after flipping thru the covers I'm thinking this Decca vocal box is the new standard. Does anyone know if there is an equivalent EMI box, in not seeing it... This Decca box is incredible.
Just following up on this. There was no Autorip: that was obviously a mistake from Amazon.co.uk because they added a different album with that generic title to my library and have since removed the Autorip label from the listing. Irritating, but understandable. The box is a bare-bones as you can get: a big clamshell and the "hype sticker" is actually printed onto the box, which is just nasty. The booklet is eight pages of small print, with the disc credits printed on each card sleeve for the CDs. Disc length varies from a low of about 40 minutes to a high of 79. The repertoire is what makes this set so exciting: I didn't even know that Busoni's Konzertstück existed, for example, and while I'd have liked another recording of his massive Piano Concerto, this should do very nicely. Plenty of composers here I've never heard of, and some that are at least names to me but I never knew that they had composed piano concertos: Albeniz, for example, whom I (barely) know only by guitar transcriptions. Should be an educational experience.
I always check reviews on Amazon before purchase... mega box or otherwise. Anyway I stumbled across a fellow that has a lot of write-ups on the kind of releases we are posting about in this thread. I think his reviews are really insightful from an SH.tv kind of perspective, he really seems to know what he's talking about - is this one of you guys? Anyway here's a link, I hope it works (this is not me or anyone I know, I'm just a fan)... Amazon.co.uk: Profile For Ultrarunner: Reviews »
tl;dr Seriously though, those definitely look like the reviews for anyone who wants to dig down into a box set before buying.
I don't care for those Amazon reviews, they're often biased one way or another. The only useful info is usually about the contents.
Sorry guys just passing on what I have found to be a valuable resource... If it's not of interest to you then just don't click the link
My remark about Amazon reviews was a general observation, not aimed at this specific review or a reviewer in particular.
No, I realised, but while you may be right that Amazon reviewers can be biased, that's even truer of professional reviewers, who often have one or more definite financial reasons to be biased. I've read, and written, enough Amazon reviews to have some idea of the dangers, but the guy linked by pscreed seems to be reasonably conscientious, and gives a level of detail that you'd struggle to find, for example, in a professional review (or indeed a review on SHF!)
Stretching the definition of a "mega" box a bit, but this 13CD box from Sony is a small treasure: Erik Satie and Friends
A 13CD-set would probably have been regarded "mega" a few years ago, before the actual mega-boxes flood
Before I found this forum, Ultrarunner and his reviews were among the more valuable sources of information about the great number of megaboxes out there (remember, I came very late to this party). I still find his critiques very informative.
Here's another from Sony that appeared a couple of months back - 25CD set. Each composer gets 2-3 CDs each. You can also buy the individual composer collections separately. Un Siecle de Musique Française: Albert Roussel, Arthur Honegger: Amazon.fr »
Falls badly between two chairs for me: while the choices from Messiaen and Poulenc make some sense, that's way too little to give a real sense of them, and if you're going to do Saint-Saëns piano concertos, at least do them all. I think that a novice would do better to pick a few super-budget composer discs and work up from there.
Thanks, that's pretty much why I've hesitated on this one. Plus, I really don't need another 25 discs of anything at present !
This set is sublime. For me, the set is worth it just for those discs where Entremont plays Satie--I have heard it referred to as "Satie for grown ups." A magical collection and very inexpensive. The new Haydn set arrived the same day but remains unwrapped because I am too busy listening to the Satie.
If you like Satie, and are not already a fan, you may want to check out Federico Mompou: Federico Mompou - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia »
There is absolutely nothing wrong with spending your time writing about stuff that you love and respect. Why waste your time writing about something you cannot stand?
I do agree on that. What is on the set, what is missing. I will accept some subjective information on sound quality comparisons, but recognize that one persons preferred sound quality may not be another's. But i generally never pay attention to reviews. They are just someone else's opinion, and I would rather explore and reach my own opinions. Regarding my previous comment above, I can find most any review of some value, if only to tell me that something exists that I was not aware of.
To me, this looks more frustrating than satisfying. There really should be a great dramatic film about his early life. His great journey across Siberia and all.
Been listening to this for a few weeks and it is mostly a very, very good sounding collection. It has some old recordings, but it's really all good.
