Thoughts on these upcoming boxed sets?

[mjzee]

So the first year, I found that if I waited long enough, prices came down ridiculously low.  The second year, I found that if I waited, the prices never came down; instead, they sold out and commanded ridiculous prices on the secondary market.  So this year, I want to grab the good ones at reasonable prices.  What do the classical aficionados think about the following currently or soon to be available releases?

Leonard Rose - The Complete Concerto and Sonata Recordings

 Julliard String Quartet- The Complete Epic Recordings 1956-66

 George Szell - The Complete Columbia Album Collection

 Budapest String Quartet - The Complete Beethoven Quartets

 Alexander Brailowsky plays Chopin

 John Browning - The Complete RCA Album Collection

[JSngry]

Don’t know enough to have a really informed opinion, but with what I do know, I would , and may well be, all over the two quartets. Those are no-brainers for me right now. Just what kind of reasonable price are we talking about here?

Also, not familiar with Leonard Rose, but am in the grips of an ongoingly slow but inevitable seduction by cellists, so yeah, would also like some opinions about that and all the others, really.

[T.D.]

The Budapest SQ Beethoven seems to be a remastering of the 1951-52 mono set. I have the earlier UA reissue*

and enjoy it. I recommend it if you like "historical" recordings of that era, but I don't feel this set is the "last word" on the late quartets.

[* When in print it was cheap; funny to see the high Amazon offers now that it's oop, but there'll be no takers with the Sony reissue in the pipeline.]

Edited August 12, 2018 by T.D.

[mjzee]

40 minutes ago, JSngry said:

Just what kind of reasonable price are we talking about here?

All the graphics I posted were from Amazon, so check there (as well as at other record sellers, if there are any others by this point).  Before buying, double-check importcds.com, as they frequently have much better prices.

[JSngry]

31 minutes ago, T.D. said:

The Budapest SQ Beethoven seems to be a remastering of the 1951-52 mono set. I have the earlier UA reissue*

and enjoy it. I recommend it if you like "historical" recordings of that era, but I don't feel this set is the "last word" on the late quartets.

[* When in print it was cheap; funny to see the high Amazon offers now that it's oop, but there'll be no takers with the Sony reissue in the pipeline.]

Is there a "last word" on the late quartets? Not sure that that's possible? Hope not!

Anyway, I do have that UA set and also enjoy it. I'll hope for a better mastering from the original owners and will find the old set a new home if so, or the new one if not.

[Larry Kart]

A while ago, after many years spent with various recordings -- from the Vegh to the Hungarian, the Alban Berg, the Yale, the Suske, the  Tokyo, the Juilliard Quartets and more than a few more --  I finally settled enthusiastically (and somewhat to my surprise) on the RCA Guarneri Beethoven Quartets, which are available in three boxed sets (Early, Middle, and Late) on Amazon for between $8 and $11 a set. I also see on Amazon a Complete Guarneri Beethoven on Brilliant Classics for $30, but those aren't the RCA recordings repackaged but a later set repackaged that they did for  Phillips  -- that set I haven't heard, though it's received very good reviews. But the RCA set I can definitely vouch for.

 

[soulpope]

4 hours ago, JSngry said:

Is there a "last word" on the late quartets? Not sure that that's possible? Hope not!

Not sure about "last word" .... but very thorough thoughts and execution for sure ....

Edited August 12, 2018 by soulpope

[T.D.]

8 hours ago, JSngry said:

Is there a "last word" on the late quartets? Not sure that that's possible? Hope not!

Anyway, I do have that UA set and also enjoy it. I'll hope for a better mastering from the original owners and will find the old set a new home if so, or the new one if not.

Surely there's no "last word" on the late quartets! But I wouldn't want the Budapest 1951-52 to be my only recording of the Grosse Fugue, for instance. 

[JSngry]

Absolutely, this is not one and done music!

[mjzee]

7 hours ago, soulpope said:

 

Interestingly, this is on another pretty inexpensive box:

I have the late quartets on a Deutsche LP box by the Amadeus Quartett, but find those performances to be clinical and not very involving.  Sound quality is early digital.

[soulpope]

16 minutes ago, mjzee said:

Interestingly, this is on another pretty inexpensive box:

I have the late quartets on a Deutsche LP box by the Amadeus Quartett, but find those performances to be clinical and not very involving.  Sound quality is early digital.

Thnx for the mention (did know) - I nurse a completely negative stance towards (giant) box sets and always prefer having the individual CD (being interested in) .... not the easiest task nowadays .... coming back to the Busch Quartet`s late Beethoven offerings, as already mentioned earlier these are historic recordings but the performances are terrific and the individual disc is a good way acquiering this jewel in the crown ....

[ejp626]

I've got a fair number of Szell recordings.  While I enjoy them, this box set is too much.  I'm likely to get the Leonard Rose Concertos and Sonatas set, however.  I don't have too much overlap with these recordings, aside from the Dvorak Cello concerto and the Bach sonatas with Glenn Gould.

[JSngry]

So...Leonard Rose, is this somebody it would behoove me to rush to?

Hey, the stereo Budapest is here for a quite good price!

https://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Quartets-Complete-Classical-Masters/dp/B0042GNDN4

 

[T.D.]

10 minutes ago, JSngry said:

So...Leonard Rose, is this somebody it would behoove me to rush to?

Hey, the stereo Budapest is here for a quite good price!

https://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Quartets-Complete-Classical-Masters/dp/B0042GNDN4

 

Haven't heard the stereo Budapest...there are so darn many good recordings of LvB SQ that I'd rather not double up on any particular ensemble.

Relative to the earlier mono set, I'd expect better sonics but more intonation issues. I have the old Vegh/Valois recordings, so am no stranger to scrappy intonation, but personally would seek to avoid intonation problems in future purchases.

[JSngry]

The Budapest 78s are also on CD...I'm not at all averse to hearing as many different versions of these as possible, especially the late ones. I like listening to older classical records for many reasons, not the least of which is hearing how understandings about works evolve over time, especially as the works become more familiar to the players adn what was once a challenge becomes the new common, how do the real artists go from there. The two Right Of Spring centennial boxes are marvelous for that. We take it for granted in somebody like Ellington, but really, this tradition evolves too, time changes some things, reinforces others, and all along the way, players jsut get better as the challenges get bmet by their predecessors.

So yeah, I can immerse myself in a buttload of different groups & their Beethoven cycles. At some point I'd likely cull, but there's so much "there" there in that music, right now, the only wrong answers are the ones that are more or less phoned in...if there's not an element of fear in the performances, then I don't want to hear it/. Not "scared" fear, just realizing what's at stake.

To that end, if you need a good excuse to go to a chamber music concert that features some of the younger quartets, check the program and see what's playing. I've heard a few of the late quartets played live by a few such groups and, you know, DAMN.The bar is so high for recording, maybe they got other priorities as far as creating product, but to hear young people getting engaged in this music and still confronting it on its own terms as well as theirs, hey, that's a lovely way to spend an evening, can't think of anything I'd rather do.

So, Leonard Rose?

[T.D.]

31 minutes ago, JSngry said:

...I'm not at all averse to hearing as many different versions of these as possible, especially the late ones. I like listening to older classical records for many reasons, not the least of which is hearing how understandings about works evolve over time, especially as the works become more familiar to the players and what was once a challenge becomes the new common, how do the real artists go from there....

Indeed. Remarkable how performances of the late quartets have changed/evolved.

Sorry, can't help re. Leonard Rose (not familiar).

Edited August 12, 2018 by T.D.

[king ubu]

Regarding Leonard Rose, haven't really started exploring that set, but he did the Bach sonatas with Gould and they're outstanding. Not much left on yt these days of that, it seems, though, but here's a snippet:

 

[Olie Brice]

The Juilliard 'complete epic' box is fantastic, and alongside the reissues on Testament give you most of their vital recordings (except the 2 wonderful Bartok cycles of course). Their take on Mozart's K421 is particularly magical and to my knowledge not previously available on CD

I'm tempted by the Budapest Quartet set, although I don't really know their work and have quite a few Beethoven cycles...

Edited August 14, 2018 by Olie Brice