Big box of Decca

[Basil]

I love the smell of a Boxset at Christmas! ordered!

Cheers Basil for the heads up!

TonyL brought this to my attention... he's the one to thank.


Cheers boss!

 

[Space is the Place]

Cheers Tony! Did i say i love a boxset? Because i do!

 

[Andrewxyz]

My 2 sets have finally turned up. 1 box is slightly damaged but I can live with that. Checking back on Amazon I see there is a vinyl version for £114.73. I don't think that was there last week.

 

[Tony L]

The vinyl is only 6 or 8 albums IIRC, certainly not the full 50.

 

[Andrewxyz]

Ah yes, you're right. Only 6 LP's.

 

[Space is the Place]

Mine arrived today, Its going to be a voyage of discovery,
I'm just Listening to Kyung Wha Chung now, the music is astounding!

One down, 49 to go!

 

[Basil]

Mine arrived today, Its going to be a voyage of discovery,
I'm just Listening to Kyung Wha Chung now, the music is astounding!

One down, 49 to go!

So you started at disc 12...

Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto.

Bruch: Violin Concerto; Scottish Fantasia.


6 lp's for £114?

Bargain...

 

[irons1965]

Had my copy earlier in the week, managed to have a good fondle but it remains sealed until Christmas Day- Can't wait...

 

[Space is the Place]

So you started at disc 12...

Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto.

Bruch: Violin Concerto; Scottish Fantasia.

Yep, thats the one, just picking at random, because that's the way i roll!

Will keep them in order though!

 

[Barrymagrec]

6 lp's for £114?

Bargain...

They must be pressed from special audiophile grade cryogenically treated vinyl.

 

[mrclick]

I just wanted to thank you lovely people for the heads up on this box - which I ordered courtesy of your posts, and it has just arrived.

As a newbie to classical music this struck me as an opportunity not to miss. An introduction to lots of composers and pieces I know nothing of, with very likely reliable performances all round.

I have been enjoying music all my life (50 yrs) and yet have found the classical world impenetrable. Countless thousands of works and so many different versions. With no one to tell me where to start I just dithered basically.

Played Dvorak 9th Symphony first off and expected it to be hard to get into. No way!! Tunes to die for (even the Hovis advert) and what a sound! When it gets going its like an assault. I loved it and consider myself a lucky bloke to be hearing music of this quality for the first time in my life.

So thanks.

Now then, do I need the RCA box and the Mercury box?? Honestly, advice from you classical gurus would be welcome. Would those boxes bring essential music for a starter?

And I do need a set of Beethoven Symphonies. Is the new Chailly the one, or the Haitink, or the Karajan?? Its a minefield and I only know of those sets from a quick peek at Amazon. There may be others of course.

I'm gonna try a bit of Brahms now.

Cheers
Mrclick.

 

[Space is the Place]

Great Mr Click! I'm enjoying mine too and they sound fantastic.

There are quite a few box sets of single composers knocking around Ive got the complete Mahler Klaus Tennstedt version (wouldn't mind the Rattle version too!) and Stravinsky, both are excellent.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000PTYUQG/?tag=pinkfishmedia-21

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00000C2KM/?tag=pinkfishmedia-21

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000UNBQXM/?tag=pinkfishmedia-21

 

[Tony L]

It's also worth considering some boxes based on specific performers too, e.g. this Jaqueline Du Pre box is a wonderful thing and a steal under £20, I bought it a few years back, and I have a copy of this David Oistrakh box in my in tray waiting to be explored. Classical music on CD is a true bargain these days, I really recommend buying stuff whilst it is still available as the future of recorded music seems a little uncertain at present, i.e. full resolution and cheap may not be the permanent state of affairs...

 

[Barrymagrec]

I absolutely agree, I just get almost anything I like the look of now, in real term it`s all so cheap. I have just ordered this Kleiber set http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B003GRW6TM/?tag=pinkfishmedia-21 -couldn`t resist for 25 quid.

 

[palpnorte]

Agreed - browsing classical music on Amazon nowadays is almost like a CD Supermarket Sweep.

The Du Pre box is great because apart from the brilliant playing and recordings, the repertoire is so interesting :

Elgar: Cello Concerto in E minor, Op.85
Delius: Cello Concerto
Saint-Saens: Cello Concerto No.1 in A minor, Op.33
Saint-Saens: Carnaval des animaux - Le cynge
Dvorak: Cello Concerto in B minor, Op.104
Dvorak: Silent Woods Op.68
Schumann: Cello Concerto in A minor, Op.129
Schumann: Fantasiestucke, Op.73
Monn: Cello Concerto in G minor
Haydn: the two Cello Concertos
Beethoven: Variations, all the Piano Trios an all the Cello Sonatas (with Barenboim and Zukerman)
Brahms: the three Cello Sonatas
J S Bach: Cello Suites Nos.1&2; Viola da gamba Sonata No.2 in D;
Chopin: Cello Sonata in G minor, Op.65
Franck: Cello Sonata in A (arr. Delsart)
Handel: Sonata in G minor HWV287 (arr. J W Slatter)
F Couperin: Les Gouts-Reunis (1724) - Treizieme Concert a deux instruments a l'unisson
R Strauss: Don Quixote, Op.35
Lalo: Cello Concerto in D minor
Boccherini: Cello Concerto No.9 in B Flat G.482 (Cadenzas by Grützmacher)
Bruch: Kol Nidrei Op.47
Tchaikovsky: Piano Trio in A minor, Op.50
Mendelssohn: Song without Words in D, Op.109
Faure: Elegie in C minor, Op.24
Falla: Suite populaire espagnole - Jota (arr. Maurice Marechal)
Britten: Cello Sonata in C, Op.65 : II - Scherzo: Pizzicato / IV - Marcia
Paradis: Sicilienne (arr. Dushkin)

Not all lollipops, which is the danger of these sets.

To echo what Tony said, it is worth looking out for soloists, but then you could say the same for composers. These are all bargains:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000YPWBP8/?tag=pinkfishmedia-21

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00156ZWV0/?tag=pinkfishmedia-21

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001EOOC3W/?tag=pinkfishmedia-21

I am thinking of it as laying down wine; I have the rest of my life to enjoy it ... but then you do need to keep an eye out and grab stuff while it's in print. The CBS Stravinsky /Sony set has now gone (I got mine for £17), ditto this astonishing Messiaen box:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001DCQJUO/?tag=pinkfishmedia-21

which was a game-changer for me - I used to be a Messiaen agnostic, but not any more.

palp

Spend while you can.

 

[mrclick]

Thanks for these tips and posts already. As we speak I am playing the Turangalila Symphony by Messiaen from the Decca Box and liking what I'm hearing.

The Du Pre set looks particularly good.

I suppose one of my fears of getting in to classical music is being like a kid in a sweet shop. There must be duff versions as well as wonderful versions of works out there. So I need to a) find top composers/pieces, and b) good recordings/masterings - to avoid disappointment. I am grateful for the tips above.

Do any of you know if the Mercury and RCA boxes are good? And do I need to fuss over which Beethoven Symphony box I get??

Best regards
click

 

[Cheese]

Does anyone of you know whether there's an EMI box ? That one's hard to beat in classical music if you ask me.

 

[Cheese]

Just two recommendations... there's so much wonderful stuff...

 

[Tony L]

Some links for the above:

Edwin Fisher.
Hans Hotter.
Dinu Lipatti.

I may as well get paid for advertising them!

 

[Cheese]

Well another old German, Wilhelm Kempff, already pre-ordered.