Classical music bargains

[T.D.]

For what it's worth,

Presto Classical (UK) has an online box set sale expiring today (1/16). Shipping rates to USA are low, and some prices are favorable relative to Amazon sellers.

I bought 4 items (Bavouzet's complete Debussy solo piano music, "Flemish Polyphony" by various artists, "Complete works of Guillaume Lekeu" by VA, and "Scarlatti: 50 Sonatas" by Pierre Hantai), which is a big splurge for me. [Usual disclaimers apply: I have no relationship to Presto Classical, etc.]

Edited January 16, 2017 by T.D.

[Van Basten II]

There's this huge Karajan box available for 60 Euros, a bit on the fence about this one.  https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Herbert-von-Karajan-1938-1960-Collection/hnum/4916664

Edited May 6, 2017 by Van Basten II

[Bigshot]

A bit of a grab bag, but a good deal at $30 shipped to the US. Naxos 30th Anniversary Collection. 30 CDs

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Anniversary-Collection-Various-Naxos-8503293/dp/B06X1GB7RF/

[MomsMobley]

65 CDs of Andre Cluytens is worth 84 bones, good # rarities too--

https://www.amazon.com/André-Cluytens-Complete-Orchestral-Recordings/dp/B06XST7GHS

including Stravinsky "Le Rossignol" someone couldn't wait for, did needle drop of--

 

[OliverM]

There is a sale from UK's Hyperion records on some releases starting at 2.50 pounds: http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/o.asp?o=1054

(and other ones in 'current offers')

I was thinking of getting a couple. Do you have any favorites that I should also order?

Edited August 2, 2017 by OliverM

[soulpope]

15 hours ago, OliverM said:

There is a sale from UK's Hyperion records on some releases starting at 2.50 pounds: http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/o.asp?o=1054

(and other ones in 'current offers')

I was thinking of getting a couple. Do you have any favorites that I should also order?

The Chaussons/D'Indy by the Chilingirian Quartet is definitely worth the ticket of entry ....

[Edward]

Amazon is presently selling about 16 of the RCA Living Stereo SACD titles for $5.99 each.

[Bigshot]

Here's a super bargain price on 5.1 SACDs by the Royal Philharmonic- 4 Euro a disc.

https://www.jpc.de/s/1238733_89680?searchtype=cid

When I originally ordered these, it was a "pig in a poke". I hadn't heard any of them but I took a chance on a stack of them to check them out. The recordings are from the mid 1990s when the Royal Philharmonic was preparing for a world tour to celebrate its 50th anniversary. The conductors include Mackerras, Wordsworth, Judd, Gibson and Shelley, among others.

They arrived the other day and I played a few of them and they are fantastic. I played a couple of discs all the way through and spot checked the rest. The performances are spirited and are very tight. The string sections bow in unison with remarkable precision. The Rossini overtures were a lot of fun. I sampled some of the Zarathustra, Dvorak Slavonic Dances, Scheherezade, early music collection and the organ sampler and they were all excellent as well.

The sound is spectacular without being showy. The dynamic range is very broad. It sounds wonderful loud and the rear channels provide just enough ambience to fill the room with the sound of the hall. The liner notes say that they recorded these with as many as 45 microphones- yow! But the sound is well clear and warm with lots of perspective. The percussion is recessed and the sound of the violins is a little mellower than other recordings. The hall ambience is very realistic. It's not that close miked kind of sound you often find on "audiophile" recordings... more like the old school approach where the soundstage is big and well defined and you feel like you're in 8th row center in a concert hall. I have several Pentatone multichannel SACDs, and I like the sound of these RPO ones better.

I went back today and ordered all the rest (except for the nursery rhymes disc). At 3.99 Euro apiece, it's a drop dead bargain. For two channel, they might not be first choice, but those with 5.1 systems should scoop these up.

[JSngry]

On 11/23/2016 at 9:51 AM, MomsMobley said:

Ruzickova 20 CD Bach box on Erato though some might have portions on vinyl or Supraphon partial issues-- ain't no one Bach for everything but...

https://www.amazon.com/Bach-Complete-Keyboard-works-20CD/dp/B01JQV81P4/

 

So, yes, just now cracking this one open, but I'm hooked literally from the first notes. Better late than never!

[soulpope]

10 hours ago, JSngry said:

So, yes, just now cracking this one open, but I'm hooked literally from the first notes. Better late than never!

Welcome to the enlighted ones  ....

[JSngry]

 

[soulpope]

2 hours ago, JSngry said:

 

As good as it gets ....

[mjzee]

Sviatoslav Richter: Complete Album Collection.  $39.49 prime from Amazon for 18 CDs.

Evgeny Kissin - The Complete RCA & Sony Classical Album Collection.  $64.20 prime from Amazon for 25 CDs.

Archiv Produktion - Analogue Recordings 1959-1981: $75.88 + shipping from an Amazon reseller for 50 CDs.

Itzhak Perlman - The Complete Warner Recordings: $132.99 prime from Amazon for 77 CDs.

Martha Argerich - The Warner Classics Recordings: $28.69 + shipping from an Amazon reseller for 20 CDs.

[mjzee]

Deutsche Harmonia Mundi: 100 Great Recordings - $111.66 for 100 CDs.

Archiv Produktion - Analogue Recordings 1959 - 1981 - $69.98 + shipping from an Amazon reseller for 50 CDs.

Vivarte Collection Vol. 2, $61.80 + shipping from an Amazon reseller for 60 CDs.

Bach - The Complete Bach Edition - $134.03 for 153 CDs.

Beethoven: The Complete Piano Sonatas - Stephen Kovacevich - $14.95 for 9 CDs.

Baroque Masterpieces - $83.99 for 60 CDs.

Herbert von Karajan - Official Remastered Edition - $120.21 for 101 CDs.

Mstislav Rostropovich - Cellist of the Century - The Complete Warner Recordings - $81.99 for 40 CDs + 3 DVDs + 200-page book.

[mjzee]

Eugen Jochum - Complete Orchestral Recordings On Deutsche Grammophon, Vol. 1 - $71.61 for 42 CDs.

Itzhak Perlman - The Complete Warner Recordings - $132.99 for 77 CDs.

[T.D.]

Beethoven: The Complete Piano Sonatas - Stephen Kovacevich - $14.95 for 9 CDs.

Damn. Almost bit on this, but realized that it's his EMI set, not the Philips.  Unfortunately, Kovacevich's Philips Beethoven Sonatas seem to only be available as part of a 25-CD "Complete Philips Recordings" box.

Edited November 30, 2018 by T.D.

[Larry Kart]

IMO the EMI set is just fine.

[J.A.W.]

10 hours ago, Larry Kart said:

IMO the EMI set is just fine.

I agree, but some prefer his earlier (incomplete) Philips Beethoven sonatas. I have both sets, but have never compared them.

[mjzee]

Alicia de Larrocha - Complete Decca Recordings.  $87.71 for 41 CDs.

[mikeweil]

Arguably the best recording of Weiss' lute music, certainly one of the best. Originally produced by Michel Cardin himself, it was only available from his website - a friend had bought them all and made me copies, so I knew how good it was. That Brilliant Classics reissued them at bargain price was really great, a prizeworty cultural endeavour, and now they  lowered the price once more. I got it from JPC for twenty bucks. 

https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/the-complete-london-manuscript/hnum/6581932

amazon.com sellers ask for a bit more, but it might still be cheaper than ordering from Germany. Used copies of the original issues would cost you a lot more.

Cardin's website: http://www.michelcardin.com/en/home-2/

The Brilliant Classics page with buying links for the USA and downloads of Cardin's essay on Weiss.

https://www.brilliantclassics.com/articles/w/weiss-the-complete-london-manuscript/

Direct link to the essay: https://www.brilliantclassics.com/media/965237/95070-Weiss-COMPLETE-Liner-notes-Download.pdf

[mjzee]

Must be a mistake, but my order went through: Henryk Szeryng Complete Edition, 42 CDs, for $12.08.  Grab it fast: https://www.amazon.com/Henryk-Szeryng-Complete-44-CD/dp/B07DQMMPMZ/ref=pd_sim_15_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07DQMMPMZ&pd_rd_r=5fc80221-1352-11e9-bc0f-5d60e9bba019&pd_rd_w=YLV0r&pd_rd_wg=2d4Ht&pf_rd_p=18bb0b78-4200-49b9-ac91-f141d61a1780&pf_rd_r=S06D69WC0VV24TNBGTPP&psc=1&refRID=S06D69WC0VV24TNBGTPP

[J.A.W.]

1 hour ago, mjzee said:

Must be a mistake, but my order went through: Henryk Szeryng Complete Edition, 42 CDs, for $12.08.  Grab it fast: https://www.amazon.com/Henryk-Szeryng-Complete-44-CD/dp/B07DQMMPMZ/ref=pd_sim_15_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07DQMMPMZ&pd_rd_r=5fc80221-1352-11e9-bc0f-5d60e9bba019&pd_rd_w=YLV0r&pd_rd_wg=2d4Ht&pf_rd_p=18bb0b78-4200-49b9-ac91-f141d61a1780&pf_rd_r=S06D69WC0VV24TNBGTPP&psc=1&refRID=S06D69WC0VV24TNBGTPP

Actually, it's 44 CDs. As for the price, I think the decimal point is in the wrong place

Delivery time 1-2 months. I've also ordered it - wait and see what happens...

Edited January 8, 2019 by J.A.W.

[mjzee]

It's now back up to regular price.  We'll see if they honor the lower one.

[ejp626]

Debated between this thread and box set bargains.

Anyway, Bernstein 1953 Decca recordings is a 5 CD set of 5 symphonies and the accompanying lectures on the music.  For me the lectures are probably slightly more interesting than the symphonies as Lennie rerecorded all of them often multiple times.

Amazon resellers are offering this as low as $13!

https://www.amazon.com/Bernstein-1953-American-Decca-Recordings/dp/B000VGO00E/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=bernstein+decca&qid=1563664415&s=gateway&sr=8-1

I'm very tempted, though at the moment I am just streaming the music.  It's available on iTunes, Hoopla and Naxos (though Naxos may not be available in the US)

[mjzee]

There are some amazing bargains on this page, just on a price-per-disc basis (there's also an Ornette box on page 2): https://www.amazon.com/apb/page/?handlerName=OctopusDealLandingStream&deals=0defbb0e&marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&showVariations=false&ref_=Oct_DotdC_cd3m_0_0defbb0e&pf_rd_p=224503f1-9816-5978-8430-6920e4de85b0&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-4&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=406646&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=SR1QX2FQBC8NH3RS74GD&pf_rd_r=SR1QX2FQBC8NH3RS74GD&pf_rd_p=224503f1-9816-5978-8430-6920e4de85b0