Classical Corner Classical Music Corner (thread #50)

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by George P, Sep 29, 2013.

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  1. Bronth

    Bronth Active Member

    Location:
    Riga, Latvia
    Ooops, when I wrote that the big box sets with cardboard type of packaging are time eaters only from the listening perspective, I actually forgot how much time inspecting of their contents may take. I just remembered how stoned I felt after investigating, say, Brilliant Classics' Mozart 170CD set. :crazy:
     
  2. Bronth

    Bronth Active Member

    Location:
    Riga, Latvia
    Actually, IIRC, I bought from Amazon themselves only 3 times. In 2 cases (The Beatles in Mono and Pink Floyd Discovery sets) all went fine, but the aforementioned 20CD Original Jazz Classics Remasters set arrived directly from Amazon.fr with bumped corners which caused damage of 3 jewel cases inside. But whatever, the price was anyway the lowest I've ever seen...

    BTW, guys, I have a question regarding 2 historical Wagner box sets issued by DG earlier this year - Great Wagner Singers and Great Wagner Conductors. Are they any good, esp. sound-wise? And sorry if it has been already covered in the previous threads/posts. I kind of like the contents and still need my occasional Wagner fix (I even attended our State Opera House in June when they staged Das Rheingold as a part of a complete commemorative Nibelung cycle). IIRC, I read somewhere that these sets even contain some unreleased stuff, albeit these recordings have been old enough for decades, so they may have been issued by PD labels as well.
     

    Attached Files:

  3. 5-String

    5-String μηδὲν ἄγαν

    Location:
    Sunshine State
    I don't own these, primarily because I have most of these recordings elsewhere. By looking at the contents briefly, I did not see anything not having been released before, but I might be wrong. Also I couldn't find any info on these being remastered.
    Both collections are great as far as the material that they contain but they are not for the unitiated, as these are mostly historical recordings. Some are legendary but don't expect any great sound quality.
    I think that these would serve as good introductions to the evolution of the Wagnerain singing through the 20th c. but for those who look for an "occasional Wagner fix" there might be better choices out there.
     
    Bronth likes this.
  4. Robin L

    Robin L Musical Omnivore

    Location:
    Fresno, California
    I always have spare jewel cases around. Let's face it, the standard jewel case is an exemplar of planned obsolescence.
     
    Bronth likes this.
  5. john greenwood

    john greenwood Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Just ordered myself a copy.

    Ugh - 142 discs to rip.
     
  6. George P

    George P Way Down Now Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    Hopefully yours arrives in pristine condition! :wave:
     
  7. john greenwood

    john greenwood Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Well, if its missing any discs you are likely to get a pm.
     
  8. George P

    George P Way Down Now Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    :laugh:

    For the record, I was on hold with Importcds earlier for over 20 minutes. Before placing me on hold, I was told that a refund would take about three weeks after they got the package back from me. Then I was transferred to the voice mail of the "only manager for ImportCDs." I was also told that there was no way to get confirmation that the replacement will have all of the CDs, nor is there a way to confirm that the box and its contents will not be damaged when they arrive.

    After 20 minutes of waiting, I decided to try and call back. I call and get the message that I am being transferred to the operator and then there is absolutely no sound. I call back and press zero and get the same - no sound at all! Call back again, get the same.

    I am pissed.

    Given that all the music seems to be here, I am starting to think that my original idea to live with the blemishes on the box (and the black marks on a few of the cases inside) is the right way to go here. Absolutely no way to know that the replacement will be any better.

    Any advice guys?
     
    Last edited: Oct 30, 2013
  9. 5-String

    5-String μηδὲν ἄγαν

    Location:
    Sunshine State
    I say keep it as is, that's what I would do If I were you. It's a bummer though that importcds don't have a better customer service.
     
  10. George P

    George P Way Down Now Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    Thanks!
     
  11. john greenwood

    john greenwood Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    No - a question. How did you find their phone number? I have only communicated via e-mail. I find them tolerably responsive.

    I had a problem with my last order. I actually got someone else's discs. I contacted them. They sent me an RMA and advised me that my order had been cancelled, and I would receive a refund. I asked why they couldn't simply re-ship, but they said the system did not permit that. So I re-ordered. Later that same day my original order shows up. I immediately sent an e-mail telling them to cancel my replacement order and the refund, but - naturally - this was one of the few occasions where they managed same day shipping. At the end of the day I refused the second order, and they only charged me once, so all's well that ends well. (Did someone else say that?)
     
  12. George P

    George P Way Down Now Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    I forget where I got their number.
     
  13. sgb

    sgb Senior Member

    Location:
    Baton Rouge
    Agreed, their customer service is terrible. Their sometimes lower price isn't worth the grief.
     
  14. Arjan

    Arjan Senior Member

    Location:
    Amersfoort
    I bought the Rubinstein box during the Barnes and Nobles sale in september for $90. There was severe damage to the box during shipping. I have decided to use some tape to kit the box back together. At least the music was there....
     
  15. john greenwood

    john greenwood Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    I'll be honest - I do not pay that much attention to the condition of the packaging. I don't think I have ever returned a disc for a packaging defect, as long as it plays.
     
  16. scompton

    scompton Forum Resident

    Location:
    Arlington, VA
    You guys were scaring me. I've had the Rubinstein box for a few months but I never opened it. This is the first I've heard of missing discs. I opened it up and all the sleeves are there. Unless there's a disc missing from a sleeve, I'm good.
     
  17. Bronth

    Bronth Active Member

    Location:
    Riga, Latvia
    Actually, I'm far from being "uninitiated Wagnerian" - I have a complete Nibelung cycle and some odd CD's with overtures, also the Mezzo channel is of a great help. So, I should have better described my interest as "occasional historical Wagner fix from reasonably good sources".

    There's also a giant 50CD Membran set of Bayreuth recordings which may represent a much better bang-for-a-buck value, but I usually don't trust their sources and "remastering" approach.
     
  18. Mr Bass

    Mr Bass Chevelle Ma Belle

    Location:
    Mid Atlantic
    Now Listening To

    Rachmaninov. Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini. Ortiz, Koizumi. New Philharmonia Orch. UK EMI.

    I was surprised back in the day how good this performance was. Excellent sonics. A good alternate to the Katchen-Boult issue discussed above. I like it better than the Ashkenazy-Previn issued around that time. Rubinstein is good but I find the RCA recording piano sonics thin and brittle.

    rhapsodyortiz.JPG
     
  19. sgb

    sgb Senior Member

    Location:
    Baton Rouge
    Listening to this now; I needed a change of pace.

    [​IMG]
    And the Rubenstein in digital is no improvement. The Boult/Katchen is a keeper/
     
  20. George P

    George P Way Down Now Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    I just got a call from a manager at ImportCDs. He offered to refund me $50 for the damage. Of course, I jumped on it! :goodie:

    So the set ended up costing me $42.
     
    Last edited: Oct 30, 2013
    john greenwood and 5-String like this.
  21. 5-String

    5-String μηδὲν ἄγαν

    Location:
    Sunshine State
    Hey Andrei, sorry, I didn't mean to imply that you are "uninitiated", actually I remember that we have been discussing Wagner before :wave:
    It would have been better to have said that, it seems to me, the DG targets the more hardcore Wagnerian with these sets.
    Between the Membran collection (a name that I am not familiar with) and the two sets by GD I would definitely go for the DG. There are some really legendary recordings and some incredible singers in there that I am sure you will enjoy.
     
    Bronth likes this.
  22. Robin L

    Robin L Musical Omnivore

    Location:
    Fresno, California
    Membran is notorious for bad remasterings of out of copyright material.
     
  23. Bronth

    Bronth Active Member

    Location:
    Riga, Latvia
    No prob, mate, it's been a while since I posted anything Wagner-related here, so my classical vocabulary has certainly... mummified a bit. :laugh: :wave:
     
  24. Bronth

    Bronth Active Member

    Location:
    Riga, Latvia
    Yep, they place bang-for-a-buck value above anything else, but I'll better go with those 2 DG sets instead - they are less exhaustive and cover my curiosity pretty well. And I doubt that DG steal any sources.
     
  25. George P

    George P Way Down Now Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    Indeed!
     
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