Maybe they're lost, or maybe Odeon wasn't part of the deal when Warner acquired EMI Classics from Universal and they don't own the rights or the Szell recordings specifically. I have no idea.
Perhaps so! On reflection, I'll offer a more charitable view. Consider the early Szell discography. Visit Michael Gray's website: A Classical Discography Search for Szell as conductor, sorted by date. All the 1920s recordings (Odeon, Parlophone, Homocord) are Warner properties these days. First, much of this material has never been reissued, so there's the expense of new transfers from 78s. Keeping in mind that Odeon-Parlophon(e) didn't get an electrical recording system until late 1926, how well will the modern audience tolerate acoustical orchestral recordings? And then, does the buyer of a conductor box really want all those arias? I hope Warner has simply made a mistake that they can fix before the box is released. But if it's a decision they made with some forethought, I can understand that, even if it's a missed opportunity.
Nice. I did not know all of those existed. Thanks so much for the response and suggestion. Ideally what I would really like is a Jazz version of the RCA Living Stereo and Mercury Living Presence type boxes in that they are put out by the actual label of the recordings, have various artists on said label, and have the original album artwork. I am a sucker for those classical, label specific various artist boxes that have the original artwork. Wouldn't it be great if there was a Prestige, Riverside, Blue Note, Verve, etc. type Jazz box of various artists like those RCA/Mercury boxes?
Don't be afraid to try out the Columbia sets - even if they are just a single artist, that artists did several recordings with different bands and groupings. The Chet Baker box is a strong buy in my opinion, too - very well produced with lots of rare tracks on each CD.
Blue Note created a 75-title 75th Anniversary set in 24-bit/192 kHz audio in collaboration with Astell & Kern: 75th Anniversary Astell&Kern 240 Blue Note Seems like you can still buy an Astell & Kern portable player pre-loaded with the music: AK240 BlueNote but not cheap at $4,500!
Just received word from Presto that the Academy of St Martin in the Fields 60th Anniversary Box (60 CDs), scheduled for release this Friday April 10 (April 24 in US, according to Amazon) has been delayed "a few days". They say they hope to be able to ship it soon. Bummer.
Also from Presto: "US Airmail Charges: As a knock on of effect of COVID-19 airfreight prices around the world have soared. Reluctantly, we have had to pass on some of this increase in our standard airmail prices. We’ll bring them down again as soon as we can!"
Tell me something about this box, please - I have zero recordings of these cats. The price seems to be all over the place: $142 plus tax at Amazon.us, 76 Euro at Amazon.de, 102 Euro at jpc.de - but of course the European Amazons stopped shipping to the US for now.
Here is the publicity statement that accompanies the listing, which even though it's PR, in my opinion, based on 50 or so years of collecting and listening to the work of this ensemble, is spot on. I have great respect and admiration for the life and work of the late Neville Marriner. Quote: Decca is proud to present 60 CDs celebrating 60 years of one of the World’s finest and most recorded chamber orchestras. This new Edition, an exciting new collaboration between Decca and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, celebrates the Academy’s international reputation for its distinctive, polished and refined sound through a selection of 60 recordings from their vast catalogue of over 500 albums. • 60 CDs celebrating 60 years of one of the World’s finest chamber orchestras, renowned for fresh, brilliant interpretations of great orchestral music • This new Edition, an exciting new collaboration between Decca and the Academy, celebrates the Academy’s international reputation for its distinctive, polished and refined sound through a hand-picked selection of 60 recordings from their vast catalogue of over 500 • Recordings taken from the Decca, Argo and Philips catalogues, plus Sony Classical, Pentatone and Onyx. Including the first and last recordings with Sir Neville Marriner, recordings with Iona Brown and with present director Joshua Bell, this edition is a true survey of the first 60 years of the Academy • Seven works new-to-CD • 150pp booklet includes, essays from Lady Marriner, Sir Neville Marriner’s daughter Susan Harries, Academy discographer Philip Stuart, a few words from current and former players, facsimiles from Academy archives and many photographs from Decca archives
I can just add that this is a box I'm anticipating with greater fervor than many others acquired the last few years, good as they have been. I already have the Argo Academy of St Martin in the Fields box (with only a 6-7 CD overlap with this one) so I know what a treasure to expect: while not strictly HIP in the earlier repertoire, they don't overwhelm the music like many larger symphony orchestras do, and they have also recorded excellent albums with more modern music, such as the Stravinsky recordings in this box (with the best Pulchinella I know of, including Stravinsky's own recording).
Thanks much @harvard75 & @Åke Bergvall, these are the personal comments that I was looking for. In other news ... that Deutsche Harmonia Mundi: 100 Great Recordings box from Amazon.es we were talking about three weeks ago? They sent me a message today that they are indeed shipping it now ... 61.15 Euro for the box and 20.90 Euro for shipping to the US. Astounding!
Regarding the Academy of St Martin in the Fields Anniversary Box, do any of you happen to know how many of the recordings in the new box were in the earlier Neville Marriner Argo Box?
Yes I did a count and came up with about 6 CDs worth of duplication, so not that much. Here's a more detailed list of the works from the new box also being part of the Argo box (*=the whole CD): CD 1 1) Corelli: Concerto Concerto Op.6 No.7, 2) Torelli: Concerto Concerto Op.6 No.10, 3) Locatelli: Concerto Concerto Op.1 No.9, 4) Albicastro: Concerto No.1 No.6, 5) Handel: Concerto Concerto Op.6 No.6, 6) Manfredini: Concerto Concerto Op.3 No.10, 7) CD 2 1) Avison: Concerto Concerto Op.9 No.11, 2) Handel: Concerto Concerto Op.6 No.1; 5 ) Geminiani: Concerto Concerto Op.3 No.3 CD8 Telemann: Overture in C major CD9 Handel: Concerti Grossi, op.3; Alcina, HWV 34 – incidental music* CD43 Grieg: Holberg Suite; Elegiac Melodies; Sibelius: Valse triste; Rakastava; Nielsen: Little Suite; Wirén: Serenade etc.* CD49 Bartók: Music for strings, percussion & celesta; Divertimento* CD50 Stravinsky: Pulcinella - suite; Apollon musagète; Capriccio for piano and orchestra*
Someone from "Atlanta, Georgia, United States" has posted a Julian Bream Anthology collection on Ebay with starting bid US169.00 and "buy now" price US 259.00 It is listed as "Julian Bream, Complete RCA Recordings, 40 CDs, 2 DVDs" Very expensive, but far cheaper than the usual price for this item on Ebay. I cannot afford it at moment anyway...
Thanks - with shipping and tax that is still 7.14 dollars per disk ... Plus, the seller has not posted an actual photo of the box, which is something that always makes me a bit weary.
Glad I picked this up when it (Bream set) was new and reasonably priced. And no, I am not interested in selling mine so don't ask.
Questions for the experts: have you had Amazon show you a low price that's being echoed by Keepa - but when you click on it, it doesn't show up? Check out this example below: Lowest price in the US: 28.72, but when I click on it, I get 39.74 as the lowest price. Strange!
