My copy shipped with one, if memory serves. Question is whether warehouse staff have removed copies from the packaging.
I bought my Bernstein DG box from Amazon.fr recently and it was insulated with foam. I think it was around $250 shipped to the US, and noticed of the 3000 numbered copies mine was something like 2890. They may well be getting to the end of the line with it so I would definitely jump in if you are interested (price is good too). Fantastic set between all the music and DVDs, plus the Beethoven cycle Blu Ray audio.
Short article that touches us deeply... CDs aren’t dead – and we have classical music fans to thank - Classic FM In the mix is the reward.... my collection is physical (CDs), but I barely listen to them (precious little time at home for that!), as I burn them and listen in car, commuting, late at night et al.
As a (scaring) curiosity, here we have a graphic of the interest of people in searching for "CD´s" in the search engine, from 2004 until present, according to Google Trends: https://trends.google.com.br/trends/explore?date=all&q=CD´s
It is indeed interesting, but I am not sure if it really says much. For example, I don't think I ever searched for "CD' in Google, but I do search for a lot of CDs online, just that I know where to search. Maybe it's just me and I am the anomaly in the data, what about you guys? What do you think? It is indeed food for thought... (yes, I know that I am weird and kind of a nerd)
I’m guessing these box sets are partially responsible for keeping CD sales up. Interesting if so, as I’ve always taken these sets to be the last large scale attempt to monetize (at least through sales of physical product) the significant and historical content in the vaults of the major labels. Having taken the plunge into high quality streaming, I do believe that subscription models will be the dominant form of music delivery for many years to come. The Neil Young Archives presents a potential model for legacy artists with large outputs. Streaming platforms like Qobuz offer most, if not all, classical releases in any given week - my new Sunday routine is to spend the morning listening to these while perusing Gramophone and BBC Music magazine reviews, through a digital subscription, naturally. Could you imagine if, say, Sony/Columbia offered a service where every disc of every ‘Complete Columbia Album Collection’ was available to stream in lossless or hi-res for some low price per month? Of course, you need a home system designed to take advantage of high quality streaming, which could be an obstacle to some as there is nowhere near the equivalent standardization/out of box quality as one finds for video formats. Or, you could just prefer shiny silver discs over a potentially unreliable and impermanent stream of 1s and 0s. Since I already have nearly 10K discs, maybe I’m more receptive to exploring streaming. But I’ll tell you that I am enjoying music more than I have in a while, and I haven’t broken out a CD in several months. That said, I’ll continue to buy these sets on occasion - the upcoming Bruno Walter one, for example - because it may be the last time to get them on physical media.
I've experimented with Tidal, Qobuz and Spotify, and concluded I'm happiest and derive the greatest possible enjoyment from listening to my CDs. When you listen to a CD your expectations are higher and the listening experience is enhanced and more substantive. I know for example that I'll be able to listen to my CD for the remainder of my lifetime, so I'll have the chance to eventually fully assimilate the work and rendering. This is particularly reassuring with the deeper and more interesting part of the repertoire. With streaming on the other hand, I know that if for instance I listen today to the recording of Foerster's Violin Concerto, I may not be able to access it tomorrow or indeed ever again, so it is a fleeting and perhaps futile and frustrating exercise. If I purchase the CD on the other hand, I know that the time invested on it will be rewarded in the future with each repeated listening as the work becomes more familiar and thus more enjoyable, and if it becomes a favorite of mine, I won't have to fear suddenly losing access to it. With the CD also you have access to a full range of quality support information, from full listings of work, movement and interpreters, to substantive essays within the booklet. On streaming services often all you get is "I. Allegro". And that is when you're lucky enough that the tracks of the album aren't out of order or the audio file isn't corrupted and unlistenable. Streaming is an all-around cheaper and meaner substitute to the real experience of listening to recorded music which is best provided by the audio CD. It deserves all our love and support in these trying times.
June is just around the corner and the big Bruno Walter box is still not listed on Amazon, only on JPC Germany, which as a June 28, 2019 release date, and on a Danish site, which has an October 18, 2019 release date. I wonder which is correct - does anyone have any info on this?
A good deal is getting even better: jpc now offers the DHM 100 Great Recordings for €50: Deutsche Harmonia Mundi-Edition - 100 Great Recordings (100 CDs) – jpc .
That is definitely a steal, great set at an incredible price. If you don't have it already you have to be crazy not to buy it.
In Amazon Italia Vladimir Ashkenazy Complete Concerto Recordings (DECCA) at 31 €, if you use this code you will get 5 € discount: 5SCONTO. https://www.amazon.it/Vladimir-Ashkenazy-Complete-Concerto-Recordings/dp/B06Y61X2WM/
It worked for me as well although it is saying that it will ship in 1 to 3 months. Definitely worth a shot....
I also asked JPC Germany about the release date of the upcoming big Bruno Walter box and they changed it to October 18, 2019. Bruno Walter - The Complete Columbia Album Collection (77 CDs) – jpc
That is an amazing price. The code wouldn't work for me (presumably because I'm in the UK) but it was still £70 cheaper than the UK price. Thanks for the heads-up.
Could not use the code either, but anyway the price is great. Let's see if we receive it... THANK YOU!!!!
Hi guys, a little bit of help here... I have the golden Archiv box set and the "All Baroque" one and I am having the chance of buying the silver one for $100 from someone I know. Do you think is worth it? Especially considering duplicates? I know that I can do the legwork myself, but time is scarce on my front right now and I am sure that some of you have the three boxes. What do you think? Thank you in advance for your help.
Unless I’m misremembering, there is a single CD overlap of performances (as opposed to works) between the silver and gold boxes. So you may just need to compare the silver with the Baroque. I have the silver box and felt there was too much overlap with the Archiv Baroque box (if that’s the one you mean) for me. Edit - I think I screwed up the comparison logic. I think you’d have to compare the Baroque to both of the others (but not the silver to the gold).
I told them they had wrong release dates for both the Bruno Walter box and the upcoming Rudolf Firkušný set; they changed the dates, but not the prices... [edited to correct an error]
