Basicrep.com Classical Music

The Complete Symphony Set – 226 Symphonies

basicrep — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 15:08:00 +0000

Brilliant Classics is known for producing bargain box sets that draws music from various labels.
The Complete Symphony Set – 226 Symphonies – 100 Discs is a great deal at the list price of $169 but at the moment ArchivMusic.com has it on sale for $109, around a dollar a disc! The set includes full sets of Mozart, Beethoven and others. The performances vary, but boy do you get a lot of music. This set is missing a few composers, but that hardly matters. If you want to expand your music collection at a bargain basement price, this is surely the way to go.

Here is the review from ArchivMusic.com:

Brilliant Classics has given us some of the most astounding values in classical music recordings over the last few years, but they have surely outdone themselves with this latest issue.
The 100 CDs in this set contain 226 complete symphonies. With a few notable exceptions, virtually the entire symphonic canon of the Classical and Romantic period are included. There is no Bruckner or Sibelius, and it would have been nice to have the rest of the Dvorák and Tchaikovsky cycles, but why dwell on what is missing? What is included is extraordinary.
This set includes the complete symphonies of Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Mahler, and Nielsen — and even the great 20th-century symphonist, Shostakovich, has a spectacular complete cycle included as well. The mature symphonies of Tchaikovsky and Dvorák are here, and there is even room for some surprises, like the complete Rimsky-Korsakov and Borodin symphonies.
Most importantly, it’s not just about the quantity. The quality of some of these cycles is as good as it gets. By any standard, Herbert Blomstedt’s Beethoven cycle in Dresden is one of the great ones. The complete Haydn symphonies with Adam Fischer and the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra is worth the price of the entire set all by itself. In fact, for anyone looking for a complete set of the Haydn symphonies, this is hands-down the way to go. The Brahms and Mozart cycles recorded by Brilliant have both been critically acclaimed, the ever-reliable Neville Marriner and his Academy are here for Schumann, Roy Goodman and Hanover play Schubert . . . what’s not to like? The aforementioned Shostakovich is one of the best all-around cycles available, yet it’s currently difficult to come by outside of this box.
In short, this is a set that is sure to please anyone. There is no other way to get so much essential repertoire for so little. Many of the performances could suffice as a “reference” set for a collection, and those that don’t, like the mixed group of Mahler symphonies, include some notable alternate takes like a live BIS recording of the Eighth with Neemi Järvi and Jascha Horenstein’s third from Unicorn.
In short, this is one of the best investments in classical recordings you’ll ever make. Snap it up while you have the chance!

RCA Living Stereo

basicrep — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 12:52:00 +0000

If you are a fan of the RCA Living Stereo series, you may get a kick out of this old film:

MP3 / Box Sets – Mozart Piano Concertos

basicrep — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 22:19:00 +0000

Murray Perahia recorded the Mozart Piano Concertos in the 1970s and 80s and the set has been remastered by Sony. The 12 disc set is a fairly good deal on CD but is a great bargain on MP3. These performances with the English Concert are highly recommended.

Amazon.com Widgets

DG 111 Box Set

basicrep — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 12:31:00 +0000

I do not usually recommend the large classical box sets because they are expensive and not always a good buy. However the new 111 Box by Deutsche Grammophon is a fantastic buy. The set is a 55-CD Box of full albums from DG’s first 111 years. The set is a wonderful buy at less than $3 per disc. Yes, a bit expensive, but this is an excellent way to get a lot of great recordings for a bargain price. DG has set up a special site at dg-11.com with all of the information on the albums, and Amazon has a nice page where you can see and listen to samples from the MP3 version. Do check out the dg-111.com site, where you can listen to a full album from the collection every week.
If a 55 disc set is too daunting, there is a 6 disc set with one track from each of the albums in the 111 set, plus other tracks for a great price too.

Gluck: Orfeo ed Euridice

basicrep — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 04:07:00 +0000

I sometimes come across some good finds while exploring for new works to try out. There is a free Creative Commons MP3 version of Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice from 1951 with the Berlin Municipal Opera conducted by Artur Rother. I did find reference to an excerpts LP on DG [pictured below] from the period, and this is may be a studio or live performance, released in the US on the Urania label in 1952, but I cannot say for certain this was a DG release or not. Regardless, the cast includes Margatete Klose as Orfeo [female lead replacing castrato], Erna Berger as Euridice and Rita Streich as Amor. The recording is mono of course, but the performance is quite enjoyable and the sound quality acceptable, and it is a good way to be introduced to Gluck’s operas.

Now the good part: You can get this recording for free. It has been released online in several locations, but the easiest place is here at Liber.it The page is in Italian, but no problem, scroll to the bottom and you will see the 24 tracks to download. Make sure you right-click to save the files since your browser may try to just play the MP3s. You may want a libretto or at least a synopsis, so check out the links below.

Librettos [under Gluck; ORFEO]
Synopsis at reference.com
MP3 download from Liber.it

Artwork for the Excerpts LP and a recent CD release:

CBS Great Performances

basicrep — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 23:38:00 +0000

The site now has a complete image gallery of all of the CBS Great Performances albums if you are searching for any, courtesy of Bryce B.

Thomas Tallis

basicrep — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 21:30:00 +0000

Sometimes, it is easy to miss the works of a famous composer. While I have some selections of Thomas Tallis’ choral works on various compilations, I never delved too deep into some of his works. Big mistake, talk about some beautiful music. I have been listening to several Tallis CDs, one by the Tallis Scholars and one by Magnificat. Besides wonderful performances, the sound is excellent and I cannot recommend these albums enough for anyone wanting to explore early choral music. Tallis’ works are reminiscent of the Gregorian Chants you have probably heard before, but with a higher range in the vocals, and many of his texts are in English as well as Latin. Take a listen and enjoy You can listen to these 2 CDs for free at Napster, just follow the links.

The Tallis Scholars Sing Thomas Tallis @ Napster
Tallis Spem in Alium by Magnificat @ Napster

Tallis Scholars @ Amazon.com

Magnificat @ Amazon.com

Speaking of Szell

basicrep — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 15:21:00 +0000

Sony Classics has just re-released the Haydn Early Symphony [93-98] recordings by George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra in a 2CD set! These are great performances, and Szell really brings out the best in these pieces. The sound quality is fine, especially for an older recording, and an excellent way to get these symphonies in your collection. The set is mid-priced, and also available in an MP3 Album version.

You can also listen to a free streaming version [low quality] of the entire CD at Napster.com

Beethoven – Box Sets 2: Szell

basicrep — Wed, 27 May 2009 17:18:00 +0000

From an earlier post, I recommended the Toscanini and Klemperer Beethoven Symphony Box Sets, but those being rather old performances, I like to have slightly newer recordings in my collection. A few of my other favorite sets are by Szell, Karajan and Bohm. All of these are from the 1960′s and 1970′s, but are also excellent choices for box sets.
The Szell set with the Cleveland Orchestra is currently out of print, but 4 CD’s are still part of the Sony Essential Classics series, and well worth getting. Basically Symphony 4 and 7 are not available [was released but now out of print, may still be around used], the other sets are 1&6, 2&5, 3&8 and Symph 9 with Fidelio Overture. All are available as MP3 albums, so should stay around for a while. There was a great complete set released from France with all Nine Symphonies plus the Five Piano Concertos, but looks to be unavailable now. A shame, these recordings should really be put back in a nice box set domestically and kept in print. The recorded sound is good for the age, Szell has a clean and sharp view of these works.

Update: The Beethoven 4 and 7 CD has been released by ArchivMusic through their ArchivCD program. Not at a bargain price, but good if you want to get the complete set. Link is below.

Available as CD and MP3:

OUT OF PRINT SELECTIONS:

MP3 Version of Symphony 9 from older series:

Video of Gould playing Bach’s Goldberg Variations 1964

basicrep — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 21:18:00 +0000

Gould plays selections from the Goldberg Variations:
Aria
Variation 3 (Canon at the Unison)
Variation 6 (Canon at the 2nd)
Variation 9 (Canon at the 3rd)
Variation 12 (Canon at the 4th)
Variation 15 (Canon at the 5th)
Variation 27 (Canon at the 9th)