Classical music bargains

[Д.Д.]

Sony 60-CD Baroque Masterpieces box got cheaper: €37 at amazon.es

I have this box for quite some time now, and can highly recommend it.

[T.D.]

Hat sale, not just classical, at Jazz Loft: https://www.jazzloft.com/c-37-hatsale2.aspx

Not overwhelming, but a few fairly interesting-looking classical: Schleiermacher on piano (esp. the 2 Soviet avant-gardes), Pauline Oliveros (is she "classical"?), Anzelotti on accordion, James Tenney.

[Д.Д.]

My favourite buy boxwise in recent months, taking cheapness into account:

Currently £25 in the UK for 22CDs.

Those interested in historic performances will have a field day (and with all but a few pieces, sound is very good).

I bought it just as a way of getting a lot of lesser known Stravinsky; would have cost a fortune to assemble this from elsewhere.

This one looks to have gone OOP already.

[A Lark Ascending]

My favourite buy boxwise in recent months, taking cheapness into account:

Currently £25 in the UK for 22CDs.

Those interested in historic performances will have a field day (and with all but a few pieces, sound is very good).

I bought it just as a way of getting a lot of lesser known Stravinsky; would have cost a fortune to assemble this from elsewhere.

This one looks to have gone OOP already.

That's a pity. Unlike most of these boutique boxes this one strikes me as one that deserves a permanent availability.

[Leeway]

My favourite buy boxwise in recent months, taking cheapness into account:

Currently £25 in the UK for 22CDs.

Those interested in historic performances will have a field day (and with all but a few pieces, sound is very good).

I bought it just as a way of getting a lot of lesser known Stravinsky; would have cost a fortune to assemble this from elsewhere.

This one looks to have gone OOP already.

That's a pity. Unlike most of these boutique boxes this one strikes me as one that deserves a permanent availability.

Price has already more than doubled

[Д.Д.]

Cafe Zimmerman Bach recordings on Alpha - 6CD set for €21 at amazon.de.

[Van Basten II]

Cafe Zimmerman Bach recordings on Alpha - 6CD set for €21 at amazon.de.

Was going to write about this one, however the offer is mostly good for people on the old continent as they charge shipping fees of 14 Euros to send it here Thought that Amazon.com was out of whack with their shipping fees but these guys are worse.

[ejp626]

Just ran across these (might have overlooked them upthread) and they are awfully tempting.

Giulini in America-Chicago (DG)

Giulini in America - LA (DG)

I imagine I'll be scarfing these up soon.

So there was a little snag in terms of the Giulini in Chicago (DG), but Amazon replaced a copy that was lost in the mail. Both are quite nice, but in terms of the performances I am far more interested in the recordings with Chicago (than LA). The repertoire is a bit more adventurous at least relatively so. In the Chicago box, you have Dvorak Symponies 8 and 9, Schubert Symphonies 4, 8, and 9, Prokofiev #1 and Mahler #9. In the LA box, you have Beethoven #3, 5 and 6, Brahms Symphonies 1 and 2, Schumann #3 and Tchaikovsky #6. All pretty much mainstream canon, but the Chicago contents still grab me a bit more.

I was hoping that the Melos Ensemble box would get here this week, but it is looking like next week for that one.

[ejp626]

Not sure this is precisely a bargain, but another one of these doorstop sets is coming out in Nov. The Decca Sound -- a 50 CD box set. In virtually all cases, they start with original LP artwork and contents, but then fill up the rest of the CD to 75+ minutes. It's running a little over $100 in the US and about 75 GBP at the usual suspects. Not sure I need this when I have so much else to absorb, but I will at least consider it. I think the most useful listing of the contents is this one (which isn't disc by disc but by composer): Decca Sound contents

There is also a 6 lp version, which frankly seems stupid, and a 5 CD sampler of the best of the box. I lost interest in the sampler when it was clear that single movements (rather than complete works) were included. I suppose the lp version is a slightly different kind of sampler (it might have complete works at least, but I wasn't interested enough to press into the details).

I will give them some credit for moving beyond obvious choices. No Beethoven symphonies at all but the Septet is included and several recent recordings of the String Quartets by the Takacs Quartet. I would have a bit of overlap with Messiaen's Turangalîla Symphony (Chailly) and Haitink conducting a couple of Shostakovich's symphonies, but that seems to be it. I would deduct a couple of points or stars for including some of the Three Tenors crap (including Andrew Lloyd Weber's Memories I kid you not!). I honestly don't think the audience for the Three Tenors and for this box set overlap that much , so it could have been left off...

Edited October 25, 2011 by ejp626

[mattes]

Not sure this is precisely a bargain, but another one of these doorstop sets is coming out in Nov. The Decca Sound -- a 50 CD box set. In virtually all cases, they start with original LP artwork and contents, but then fill up the rest of the CD to 75+ minutes. It's running a little over $100 in the US and about 75 GBP at the usual suspects. Not sure I need this when I have so much else to absorb, but I will at least consider it. I think the most useful listing of the contents is this one (which isn't disc by disc but by composer): Decca Sound contents

There is also a 6 lp version, which frankly seems stupid, and a 5 CD sampler of the best of the box. I lost interest in the sampler when it was clear that single movements (rather than complete works) were included. I suppose the lp version is a slightly different kind of sampler (it might have complete works at least, but I wasn't interested enough to press into the details).

I will give them some credit for moving beyond obvious choices. No Beethoven symphonies at all but the Septet is included and several recent recordings of the String Quartets by the Takacs Quartet. I would have a bit of overlap with Messiaen's Turangalîla Symphony (Chailly) and Haitink conducting a couple of Shostakovich's symphonies, but that seems to be it. I would deduct a couple of points or stars for including some of the Three Tenors crap (including Andrew Lloyd Weber's Memories I kid you not!). I honestly don't think the audience for the Three Tenors and for this box set overlap that much , so it could have been left off...

http://www.amazon.com/Decca-Sound-Various-Artists/dp/B005D51II0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1319516478&sr=8-1

[Д.Д.]

Courtesy of the good people at les bons plans classique: Frescobaldi - Complete Works for Keyboard (12CDs) - $10 at amazon.com

[TedR]

Thanks for your post A.A. I ordered this set on the 1st. Still no shipping notification as of this date.

Edited November 8, 2011 by TedR

[7/4]

My favourite buy boxwise in recent months, taking cheapness into account:

Currently £25 in the UK for 22CDs.

Those interested in historic performances will have a field day (and with all but a few pieces, sound is very good).

I bought it just as a way of getting a lot of lesser known Stravinsky; would have cost a fortune to assemble this from elsewhere.

This one looks to have gone OOP already.

That's a pity. Unlike most of these boutique boxes this one strikes me as one that deserves a permanent availability.

Price has already more than doubled

Good thing I was looking for these albums when it came out!

[Leeway]

My favourite buy boxwise in recent months, taking cheapness into account:

Currently £25 in the UK for 22CDs.

Those interested in historic performances will have a field day (and with all but a few pieces, sound is very good).

I bought it just as a way of getting a lot of lesser known Stravinsky; would have cost a fortune to assemble this from elsewhere.

This one looks to have gone OOP already.

That's a pity. Unlike most of these boutique boxes this one strikes me as one that deserves a permanent availability.

Price has already more than doubled

Good thing I was looking for these albums when it came out!

News update: I checked Amazon last week and the price had mysteriously dropped back to what it was, or thereabouts. Needless to say, I hit the order button promptly. Got it for $32.29. Bought the Ligeti Project for good measure too . Perhaps Sony decided to continue the box, or additional supply was found? Grab it while you can; the situation might change back.

[7/4]

I think that's about what I paid for it four years ago or so.

[Leeway]

I also bought the Casals Original Jacket Collection, 10 CDs, for $20.95 from an Amazon Z-seller.

[MomsMobley]

For $20 it's worth having, maybe, but not much more-- Casals is vastly overrated, more important historically than musically though the Bach gave some a baseline to work from-- the further the better in most cases though sure, there are some brain dead 'virtuosos' who've proved it otherwise.

Casals/Thibaud/Cortot is more interesting and not for the cellist.

GREAT GREAT bargain-- Victoria box cond. Michael Noone (hero of x # of Guerrero recordings), Americans should get it from .co.uk, more revelatory, brilliant music/performances than every non-Nessa "jazz"/Mosaic Lunceford reissue of the past year--

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Victoria-Sacred-Ensemble-Plus-Ultra/dp/B0050F6JQE/

I also bought the Casals Original Jacket Collection, 10 CDs, for $20.95 from an Amazon Z-seller.

Edited November 9, 2011 by MomsMobley

[Д.Д.]

Just ran across these (might have overlooked them upthread) and they are awfully tempting.

Giulini in America-Chicago (DG)

Giulini in America - LA (DG)

I imagine I'll be scarfing these up soon.

So there was a little snag in terms of the Giulini in Chicago (DG), but Amazon replaced a copy that was lost in the mail. Both are quite nice, but in terms of the performances I am far more interested in the recordings with Chicago (than LA). The repertoire is a bit more adventurous at least relatively so. In the Chicago box, you have Dvorak Symponies 8 and 9, Schubert Symphonies 4, 8, and 9, Prokofiev #1 and Mahler #9. In the LA box, you have Beethoven #3, 5 and 6, Brahms Symphonies 1 and 2, Schumann #3 and Tchaikovsky #6. All pretty much mainstream canon, but the Chicago contents still grab me a bit more.

The Chicago set can be now bought from amazon.co.uk for £8: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004TNZVEY/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE !

[B. Goren.]

Just ran across these (might have overlooked them upthread) and they are awfully tempting.

Giulini in America-Chicago (DG)

Giulini in America - LA (DG)

I imagine I'll be scarfing these up soon.

So there was a little snag in terms of the Giulini in Chicago (DG), but Amazon replaced a copy that was lost in the mail. Both are quite nice, but in terms of the performances I am far more interested in the recordings with Chicago (than LA). The repertoire is a bit more adventurous at least relatively so. In the Chicago box, you have Dvorak Symponies 8 and 9, Schubert Symphonies 4, 8, and 9, Prokofiev #1 and Mahler #9. In the LA box, you have Beethoven #3, 5 and 6, Brahms Symphonies 1 and 2, Schumann #3 and Tchaikovsky #6. All pretty much mainstream canon, but the Chicago contents still grab me a bit more.

The Chicago set can be now bought from amazon.co.uk for £8: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004TNZVEY/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE !

£14 again.

[Д.Д.]

Not exactly a bargain, but a good deal nonetheless: DG just reissued Berio's "Sequenzas" recorded by the members of Ensemble Intercontemporain and it's available for €9 (it's a double CD) at European amazons: http://www.amazon.es/Berio-Sequenzas-Luciano/dp/B00507ZQLQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321889789&sr=8-1

[jazzbo]

Mine finally shipped.

[B. Goren.]

Martha Argerich - Concertos. 4 CDs for < £8.

[jazzbo]

I received this this week and find it interesting so far. 12 cds for 12.11.

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Published-Works-Keyboard-Frescobaldi/dp/B0041IH4ME/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1322655595&sr=1-1

[Larry Kart]

Not exactly a bargain, but a good deal nonetheless: DG just reissued Berio's "Sequenzas" recorded by the members of Ensemble Intercontemporain and it's available for €9 (it's a double CD) at European amazons: http://www.amazon.es/Berio-Sequenzas-Luciano/dp/B00507ZQLQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321889789&sr=8-1

By and large, I don't like these performances. In particular, I have a CD dub (non-issued) of reedman David Sherr (member of the band on that fine Sonny Criss-Horace Tapscott album from the late '60s; Sherr was a good friend of Criss) playing the Sequenza I for Flute, and it just wipes the floor with the version by the Ensemble Intercontemporain's flautist. You almost wouldn't even know it was the same piece. Briefly, the EI's Sophie Cherrier plays it as "modern music" in the familiar worst sense -- all breathiness, aggressive attack, and dynamic extremes -- while Sherr plays it as music and lets the works modernity fall where it may.

[T.D.]

I once attended a live performance of Sequenza V for trombone (which I liked very much). This piece is highly theatrical, and I got the impression that a CD (non-visual) recording would be pointless. Rightly or wrongly, I then abandoned the idea of pursuing Sequenza CDs, as I figured I'd be missing the stage elements. [Further disclosure: many "modern music" solo performances (in Larry's above pejorative sense) don't really turn me on for various reasons.]