Classical "Mega" CD Box Sets

I just looked it up on the Decca website and many cd's are 60 minutes plus. Clearly the reference to 900 minutes is inaccurate. And good point on the width of the box!

 

The homepage of Berkshire Record Outlet is down at the moment. I hope it is just a technical issue as they are one of my favorite vendors. Anyone has dealt with them in the last few days?

 

BRO just came up for me!

 

I think incidental discussion of jazz boxes viz a viz classical boxes is fine, as are occasional errant comments on jazz boxes, but I'd strongly prefer this not become "jazz and classical" megaboxes. In other words, let's be flexible (ie not worrying whether something is on right side of the line) but not lose the thread.

Regarding shipping from different Amazons to save a few dollars, I kind of think that it's a risk of using them. I had a bad experience with Amazon recently on the Szell megabox, but they made it right quickly and without any hesitation, while overseas Amazon is going to be more wary, in part because they don't have the same control over their shipments. The following shipment I got from Amazon US, the Bernstein choral box, was perfectly packed - the box was inside Sony's plain box, which was in turn inside another amazon box and well padded. There may be an element of caveat emptor with gaming the Amazons.

 

A classical fan also might be a Beatles or Bob Dylan fan. I'd be less inclined to follow this thread if it got too far afield.

 

I am making my way through this and enjoying it.

 

I jumped !! close to a buck a cd...

 

There just are not many jazz mega-boxes ever created, so it should not be a big deal. I think that is too bad, actually. The mega-box craze is pretty much limited to classical music. The few corporations that own most of the music ever recorded seem to prefer not to issue such boxes for jazz or most any other style

 

That's exactly what I was trying to say; flexibility is great, but I'd hate to see this thread become a muddled mess like some other threads on this board.

 

The original intent of the thread was for like-minded collectors to discuss the booming trend of large classical sets, of which I am an avid enthusiast. I believe the following topics are fair game in this thread:

(1) Discussion of classical music box sets (obviously): new, old, upcoming, out of print.

(2) Discussion of the contents of these boxes, to include performance and sound quality, alternative selections and recommendations, and member reviews.

(3) Enjoyment and frustrations associated with the hobby of collecting of these sets, including sound and performance quality; praise and criticism of the companies that issue them AND sell them; and associated issues with pricing, packaging and shipping that serve to inform the community of how to best obtain these sets at the best price and in the best condition.

(4) Discussion on the state of the classical music industry, insofar as it reflects the particular dynamics and economics of monetizing huge vaults of recorded music and presenting them in these large collections. [Part of the reason I am buying so many of these is that I think this represents a moment in the physical collecting of music that is going to be seen as unprecedented in a decade or two].

All that said, I am fine with some free-ranging conversation - put another way, I watch this thread all the time and haven’t seen anything that makes me think it’s getting derailed.

Cheers,
D

 

It's an excellent box. I really really love it. The CDs are in the paper sleeves

 

These Decca composer 'complete works' boxes are a great way to round out your library. I have the Rachmaninov, Scriabin, Ravel, and Bartok sets, and I go back to them often.

 

No "complete" boxes for the composers with huge oeuvres like Vivaldi and Handel, but their "Masterworks" sets (about 30 CDs) sound very good (at least on Spotify).

 

Maybe they are working on a "Handel 334" box for next year.

 

I would actually be interested in Handel and Haydn boxes if they came out from one of the HIP specialist labels (more than likely they couldn't be truly complete), IMHO the majors have many subpar performances from these two composers.

 

The 66 disc Brilliant Vivaldi box is great. It’s probably close to complete for instrumental works.

 

I agree that it is a great box, the best of the bigger Vivaldi boxes, but there are still a number of instrumental works missing. Naive's Vivaldi Edition is working on it, one cd at a time, but I think they still have some ways to go. Their aim is to record the 450 separate works kept at the Turin Library, the formost repository of Vivaldi manuscripts (including many autographs).

 

That’s right! I just found out yesterday that Bach and Handel had/have the same birthday. Yet they never met!

 

Not quite, Händel was born on February 23, 1685, Bach on March 21, 1685.

 

I’d love a Naive Vivaldi box. I think their recordings are very good. I have a few of their smaller boxes. But for a comprehensive box, I wouldn’t want to pay more than about $3 per CD. Fat chance.

 

Yes. I meant birth year. But still quite close. One month apart.

 

I'm not really a fan of Naïve recordings; some are indeed good, others not so much, at least not to my ears. I had Emmanuel Krivine's Beethoven Symphonies cycle that was released by Naïve and got rid of it as fast as I could: very loud, compressed sound that gave me headaches.

 

Naive's Vivaldi Edition is indeed brilliant, but does anyone know if the series is still active? Seems like almost two years since the last new release, particularly in the instrumental works...

 

Hopefully, you'll look happier about it.

 

I’ve had good luck with their Vivaldi vocal CDs. I checked one of their bassoon concerto CDs out of the library and the sound was horrendous. Not harsh. It just seemed very bass heavy and muddy. I couldn’t finish listening to it. It sounded OK on Spotify.