Disc 3 in the player for a first listen: Dmitri Shostakovich - String Quartets 7, 8, 9 & 10 - Emerson Quartet I have spent the morning listening to an old CD of Donna Summer 12" mixes I found at the car boot sale, so this is something of a change of musical diet for the afternoon.
Listening to "The Byrd Edition Vol. 1 - Early Latin Church Music / Propers For Lady Mass In Advent" performed by The Cardinall's Musick on ASV.
Not sure whatever has happened to the Gaudeamus. I got lucky as I have all 9 volumes of these works of Byrd by the Cardinall's Musick ...
Disc 5 from the Brilliant Classic's Haydn Sonatas set on Pianoforte. I'll spare you the generic cover with an inappropriate modern grand piano, here's the back: Joseph Haydn - Piano Sonatas XVI:7, 47, 23, 27 & 52 - Stanley Hoogland, fortepiano As much as I like Bart van Oort's ensemble work, I think Hoogland's discs are the highlight of this set.
ASV, and their Gaudeamus imprint, were ultimately acquired a few years back by Universal. A lot of their releases are available on streaming services, and are listed as 'released by Decca (UMO)'. I'm hopeful that at some point Decca/UMG will go through this catalog, and release some of it as inexpensive CD box sets.
Recorded 3/23-24/58, Broadwood Hotel, Philadelphia. Producer: Howard Scott. Issued 1959. My pressing dates to 1970 or later.
Inexpensive CD box sets? Not necessarily as I paid almost $50 for the following box before tax and the CD's were remastered from the original Westminster recordings, not exactly a premium record label back in the day ...
You've asked this question before and it was discussed and answered at the time. [edit] Just noticed @sherrill50's answer upthread.
Now playing: Luigi Boccherini - Cello Sonatas & Fugues - Anner Bylsma, Kenneth Slowik, Bob van Asperen - recorded 1992 CD 3 of this set:
Don't forget box 3 which was Vocal Works. It's the one I have and is also excellent. Around 1/3 of the box contains alternative versions of works from the first two, which suits me as I don't have those.
I got the Symphony Edition used earlier this year, only to find out that 6 CDs are missing. The seller refunded me, but still... I tried to find the missing discs, but no luck. Sony couldn't help me either. The LP-sized packaging is a nuisance - move the set a bit and the discs are all over the place.
I preferred the approach in the Menuhin box. Large box so the coffee table book inside is a wonder, six smaller boxes inside which sit nicely on the shelf.
Corrected my post, it was Sony who couldn't help me with the Bernstein Symphony Edition, not Universal, of course I don't have the Menuhin box, so I can't comment on that one.
Anyway, speaking of Bernstein-Playing this wonderful CD from the Remastered Bernstein box( so colorful, lush,atmospheric-you name it and with the requisite tension):
Recorded 2/8/59, Broadwood Hotel, Philadelphia. Issued 1959, two-eye pressing. Ormandy had previously recorded No. 1 in 1950, issued on ML 4477.
Also includes Corelli's Concerto Grosso in G Minor, Op. 6, No. 8 and the Scherzo from Mendelssohn's Octet, Op. 20. Recorded 3/1, 4/1 & 4/30, 1959, Broadwood Hotel, Philadelphia. Issued 1959, six-eye pressing.
And below is the latest big box that arrived yesterday ... An opera box with some modern sound. Since I have already owned quite a few of her Handel operas on Erato, I am familiar with her.