The Super-Duper Cheap Bargains Thread

[Elgarian]

Here's another set for your consideration.
http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Wolfgang-Amadeus-Mozart-23-Klavierkonzerte/hnum/7547854

It's not quite complete, but it's certainly well known and received.

I thought I'd thoroughly scoured jpc's special deals but I certainly missed that. (Am I the only one who finds the jpc search facility curiously unwieldy?) Thanks for this tip Navneeth. I must say, had I known about this, I'd have jumped at the chance of getting Brendel at such a price, and I'm now wondering whether to get one anyway. (This way madness lies, doesn't it?)

[mc ukrneal]

I thought I'd thoroughly scoured jpc's special deals but I certainly missed that. (Am I the only one who finds the jpc search facility curiously unwieldy?) Thanks for this tip Navneeth. I must say, had I known about this, I'd have jumped at the chance of getting Brendel at such a price, and I'm now wondering whether to get one anyway. (This way madness lies, doesn't it?)

It's 21.99 at Amazon.de.

[Elgarian]

Your worries about the Masur set are a good way to look at things - screw anything other than excellence in such widely-recorded repertoire, it's a waste of money no matter how much it costs.

Yes ... that's normally the view I take myself, and yet ... although I couldn't find much in the way of reviews of the Schmidt/Masur box, I did find a lot of samples of varying lengths, and what I heard seemed pretty lovely (albeit to these inexperienced Mozartian ears): the piano is a bit too 'upfront', perhaps, but the performances seemed full of life and charm - I fancied I could hear Mozart chuckling in all the right places, full of delight in his discoveries. So I'll be surprised if I come actually to regret this purchase. There are times when exploring the byways has its own appeal, travelling regions where neither Gramophone nor Penguin Guide have trod (possibly a necessary corrective, too, because I think I'm generally too strongly influenced by them). The most revelatory purchase I've made in recent months was the bargain HIP set of Mozart violin sonatas by Kuijken and Devos on Accent (thanks to a tip-off by Harry), and I don't think I've ever  read a word about that, anywhere....

But yes, yes, I do take your point.

[Scarpia]

Well, the Frenchie's finally sent my my acknowledgment.  I guess Hilary Clinton was putting the pressure on for delayed classical music shipments to the US.   

[Wanderer]

The classic Janowski rendition, repackaged and sold for pittance. 5.99 € at jpc.de.





Still the benchmark for this enthralling work. 9.25 £ at mdt.co.uk.

Samples here.

[donaldopato]

I didn't search all that far back in the thread, but Berkshire Records and other discount outlets seem to have a big supply of the Telarc Cleveland Quartet recordings of the Beethoven Quartets for around $20-25. I got mine from Daedalus books for $20, but it seems to be sold out.

[mc ukrneal]

Don't know if it is a pricing mistake or is just cheap, but Hansel and Gretel with Von Stade, Cotrubas, Soderstrom, Te Kanawa, etc is priced at 8.98 at Amazon (and half the download price). It is a very good version for someone looking to pick it up (and cheaper than most at this price).

[DarkAngel]

 

Take your pick of mega ballet boxes:

35 CD Decca  $60 new Amazon seller Blowitoutahere
50 CD EMI  $60 new Amazon seller Blowitoutahere

I give slight edge in quality to EMI because I like Lanchbery's performances for EMI, plus price is cheaper per CD........I did buy the EMI box BTW, love my main man Blowitoutahere 

Check this huge list of contents for EMI box:
http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=312634

[mc ukrneal]

 

Take your pick of mega ballet boxes:

35 CD Decca  $60 new Amazon seller Blowitoutahere
50 CD EMI  $60 new Amazon seller Blowitoutahere

I give slight edge in quality to EMI because I like Lanchbery's performances for EMI, plus price is cheaper per CD........I did buy the EMI box BTW, love my main man Blowitoutahere 

Check this huge list of contents for EMI box:
http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=312634

On the Arkiv site, for many of the ballets, it says excerpts. If these are not the full ballets, it makes the EMI pretty uncompetitive (if you want the full ballets anyway). Have you gotten it yet to be able to determine this?

[Harry]

But another question, has the Decca set the complete ballets, for I remember vaguely that it is also a  excerpts release.

Ballet Masterpieces35 CDs
Erscheinungstermin: 15.9.2009
Verfügbarkeit: Artikel am Lager
DetailinformationenAdam: Giselle; Le Corsaire
+Weber: Aufforderung zum Tanz
+Chopin: Les Sylphides
+Luigini: Ballet egyptien
+Rossini / Respighi: La Boutique fantasque
+Rossini / Britten: Soirees musicales; Matinees musicales
+Delibes: Coppelia; Sylvia
+Delibes / Minkus: La Source
+Herold / Lanchbery: La Fille mal gardee
+Lecocq / Jacob: Mam'zelle Angot
+A. Khachaturian: Spartacus-Suite; Masquerade-Suite; Gayaneh
(Ausz.)
+Massenet / Lucas: Manon
+Offenbach / Rosenthal: Gaite parisienne
+Gounod: Ballettmusik aus Faust
+Prokofieff: Cincderella; Romeo & Julia
+Glasunow: Die Jahreszeiten
+Ravel: Daphnis et Chloe; Alborada del gracioso; La Valse
+J. Strauss II/Bayer: Aschenbrödel
+J. Strauss II: Ritter Pasman; An der schönen blauen Donau
+Strawinsky: Der Feuervogel; Petruschka; Le Sacre du
printemps
+Tschaikowsky: Dornröschen; Schwanensee; Der Nußknacker;
Ballettmusik aus "Eugen Onegin"
+Verdi: Ballettmusik aus "Otello"; La peregrina aus "Don
Carlos"; Marcia e ballabile aus "Aida"; Ballettmusik aus
"Macbeth"; Le quattro stationi aus "I Vespri Siciliani"
+Meyerbeer / Lambert: Les Patineurs
+kleine Ballettmusiken von Minkus, Pugni, Offenbach, Drigo,
Auber, D. Scarlatti, Thomas
Covent Garden Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra,
National PO, London SO, New Philharmonia Orchestra,
Montreal SO, Cleveland Orchestra, Royal PO, Orchestre de la
Suisse Romande, Detroit SO, Berlin PO, Richard Bonynge,
John Lanchbery, Stanley Black, Charles Dutoit, Vladimir
Ashkenazy, Lorin Maazel, Ernest Ansermet, Antal Dorati,
Semyon Bychkov u. a.
Label: Dec , ADD/DDD, 1960-91

[mc ukrneal]

But another question, has the Decca set the complete ballets, for I remember vaguely that it is also a  excerpts release.

I had the same question, but Amazon has this as download as well (so we can see all the tracks). I compared the Giselle and Delibes discs (all of which I have complete with the same artists) and they match. So the Deccas seems to have complete versions (not including the excerpts).

[Harry]

I had the same question, but Amazon has this as download as well (so we can see all the tracks). I compared the Giselle and Delibes discs (all of which I have complete with the same artists) and they match. So the Deccas seems to have complete versions (not including the excerpts).

So that will be the box to go for, well lets see if Abeille has it cheap, for JPC sells it at 58 euro's, a little steep for some very old recordings.

[DarkAngel]

On the Arkiv site, for many of the ballets, it says excerpts. If these are not the full ballets, it makes the EMI pretty uncompetitive (if you want the full ballets anyway). Have you gotten it yet to be able to determine this?

EMI box are not complete ballet if noted as excerpts in track list.........but they are extended excerpts.
For instance Tchaikovsky 3 ballets suites can fit on 1 CD, but the extended excerpts require 2.5 Cds

I would have preferred EMI box expand to 70+ CDs and have all complete works, but looks like this is more of an extended survey and not complete collected works

Do not have the Decca box so cannot comment, buyer needs to do homework

[DarkAngel]

So that will be the box to go for, well lets see if Abeille has it cheap, for JPC sells it at 58 euro's, a little steep for some very old recordings.

It does appear that the Decca box has fewer but more complete works, the EMI box has more works but many are extended excerpts and not complete works......take your pick

BTW these are not some old mono recordings, they are stereo and sound very good, I have many of the complete sets now

Decca box
http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=282752

[Harry]

Could someone give a link in Europe the cheapest seller of this Decca box. I found it a s low as 52 euro's on a Dutch site.

[DarkAngel]

 

For people who want to be more complete......

If you can find the Fete Du Ballet box of ballet rarities for good price there is little overlap with 35CD Decca box and you would have just about everything a ballet fan would need......

[mc ukrneal]

 

For people who want to be more complete......

If you can find the Fete Du Ballet box of ballet rarities for good price there is little overlap with 35CD Decca box and you would have just about everything a ballet fan would need......

That fete du ballet box is one of the best purchases I ever made. Much of the music is terribly rare and hard to find. And the performances are outstanding. I play this often and I just don't tire of it. It is one of the few sets I've ever bought where I would willingly buy it for retail price (if I had to replace it for example). It really is worth the time and effort. 

[Harry]

That box with 10 cd's is not to be had under 60 euro's

[Opus106]

That box with 10 cd's is not to be had under 60 euro's

At a discounted price of $55.64: http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Decca/4685782 .

[Harry]

At a discounted price of $55.64: http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Decca/4685782 .

Thanks ordered that one, the other box is quite expensive there!
The 35 Decca box I ordered in Holland