The "original jacket" approach might work well for those label boxes (I don't have any), but I prefer the "big Brendel Philips box" approach, i.e. arranged by composer, for artist boxes like the Arrau; that way works by the same composer, for instance the complete Beethoven Piano Sonatas, are kept neatly together instead of being scattered all over the box.
Please substitute 'box is being dropped into a bigger box with a small piece of brown paper' for 'prepared'!
I have to admit, when I got this set in my hands, I was struck by how cheap the whole thing felt. Once I started listening, that sensation passed rather quickly. Nice selections (barely scratched the surface there) and excellent audio quality.
Did you ever hear from Decca about the mislabelled sleeves? I'm not buying this until I hear something possitive regarding a replacement program... It's too expensive to let such a thing pass and Decca should correct it promptly.
Hi there, I haven't got round to contacting them yet as they only give a snail mail postal address to contact them on their website. No email or phone at all (let alone a Customer Service Dept!). However, I am seeing some friends I know who work at EMI/Universal head office (where Decca UK is also based) next week and am planning to ask them if they can give me a contact to approach. I have been reading reviews elsewhere and no one else seems to have picked up on the error. As the discs seem ok (and it's just a presentation error on the sleeves) I am not hopeful that they'll do a special reprint - but I'll let you know what I find out. It is great to have the recordings in one boxed set (just frustrating that Decca were not more careful with labelling!)
Coming soon. Quite a few Stokowski Phase 4 recordings appeared in the Phase 4 classical box set issued previously so I may not go for this one.
I like Stokowski, I would prefer a big box over these smaller ones like this and the two Decca Masters.
I did enjoy that disc (wasn't familiar with Monteverdi prior). What is a good recording to track down for the full work? Or, keeping more in spirit with this thread, what's a mondo box that contains a good recording of the full work?
i have the harmonia mundi box (the first one i think) and it has two discs with a good interpretation... it is this box and it is the cantus cölln https://www.amazon.com/Deutsche-Har...rd_wg=V1ruE&psc=1&refRID=T6YQMBDCY92M7GH60MQT
The first 55-disc DG 111 box (red with yellow script, as opposed to the second box--yellow with red script) and the collected, 111-disc DG 111 box (also red with yellow script) contain Gardiner's Monteverdi Vespers complete on discs 18 and 19. Unfortunately, as with most classical big boxes, no texts are included. One thing (of many) that I like about the 30-disc Harmonia Mundi boxes (I have 50th Anniversary, Sacred Music and Age of Enlightenment) is that they each include a disc with all the texts and librettos to the vocal music. The Sacred Music box contains Philippe Herreweghe's Monteverdi Vespers complete on discs 9 and 10. Gardiner's is, unsurprisingly, more energetic. Herreweghe's Belgian outfit is characteristically beautiful. There's a recording led by Gil Garrido on the K617 label that I love, although Robert Levine on Classics Today sure didn't. I'm no Monteverdi expert and can't discuss authenticity, but this is great music on any of these recordings and probably on others as well.
This is my favorite. Apparently it is in the blue Archiv mega box. There is a newer 3-disc one that includes a DVD of the concert in St. Marks (for full text, notes, and snob appeal.)
The Gardiner recording of Monteverdi is also in the 50 disc Magnificat - 500 Years of Choral Masterworks box set which does include the text for those into that sort of thing (on disc 51). This is probably my favourite classical box. It has a great selection both in terms of the compositions and the recordings.
The DG 111 big red box is at its lowest-ever price on Amazon U.S. for about $154. That's almost as cheap as the lowest price at Amazon Germany (12/26/16), and much less than other retailers are now asking. As usual, Amazon's prices seem to be fluctuating daily. I finally bought the blue Archiv Produktion 1947-2013 box for $83 on Monday; it's $106 today.
The Das Alte Werk box has a 2-CD production of the "Vespro della Beata Virgine" by Harnoncourt and Concentus musicus Wien and the 50-CD collection of Deutsche Harmonia Mundi contains another 2-CD performance with Frieder Bernius and Musica Fiata Köln. These, and other, performances are of course still available individually, but this is the mega-box thread...
I gave Sony and Sony Classical (only found German contacts for this) some time to get back to me on the defective Richter Eurodisc Recordings box set to no avail. Mine was purchased from a third party Amazon seller a while ago so I was out of recourse for a return, Amazon's exceptional customer service were happy to help.
A review of the Solti/Chicago box from the Chicago Tribune. Georg Solti's golden legacy lives on in full CSO recordings set
Credit to @J.A.W. I'm reposting this from Classical Corner, contents of the upcoming Arrau box taken from jpc.de CD 1-11 Beethoven: Klaviersonaten Nr. 1-32; Eroica-Variationen op. 35; Variationen op. 34 & WoO. 80; Rondo op. 51 Nr. 2 (analoge Aufnahmen) CD 12-14 Beethoven: Klavierkonzerte Nr. 1-5; Tripelkonzert op. 56 (Henryk Szeryng, Janos Starker, Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bernard Haitink) CD 15 & 16 Beethoven: Violinsonaten Nr. 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8 CD 17-25 Beethoven: Klaviersonaten Nr. 1-13, 15-28, 30-32; Andante favori WoO. 57; Variationen WoO. 80 (digitale Aufnahmen) CD 26 Beethoven: Diabelli-Variationen op. 120 CD 27-29 Beethoven: Klavierkonzerte Nr. 1-5 (Staatskapelle Dresden, Colin Davis) CD 30-36 Mozart: Klaviersonaten Nr. 1-16, 18; Rondos KV 485 & 511; Adagio KV 540; Fantasien KV 397 & 478 CD 37-41 Schubert: Klaviersonaten D. 664, 894, 958-960; Impromptus D. 496, 899, 935; Moments musicaux D. 780 CD 42-49 Chopin: Klavierkonzerte Nr. 1 & 2 (London Philharmonic Orchestra, Eliahu Inbal);Preludes Nr. 1-24; Balladen Nr. 1-4; Barcarolle op. 60; Fantaisie op. 49; Scherzi Nr. 1-4; Polonaise op. 61; Nocturnes Nr. 1-21; Walzer Nr. 1-19: Don Giovanni-Variationen; Fantasie über polnische Lieder; Krakowiak CD 50-56 Schumann: Klavierkonzert op. 54 (Boston Symphony Orchestra, Colin Davis); Abegg-Variationen op. 1; Papillons op. 2; Fantasie op. 17; Nachtstücke op. 23; Carnaval op. 9; Klaviersonaten Nr. 1 & 2; Fantasiestücke op. 12 & 111; Symphonische Etüden op. 13; Arabeske op. 18; Kinderszenen op. 15; Kreisleriana op. 16; Waldszenen op. 80; Davidbündlertänze op. 6; Blumenstück op. 19; Humoreske op. 20; Novelletten op. 21; Faschingsschwank aus Wien op. 26; 3 Romanzen op. 28 CD 57-62 Liszt: Klavierkonzerte Nr. 1 & 2 (London Symphony Orchestra, Colin Davis); Klaviersonate h-moll; 5 Etudes de Concert; 6 Polnische Lieder von Chopin; Liebestraum As-Dur; Mephisto-Walzer Nr. 1; Etudes d'execution transcendante; Paraphrasen über Themen aus Verdi-Opern; Annees de pelerinage (Schweiz & Italien / Auszüge); Ballade Nr. 2; Benediction de Dieu dans la solitude; Funerailles; Valse oubliee Nr. 1 CD 63-66 Brahms: Klavierkonzerte Nr. 1 & 2 (Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bernard Haitink); Balladen op. 10; Händel-Variationen op. 24; Paganini-Variationen op. 35; Klaviersonaten Nr. 2 & 3; Scherzo op. 4 CD 67 Tschaikowsky: Klavierkonzert Nr. 1; Grieg: Klavierkonzert op. 16 (Boston Symphony Orchestra, Colin Davis) CD 68 Grieg: Klavierkonzert op. 16; Schumann: Klavierkonzert op. 54 (Concertgebouw Orchestra, Christoph von Dohnanyi) CD 69-71 Debussy: Preludes Heft 1 & 2; Images Heft 2; Suite bergamasque CD 72-73 Bach: Partiten BWV 825-827, 829 CD 74 Beethoven: Klaviersonate Nr. 23; Liszt: Ballade Nr. 2; Chopin: Scherzo Nr. 1 CD 75 Beethoven: Diabelli-Variationen op. 34; Eroica-Variationen op. 35 CD 76 Beethoven: Klaviersonaten Nr. 8 & 29 CD 77 Beethoven: Klaviersonaten Nr. 14, 23, 26 CD 78 Chopin: Scherzi Nr. 1-4; Balladen Nr. 1-4 CD 79 Chopin: Impromptus; Barcarolle op. 60; Balakireff: Islamey; Claudio Arrau im Interview CD 80 Beethoven: Klavierkonzert Nr. 4; Leonore-Ouvertüre Nr. 3 (Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Leonard Bernstein) (DG) Artists: Claudio Arrau, Henryk Szeryng, Janos Starker, Concertgebouw Orchestra, Staatskapelle Dresden, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Bernard Haitink, Eliahu Inbal, Colin Davis, Leonard Bernstein Label: Decca, ADD/DDD Order number: 8021455 Release date: 2.3.2018
My hope is that the release of the new Arrau set will mean more (and cheaper) of his OOP sets hitting the used market.
There's a complaint from Amazon reviewers that two CDs in the first Vivarte collection are defective. Disc 17, track 8 and Disc 21, track 17 have flaws. I played the discs on several players and reported these results: "I checked discs 17 and 21 after reading these comments. I played them on my Sony Blu-Ray BX-370 (a warehouse version of the S-3700) player, my Onkyo C-7030 CD player and my computer. Disc 21 definitely has a manufacturing defect. Track 17 has the reported "scratching" sounds between 1:57 and 2:05 on all three players. Disc 17 also has problems. On the Sony, halfway through track 8, there was no sound and the disc would not respond to the "stop, pause or fast forward" commands. On the computer, there was audio break-up after the seven-minute mark. While on the CD player, there was no problem." So, Disc 17 was a problem for some players, but not for others. Disc 21 revealed the same flaws on each of the three players I used.
Good luck getting them (Sony) to replace the defective discs I've been meaning to pick up Vol 1 after seeing how exceptional the booklet was for Vol 2.