Re: the Juilliards, I can't wait for a (hopefully) eventual mega-Columbia stereo box. I've been enjoying the RCA and mono Columbia boxes.
After the Columbia box is the RCA box and then the Epic box. There is some overlap in years. None of their work after the mid 60's has been boxed up yet, except for their 60's Beethoven cycle (also on Columbia). They are still active today, as far as I know.
So it's been far too long... catching up on my forum reading since I did it seldom during these trying times we are still living in... much has also changed, now moved from the UK, where based the last 11 years, to Italy. The good news is I've resumed my collection of box sets, and recently I could get ahold of a prized item I had wanted for ages, Brendel's Philips complete set. Through Amazon US to Italy with the global saver and it would have taken literally 48 hours from door to door if UPS would have not made a mess on the delivery day and move the parcel to another close-by city So with the weekend took a couple extra days but now safely with me, well packed and pristine. The moving to Italy also helped in the sense of being able to combine all our family's musical interests into a single room, quite happy about how it's turned out. I also show the details of the mega (and not so mega) boxes.
I have ordered from them via the US Amazon a few big boxes, such as the Brendel, the Grumiaux, the Furtwangler, etc. and thankfully they arrived without damage although they were packed terribly. Whether I buy something from them it really depends on the price. They have good prices, that is for sure. I can imagine that the regular return process that applies to all Amazon purchases applies to them too, but I really do not have any experience with returning an item to them. One last thing. It does not matter where you buy them, there is always a chance that these big boxes come damaged no matter what. So, it is always a risk and there is always an aggravation factor involved even if you buy from the most reliable sellers. I buy right away when I see something offered for a good price and, although not very religious, I pray later that it will arrive at my doorstep undamaged.
Box set I would like to see issued: Complete Marc Andre Hamelin! Possibly the best live pianist, technically speaking at least.
Yup! Also went a couple of times, years ago, to Alban Berg's flat, not far from Schönbrunn. It was left exactly as it was when he died in 1935 despite the fact that his widow lived until 1977. His piano, his scores, his books, his desk... and Gustav Mahler's baton that he stole one day after a concert... And I could consult everything! Also went to Schoenberg's house in Mödling. Not much left except his piano. I had a seminar there with one of his American students...
Really nice. That's right. *Juilliard String Quartet: The Early Columbia Recordings (1949-1956) 16 CD [release date: 2021] *Juilliard String Quartet: The Complete EPIC Recordings (1956-1966) 11 CD [release date: 2018] *Juilliard String Quartet: The Complete RCA Recordings (1957-60) 11 CD [release date: 2019] It's possible that the next Box Set will be that The Columbia Stereo Analogue Recordings or something like that, maybe.
Good advice! I went ahead and made the purchase. This item has been available for awhile, so the price is creeping up. I usually try to get boxes when they are first released, so I do not miss them. The terms and conditions are actually different for Amazon Global Store UK at least compared to regular Amazon US.
Another one that has been posted earlier - see last page: Classical "Mega" CD Box Sets https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/classical-mega-cd-box-sets.275224/page-920#post-28664717
I wouldn't order a big box from Momox, but I've ordered a single CD, which arrived safely, and an OOP double-SACD (today). Fingers crossed. The price was very good (about 40% or better than what I've seen elsewhere), so I felt compelled to take the chance. Part of me thinks they'll send me the non-SACD version, which I already have.
The main reasons I got the set was a severe lack of baroque in my collection and a very good price on Amazon, given the amount of music. I have to agree that I have found more enjoyable renditions of the music from other orchestras, but it's a great way to discover what I like. I never would have listened to Leclair, Ramean, Telemann, Albinoni and so many more if I didn't have this set. On top of that, I'm still an amateur listener who vastly prefers Classical and Romantic music, so I'm ignorant to the quality of baroque a lot of the time
Speaking about MAH. Here’s the latest twofer. Superb SQ. Also, his take on Stravinsky Rites of Spring for 2 pianos just left me speechless.
Nice list, but it is not complete without Trevor Pinnock and the English Concert. Their Bach recordings are fabulous and still sound terrific today.
It was just a list of the ones that seem to me personally to be somewhat better than Café Zimmermann's perfomances. Of course Trevor Pinnock is a great musician and conductor, but ... personally I like them less than the ones from Café Zimmermann, so I didn't write them down. If I have time later, I explain why Pinnock's Bach doesn't like me too much.
At the moment Amazon Italy is still cheaper at 160 euros plus change, including VAT. https://www.amazon.it/gp/product/B09FC5FHJT/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=A11IL2PNWYJU7H&psc=1
