Box Blather

[Mookalafalas]

And what about the Klemperer, Complete Warner

Availability very spotty. Is it out of print already, or not yet released (or maybe both).

  Here in Japan, it disappeared very quickly. I had been trying to resist it, but finally ordered a copy from a European Amazon for a reasonable price. I don't think it ever had a price drop, anywhere--or at least, if it did, I missed it.

[Mookalafalas]

 I'm about 25% of the way through this box. What a joy! You can play the disks in order because of the huge variety--baroque, classical, 20th century, soundtrack, jazz, etc. It's all new and fresh to me. Great sound and production values throughout. I was worried I'd find all the flute a bit...frivolous sounding, but not at all.

[Mookalafalas]

This is the first time I had a box-set, listened to it, sold it, and then bought it again.


  This is from the beginning of the "big box era." Back then, each disk got "extra filling" of an additional 20-30 minutes of top-tier music to fill up the disk capacity. Anyway,  I just finished playing through this bad boy again, and it was pretty awesome. Easy to find, 2nd hand, on ebay and such sites, I think. Perhaps a nice gift for someone (perhaps a fairly young someone) expressing a mild interest in classical music--very literally "a collection in a box."

[Spotted Horses]

This is the first time I had a box-set, listened to it, sold it, and then bought it again.


  This is from the beginning of the "big box era." Back then, each disk got "extra filling" of an additional 20-30 minutes of top-tier music to fill up the disk capacity. Anyway,  I just finished playing through this bad boy again, and it was pretty awesome. Easy to find, 2nd hand, on ebay and such sites, I think. Perhaps a nice gift for someone (perhaps a fairly young someone) expressing a mild interest in classical music--very literally "a collection in a box."

Yes, I remember that set from the early Box Set era. Earlier Universal had released a similarly sized "The Decca Sound" Box, and there were similarly sized Mercury Living Presence boxes (which I have). I didn't go for it at the time because I wasn't attracted to the scattershot repertoire, and because I had a lot of my favorite bits already. But a gorgeous selection of recordings.

[Mookalafalas]

Yes, I remember that set from the early Box Set era. Earlier Universal had released a similarly sized "The Decca Sound" Box, and there were similarly sized Mercury Living Presence boxes (which I have). I didn't go for it at the time because I wasn't attracted to the scattershot repertoire, and because I had a lot of my favorite bits already. But a gorgeous selection of recordings.

  When I bought this the first time, it was literally the only classical music I owned. I thought "it can't hurt to try, once...", but it turned out to be my gateway box

[Spotted Horses]

When I bought this the first time, it was literally the only classical music I owned. I thought "it can't hurt to try, once...", but it turned out to be my gateway box

Wow. It was a great place to start. Great artists and great sound.

[Holden]

Wow. It was a great place to start. Great artists and great sound.

I've been looking at the track list and thinking that this is worth getting - if I can't find a streaming source? Any ideas if this is available via Spotify/Qobuz/Etc

[Jo498]

tbh I find this box (and most other "label boxes) unattractive. Sure, if one has almost classical music it might be a good introduction. But anyone with a "history" in the field will have many of the recordings already and/or not be interested in the rest. It's not rare stuff that hadn't been on CD or was hard to find for decades.
I have only one middle sized "label box" with 25 discs from German harmonia mundi but this had a lot of stuff I didn't know and that might be considered almost rare.

[Mookalafalas]

tbh I find this box (and most other "label boxes) unattractive. Sure, if one has almost classical music it might be a good introduction. But anyone with a "history" in the field will have many of the recordings already and/or not be interested in the rest. It's not rare stuff that hadn't been on CD or was hard to find for decades.
I have only one middle sized "label box" with 25 discs from German harmonia mundi but this had a lot of stuff I didn't know and that might be considered almost rare.

This makes perfect sense for most collectors. For someone like me, who essentially ONLY buys box sets (and was new the hobby, as well), these sets are miraculous eye-openers...

[Spotted Horses]

tbh I find this box (and most other "label boxes) unattractive. Sure, if one has almost classical music it might be a good introduction. But anyone with a "history" in the field will have many of the recordings already and/or not be interested in the rest. It's not rare stuff that hadn't been on CD or was hard to find for decades.
I have only one middle sized "label box" with 25 discs from German harmonia mundi but this had a lot of stuff I didn't know and that might be considered almost rare.

I am also not attracted to the label boxes with a few exceptions. I got the Decca Sound Mono and Deutsche Gramophone Mono boxes because they were stuff I didn't otherwise have. And the Three Mercury Living Presence Boxes because of my obsession with that label. The scattershot boxes, like this Philips boxes, the Decca Sound, the DG 111 boxes were either stuff I had or stuff I didn't want. So I passed.

[Mookalafalas]

This is a handsome cover. Very classy.

[Mookalafalas]

Apparently this isn't available in the States yet. I bought it SECOND HAND in Japan a few weeks ago. I've just sampled lightly, but seems marvellous.

[Roasted Swan]

Apparently this isn't available in the States yet. I bought it SECOND HAND in Japan a few weeks ago. I've just sampled lightly, but seems marvellous.

In my head Marriner/AoSMF is so associated with Decca/Argo that I forget how much he did for EMI (as was)

[Mookalafalas]

In my head Marriner/AoSMF is so associated with Decca/Argo that I forget how much he did for EMI (as was)

  Yeah, and a lot of it is repeated, apparently.
     I have the big SMitF box, but it is OOP now, and the price has gone crazy. I am probably going to put it up for sale. It's a great box, but if I can get triple what I paid and have this new one to boot, I won't be unhappy.

[Roasted Swan]

Yeah, and a lot of it is repeated, apparently.
     I have the big SMitF box, but it is OOP now, and the price has gone crazy. I am probably going to put it up for sale. It's a great box, but if I can get triple what I paid and have this new one to boot, I won't be unhappy.

The players in that orchestra were top top drawer - but wow what a golden time to be a freelance/session player!!  You must have been recording something for one label or another two or three times a week!

[Mookalafalas]

OK, big box fans. Here's a topic that could actually stir a little debate. George Solti. This box came out exactly when I started getting into classical music (and collecting big box sets), and I passed.

  Solti was huge, had the Chicago symphony orchestra, and yet is so little spoken of here at GMG that he is almost a pariah. I'm not sure why.
    Anyway, I have a chance to get this second hand quite cheaply ($100). Should I do so?

[david johnson]

You should, and send it to me as a gift for my birthday   Solti does great stuff.  Other's opinion on this is not important to me.

[Le Buisson Ardent]

OK, big box fans. Here's a topic that could actually stir a little debate. George Solti. This box came out exactly when I started getting into classical music (and collecting big box sets), and I passed.

  Solti was huge, had the Chicago symphony orchestra, and yet is so little spoken of here at GMG that he is almost a pariah. I'm not sure why.
    Anyway, I have a chance to get this second hand quite cheaply ($100). Should I do so?

I LOVE Solti's conducting and many of the performances he's put to record. That box set should be a treasure trove of great performances. There are several other sets, too: Soltissimo. I believe there are four sets in all. I would say it's worth getting, but I wouldn't want to be without the other three sets (if you can find those as well).

[Mookalafalas]

I LOVE Solti's conducting and many of the performances he's put to record. That box set should be a treasure trove of great performances. There are several other sets, too: Soltissimo. I believe there are four sets in all. I would say it's worth getting, but I wouldn't want to be without the other three sets (if you can find those as well).

  Whoa. That's more than i was expecting to hear... You're righ, there are 4 "Soltissimo" boxes. I believe this set is his 70s work. His box sets are a lot like Karajan's, in that he  regularly re-recorded the core repertoire. In other words, there is a ton of duplication from box to box--full LvB and Brahms cycles, for example. 2 has almost no Haydn, however, and 3 has quite a lot. There is also a "Complete Chicago" box. That would probably be the one to get, but this is the only one that popped up in a pretty cheap used copy...

[lordlance]

Whoa. That's more than i was expecting to hear... You're righ, there are 4 "Soltissimo" boxes. I believe this set is his 70s work. His box sets are a lot like Karajan's, in that he  regularly re-recorded the core repertoire. In other words, there is a ton of duplication from box to box--full LvB and Brahms cycles, for example. 2 has almost no Haydn, however, and 3 has quite a lot. There is also a "Complete Chicago" box. That would probably be the one to get, but this is the only one that popped up in a pretty cheap used copy...

Comparison to Karajan would not be apt (no one has Karajan's level of re-recordings.)

He only ever did a single Brahms cycle. In fact, there are no duplicates of any symphony except 1 with LSO which isn't released. You don't want to get the CSO box as that would be incomplete. Getting the 4 Soltissimo boxes would give you all his orchestral recordings. As it stands, there is no comprehensive Decca box but I am sure they will release it a few years down the line. He did not do duplicate Haydn cycles either. It was recorded between the 70s and 80s with LPO. He did two Beethoven cycles (both quite awful in my view.)

There are some duplicates such Bruckner 7, 8, Haydn 101/102, Berlioz Symphonie fantastique, Stravinsky Rite of Spring but nowhere close to Karajan, Abbado or Bernstein.

You might want to visit this link as a reference resource because it really is marvellous: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georg_Solti_discography