the all-time great boxed sets of any genre.

Now should I get the Rubinstein..?

Edited April 1, 2014 by crisp

[king ubu]

I'd say yes ... I've fallen in love with a lot of what I've played so far - Chopin and even more so Brahms, the stuff with Heifetz/Feuermann (that's obviously duplicated between the two boxes) ... I've not listened to many of th huge number of concertos included, but the best of those I did play (Mozart's KV 491 with Krips) are glorious. What I didn't really like too much is the Beethoven sonatas (but there aren't that many) ... on the other hand, the Schubert is great (a late recording of D 960), and so is the Schumann.

But I'm biased, I just love that guy, beyond his musical legacy that is, find his biography immensely impressing ... so you might be better off asking around some more.

Also it's gone anyway, isn't it?

[mjzee]

Amazon Marketplace has the Rubinstein box @ $229.

Any thoughts on the Murray Perahia box?

[jazzbo]

I have it. I have been enjoying listening to it with my Dad. The DVDs, five of them, are all good. It's a real bargain.

[Bigshot]

This still bothers me ... how does your box look? Do the discs have all the Sony numbers and stuff included? Would they really bother to reproduce all that, down to every tiny detail (the black-in-black print around the fake-label on the top of the discs, for instance)? And would they find ways to be distributed by real stores and serious shops like JPC? or would that indeed be re-sellers and ebay?

The box looks exactly the same but it has a very strong odor of offset printing. The individual sleeves are lighter weight I think and are very difficult to get the disks out of. All of the cover markings and booklets look like they were copied exactly. The disks themselves are grayish, not black, so they look kind of like worn records. I'm guessing in the legit box they are darker.

Perhaps the bootlegs spurred Sony to put it back in print again.

Edited April 2, 2014 by Bigshot

[king ubu]

Okay, I feel safe now, with your additional info (that does not match what I hold in my hands) AND with the official Sony statements I dug up

[king ubu]

Also, the big Richter box is down to 53 € currently (and in stock):

http://www.amazon.it/Solo-Recordings-33-Richter-Sviatoslav/dp/B00GYHSYW4/

I gave in ... which surely comes as no surprise to y'all

[Stefan Wood]

Because it's just re re-print, I guess ... seems they even went to Guiness Book of Records (that's a silliness I never understood).

Coming up:

pre-oder is 60.46 € at amazon.it:

http://www.amazon.it/gp/product/B00J498SOI/

Also, the big Richter box is down to 53 € currently (and in stock):

http://www.amazon.it/Solo-Recordings-33-Richter-Sviatoslav/dp/B00GYHSYW4/

Yes, I was hoping they would do a Russian set! The French box is excellent, sound quality and performances. Will definitely grab this set.

[king ubu]

I've not even gotten started with the French ... no rush around here, this all needs so much time, even more so for newbies like me

[crisp]

I'd say yes ... I've fallen in love with a lot of what I've played so far - Chopin and even more so Brahms, the stuff with Heifetz/Feuermann (that's obviously duplicated between the two boxes) ... I've not listened to many of th huge number of concertos included, but the best of those I did play (Mozart's KV 491 with Krips) are glorious. What I didn't really like too much is the Beethoven sonatas (but there aren't that many) ... on the other hand, the Schubert is great (a late recording of D 960), and so is the Schumann.

But I'm biased, I just love that guy, beyond his musical legacy that is, find his biography immensely impressing ... so you might be better off asking around some more.

Also it's gone anyway, isn't it?

Thanks. Yes, it's Marketplace only now. Sheesh. Wonder if I should go for it now or wait until this gets a reprint

EDIT: I bought it. In the same week as the Heifetz. My wife will kill me.

Edited April 2, 2014 by crisp

[jazzbo]

Thanks for flagging this up. Just ordered it from Amazon UK for £165.54. I dithered and missed it the first time around.

I don't know when I'l get round to listening to it and it's a big outlay, but it's clearly one of the all-time great boxed sets of any genre.

Now should I get the Rubinstein..?

You did right. A wonderful set.

[king ubu]

[Stefan Wood]

There's a Janos Starker complete Mercury sessions box that just popped up on amazon.co.uk, pre order at 33 pounds.

[Stefan Wood]

Finally, a picture:

Also, if anyone's interested:

Edited April 4, 2014 by Stefan Wood

[soulpope]

Because it's just re re-print, I guess ... seems they even went to Guiness Book of Records (that's a silliness I never understood).

Coming up:

pre-oder is 60.46 € at amazon.it:

http://www.amazon.it/gp/product/B00J498SOI/

Also, the big Richter box is down to 53 € currently (and in stock):

http://www.amazon.it/Solo-Recordings-33-Richter-Sviatoslav/dp/B00GYHSYW4/

Yes, I was hoping they would do a Russian set! The French box is excellent, sound quality and performances. Will definitely grab this set.

It makes me feel definitely better not being the only one ordering Ansermet`s Russian Stuff

[crisp]

This still bothers me ... how does your box look? Do the discs have all the Sony numbers and stuff included? Would they really bother to reproduce all that, down to every tiny detail (the black-in-black print around the fake-label on the top of the discs, for instance)? And would they find ways to be distributed by real stores and serious shops like JPC? or would that indeed be re-sellers and ebay?

The box looks exactly the same but it has a very strong odor of offset printing. The individual sleeves are lighter weight I think and are very difficult to get the disks out of. All of the cover markings and booklets look like they were copied exactly. The disks themselves are grayish, not black, so they look kind of like worn records. I'm guessing in the legit box they are darker.

Perhaps the bootlegs spurred Sony to put it back in print again.

Got my Heifetz this morning. Haven't examined it yet but the lid isn't aligned with the rest of the box (ie, the album cover shots that are split across lid and box aren't lined up).

Not a biggie with me if it's still legit but enough to suggest a boot? I hope not.

[king ubu]

Mine doesn't have that issue (nor did the one I held in my hands in the store ... that one was sealed so I can't say anything else about it).

Where did you buy yours?

[crisp]

Amazon UK

Although I paid £165. It's £236 now.

[Bigshot]

The big thing about the one I got was the smell. It was unmistakable, and you could smell it several feet away.

I think I got my set around Christmas. I wonder if the reissue was in the works back then and the factory in China that was set to manufacture it might have sold off their prototypes.

[Bigshot]

Just received the Russian Masters box and the CPE Bach complete keyboard works box... still ripping the EMI Beethoven Masterpieces box. I gotta get rippin'!

[Van Basten II]

FYI Bons plans classique (http://bons-plans-classique.blogspot.ca/) which is an invaluable tool to find about bargains seems to be on the verge of closing shop, in the commentary section there was an exchange which led someone threatening to call a lawyer, following the person in charge of the site has closed the commentary section but also there has been barely any updates since the last month. Have emailed them a few days ago, they never bothered answering me back.

As we're speaking the last entry dates from march the 12th

[crisp]

The big thing about the one I got was the smell. It was unmistakable, and you could smell it several feet away.

I think I got my set around Christmas. I wonder if the reissue was in the works back then and the factory in China that was set to manufacture it might have sold off their prototypes.

No smell on mine, although I haven't torn off the cellophane yet. Still not sure if I should try to get a correctly aligned one. Where did you get yours?