Bernstein - The Composer box set a steal at £29.09 at Amazon.co.uk https://www.amazon.co.uk/Leonard-Bernstein-Composer/dp/B01MPX0CXB/ref=asc_df_B01MPX0CXB/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=310875705540&hvpos=1o3&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2337562395571071201&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9044962&hvtargid=pla-718423388872&psc=1&th=1&psc=1
Maxim Vengerov - The Complete Recordings 1991-2007. Currently £24.30 on Amazon.co.uk - flagged as a 'Limited Time Deal' https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00J9PSDRE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I am listening to the brand-new Beethoven 2020 box set from DG today, and I am wondering about the significance between the three cycles of symphonies. Could somebody take the time to explain the difference between Modern/Vienna/and Period? I am pretty sure I know of the first and last, but what is the "Vienna" cycle? thanks!
I wish I knew, as release date came and went and my order status at Amazon.jp went from "Pre-Ordered" to "Temporarily Out of Stock"! I believe the "Vienna" cycle is just the new cycle with Nelsons/VPO that was issued for the 2020 anniversary. It's been getting a lot of marketing hype in conjunction with the anniversary.
Callas Re-mastered Studio Recordings Box Set - £58.56 at Amazon.co.uk https://www.amazon.co.uk/Callas-Rem...=340358031&s=music&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&sr=1-2
... And Callas Re-mastered Live Recordings at £47.00 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Maria-Call...GZM928VJPG9&psc=1&refRID=18ZG3KDXBGZM928VJPG9
Sir Colin Davis Box Set - £17.66 , at Amazon.co.uk https://www.amazon.co.uk/Symphonies...e-bin:382534011&rnid=340358031&s=music&sr=1-1
Metha symphonies and symphonic poems, 28,93 euros at Amazon.it https://www.amazon.it/Symphonies-Symphonic-Poems-23-CD/dp/B00RUF0BCK/
BTW, in 7 minutes Mehta will be conducting the BPO in Don Quixote and Eroica: Digital Concert Hall: Live Streams
Does anyone have any opinions on this set, ie mastering/transfer quality? Making my way through the Warner Berlioz set has really made me appreciate opera so much more that I think I should grab this? In the past I never really considered operas by singer and instead by performances as a whole, but I never really listened to any outside of Pelleas et Melisande and The Ring. Thanks all.
In my opinion this edition has really improved the quality of the remaster of the previous edition. In addition the box is jacket and is very well done. I guess it's a must-have box for any callas fan.
Specialists in re-mastering have debated the merits of this set as opposed to earlier sets. Some prefer earlier attempts that were made at re-mastering and consider that on these 2014 versions the voice of Callas is over emphasised at the expense of the orchestra. Other critics think that's a plus. But if you currently have no Callas recordings in your collection this really is a terrific bargain and there is much to enjoy.
Thank you, I was streaming various EMI recordings of hers on Youtube and my reaction was generally I can upgrade any CDs for operas that I am particularly enamored with that I wasn't happy with sound quality wise.
I think there is no doubt that the new remasters sound far better than the previous EMI ones. If instead we consider the remasters of Naxos and membran then the differences are less marked. This is to say that the previous 2007 EMI edition callas complete studio recordings (no jacket) had a very poor remaster and is absolutely to be avoided. https://www.amazon.it/Maria-Callas-Complete-Recordings-2007-09-25/dp/B01K8QZ500/
I received the Beethoven 2020 Friday and delivered it to my Dad yesterday. A very handsome set and he'll be happily busy for a while!
Thank you Torran. This topic is covered in detail at another forum. There are over 5,000 posts discussing the 2014 box set, and related Callas info, for those who are interested at: https://www.talkclassical.com/33051-new-maria-callas-box-172.html My link takes you to the page with a detailed review (from Nov 2016) by Dr Robert E Seletsky, an authority on Callas and her recordings. After reading through quite a lot of reviews I have ordered the 2014 set (at the bargain £58 price), to replace the 2007 edition referenced by Torran. The consensus seems to be that it is a significant improvement on the 2007 edition - though as Seletsky points out, in many cases (though not all) it is a re-mastering of the 2007 re-mastering, rather than a completely fresh attempt to re-master the original raw material. He contends that many of the pre-2007 re-masterings by Keith Hardwick at Abbey Road are the most successful attempts to capture Callas at her best. However, as those are now out-of-print the widely accepted view, which Seletsky ultimately accepts, is that the Warner 2014 re-mastering is the best version commercially available in a box set. To those who are tempted to buy, I would remind you that, as well as Callas, the discs include many other legendary singers and conductors. The operas included are a terrific cross section of many of the key works in the repertoire.
I was browsing in the music department of Foyles Bookshop in Charing Cross Road, London last week. For those forum members who live close by you might like to know that I saw two new copies of the George Szell Complete Columbia Album box set in stock (at the RRP price of £210) and one new copy of the Rudolf Serkin Complete Columbia Album box set (at 25% off RRP, around £150). I mention this because these two sets are now out of print and the prices at Amazon UK are ridiculous - currently £599 for Szell and £350 for Serkin.
Anybody have more insight about the new Argerich collection? I guess it’s not actually a big box, but at 7 discs, it’s at least a collection. Anyway, I’m curious if these are all new recordings, or if some are just being repackaged. And if anyone has it, hows the sound? TIA. Rendezvous Martha Argerich https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VDMNHZJ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_u0UVDbZ3NP7E0
Thanks, I did see Robert's review on Amazon under "RES", I downloaded one of the CDs he said sounded better than what was on the box and that CD used some mild noise reduction so I am not entirely sure I would have agreed with everything he wrote in his review anyway. Like you say at that price it really was an easy decision to buy it. I have the Itzhak Perlman box that uses similar style presentation and it included full booklets that originally came with the individual CDs. So it is mildly disappointing that at the very least they didn't include printed libretti. Another plus, my wife mostly likes chamber music but she did not mind hearing Maria Callas, I think another testament to just how good she was?
There's been a lot of discussion about the Callas remasterings, for instance: Kirkville - The New Maria Callas Remasters: Good or Bad? I got the newer sets (studio & live); I think they're fine.
WARNING: My Maxim Vengerov box set arrived yesterday. I had read in a review, on Amazon.co.uk, that a customer had a faulty disc 3. So I played that disc and, annoyingly, mine was faulty too. I then tried the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto on disc 7. Approx. 5 minutes into the First Movement (track 1) that disc also started skipping and refused to settle down. Amazon are sending a replacement box (and I have to return the defective one) but I'm feeling pessimistic. I'll test the new discs but if they are faulty too it will be goodbye to Mr Vengerov! Do test your discs if you have bought this set.
