Your collection

[barfle]

Here is an article about Tower Records going out of business. Looks like there's plenty of blame for everyone involved.

I've been known to drop $100 at record stores, even in the days when a dollar was worth 85¢. The fact that I haven't bought more than a couple of CDs worth of music (and that was Christmas presents for some GenX neices) from a brick-and-mortar store for about ten years says quite a lot about how I feel about most music today. Since I'm the one with a comfortable income, it seems strange that very few people care about what I would spend that income on.

[Shapley]

It's hard to compete with the internet, given peoples likes and dislikes. If I want to buy a CD of Mahler's 5th symphony, my local store can hardly afford to stock the variety available online. Let's say they buy stock two: one by Karajan and one by Solti - but I happen to like Bernstein, so I go online and buy one by Bernstein.

They can 'special order' it, which used to be their salvation. Nowadays, of course, so can I. The clincher is that, if the store 'special orders' it, it will be sent to the store whereas if I order it, it will be sent to my house, saving me a trip back to the store to pick it up.

'Brick and Mortar' businesses have their place - particularly for browsing. If you want to see what's new or don't know exactly what you're looking for, they can't be beat. Searching the 'bargain bin' is always a plus, too. But for buying a specific item, I find internet shopping to be the way to go.

V/R
Shapley

[Shapley]

I have also purchased the Vivaldi Masterworks Box set (40 CD's). I bought it from a 'scratch and dent' store through Amazon.com (click on the 'X New and Used from $X', where I was able to buy it new for about half price (still kind of pricey, but I didn't want to risk buying a used set. The box has one corner mashed in from apparently being dropped, but there is no damage to the CD's inside, and they did offer a guarantee.

The Concertos, which is all I've listened to so far, are excellent. I've not tried the choral works, which comprise about half the set. I particularly like the mandolin and lute concertos. The Four Seasons is pretty good but, as you would expect, not one of the best performances I've heard.

I don't know that I would consider the set a bargain at full price, but for the price I paid, I would say they are worth the money.

V/R
Shapley

[Catmando]

One of the CD's I got this week was Mozart's Complete Piano Trios (Beaux Arts Trio).

I have to say..........I don't think I've ever heard anything as beautiful as the Larghetto movement of the K.502 Piano Trio. It almost put me to tears.

[Catmando]

Ok, my new purchases have arrived!! Well, most of them. I went on a chamber music shopping spree! I won't post the links, I'm too lazy, but here's what I added to my collection:

Chopin - 19 Nocturnes - Arthur Rubenstein

Mozart - Piano Trios - Beaux Arts Trio

Schumann - String Quartets - Eroica Quartet

Schubert - Piano Trios - Beaux Arts Trio
Schubert - String Quartets - Melos Quartet

Brahms - Piano Trios - Beaux Arts Trio
Brahms - String Quartets, Quintets and Sextets - Amadeus Quartet

Beethoven - Triple Concerto/Rondo in B-Flat/Choral Fantasy - Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Chamber Orchestra of Europe.
Beethoven - Cello Sonatas - Jacqueline Du Pre & Daniel Barenboim

[navneeth]

I was looking at CD's with LvB's Op.80 (Fantasia in C) just yesterday. Have you listened to yours yet?

[Catmando]

I was looking at CD's with LvB's Op.80 (Fantasia in C) just yesterday. Have you listened to yours yet?

Yup, I have.

I'm confused. Are Choral Fantasy and Fantasia the same thing?

[Catmando]

Nav,

Here is the link to the CD with Choral Fantasy Op. 80 that I bought.

Choral Fantasy CD

[navneeth]

Yup, I have.

And how would you rate it?

I'm confused. Are Choral Fantasy and Fantasia the same thing?

I think Choral Fantasy and Fantasia in C Minor are interchangeably used.

[navneeth]

Nav,

Here is the link to the CD with Choral Fantasy Op. 80 that I bought.

Choral Fantasy CD

Thanks. I think I came across that yesterday, although I'm yet to read reviews.

[Catmando]

Yup, I have.

And how would you rate it?
[quote]

I've only had 1 full listen, but I really enjoy the Choral Fantasy. The Arnold Schoenberg Choir is A-1 Top Notch!

I have another recording of the Triple Concerto, and I think I like that one better than the one on this particular CD, but that is with only 1 listen. I'm sure it will grow on me with more listens.

[Shapley]

I purchased Bizet's Les pêcheurs de perles (EMI Classics - Michel Plasson/Choers et Orchestra du Capitole de Toulouse: Barbara Hendricks/John Aler/Gino Quilico/Jean-Phillipe Courtis) last week. I listened to it while driving to the lake to see my daughter, and again on the return trip. I realize a vehicle is not the best place for listening, as road noise cuts down considerably on sound quality, but it is one of the only places I can get two or more hours of uninterrupted listening time.

I enjoyed the opera, which I had seen and heard (on television) long ago. The recording is a good one. There are better recordings of some of the individual pieces. The Alagna/Terfel version of Au Fond du Temple Saint and the "Man Who Cried" version of Je Croix Entendre Encore by Salvatore Licitra (which I'm listening to right now, BTW) come to mind. There does not appear to be a better recording of the entire work that I've found available.

V/R
Shapley

[Catmando]

I have also purchased the Vivaldi Masterworks Box set (40 CD's). I bought it from a 'scratch and dent' store through Amazon.com (click on the 'X New and Used from $X', where I was able to buy it new for about half price (still kind of pricey, but I didn't want to risk buying a used set. The box has one corner mashed in from apparently being dropped, but there is no damage to the CD's inside, and they did offer a guarantee.

The Concertos, which is all I've listened to so far, are excellent. I've not tried the choral works, which comprise about half the set. I particularly like the mandolin and lute concertos. The Four Seasons is pretty good but, as you would expect, not one of the best performances I've heard.

I don't know that I would consider the set a bargain at full price, but for the price I paid, I would say they are worth the money.

V/R
Shapley

Shap, how are the cello concertos? I heard one the other day and it was wonderful. I can't remember the RV#? It was RV402 or RV412, something like that. I need some more Red Priest music in my library.

[Shapley]

I've listened to CD of the cello concertos, I belive it is RV 424 and RV 417, and I enjoyed them very much. One of them (I don't recall which) is very repetative of themes persistent in many of other concertos (Lute, mandolin, violin) but the other does not appear to be. I'm sure as I listen to more of them, I'll find the themes repeated elsewhere, but that has not been the case thus far.

I did finally listen to some of the choral works, specifically, the Magnificat and the Stabat Mater. I have heard the Magnificat done better, but this one isn't bad. I was not familar with the Stabat Mater, but I enjoyed it somewhat. I can't say if its a good or bad recording. With choral music I find that I have to be in the right mood to enjoy it. I thought I was when I turned it on, but my interest began to wane quickly. I don't know if it was because of the music or just my temperament. I usually like to give music a couple of listenings before I judge it, and I haven't done so with these.

V/R
Shapley

[navneeth]

And here are the first symphonies to make it into my collection - LvB 6 and 9, and Schubert's 5th. Surprisingly, I found Bohm's CD and immediately picked it up. The bigger surprise came later, when I was editing my list in this thread. I assumed that the 9 was theKarajan '63 version; only when I saw that it was the Egmont overture, and not the Coriolan, that was the add-on did I realise that it wasn't the same CD. In fact, this is an earlier version of the 9th conducted by Fricsay. Just take a look at the CD covers! But this CD seems to have received good reviews, too, and the store won't exchange goods once purchsed.

The Trevor Pinnock and Simon Sandage's period-instrument version of the Le Quattro Stagioni was tempting, but I think it has to wait for a while.

P.S. I just have too many DG's in my collection.

[Catmando]

And here are the first symphonies to make it into my collection - LvB 6 and 9, and Schubert's 5th. Surprisingly, I found Bohm's CD and immediately picked it up. The bigger surprise came later, when I was editing my list in this thread. I assumed that the 9 was theKarajan '63 version; only when I saw that it was the Egmont overture, and not the Coriolan, that was the add-on did I realise that it wasn't the same CD. In fact, this is an earlier version of the 9th conducted by Fricsay. Just take a look at the CD covers! But this CD seems to have received good reviews, too, and the store won't exchange goods once purchsed.

The Trevor Pinnock and Simon Sandage's period-instrument version of the Le Quattro Stagioni was tempting, but I think it has to wait for a while.

P.S. I just have too many DG's in my collection.

How are your CDs? Particularly the Pastoral 6th?

I see that your copy of the 9th Symphony has it listed as 5 movements. Is it more common to have the 9th Symphony listed as 5 movements, or 4, because I seem to come across alot that have 5 movements?

[navneeth]

How are your CDs? Particularly the Pastoral 6th?

Yet to listen to them, probably tomorrow. The weekend was a little busy with my 4-month old nephew visiting us.

I see that your copy of the 9th Symphony has it listed as 5 movements. Is it more common to have the 9th Symphony listed as 5 movements, or 4, because I seem to come across alot that have 5 movements?

I too have thought about it, and frankly, I don't know the answer, although I'm sure that it is a 4-movement symphony. This is probably a tactic by the record company to get people to see the words 'Ode to Joy', the most famous part of nearly 70-minute symphony.

[bignaf]

there's no question it is four movements. notice they don't put a number 5 in the last track of the symphony. it's just a 5th track, they aren't pretending it is a separate movement. they probably firgure many people would like to jump to that point. look at the Mahler symphonies that have about 20 tracks. it just makes for easier navigation.

[Shapley]

I added these:

Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - The Complete Recordings

Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - The Complete Recordings

Being a fan of film music, and finding the Lord of the Rings particularly inspiring, I decided I had to have these. As you can see, they have about three times as much music as the regular soundtrack CD's, plus the audio DVD, which I've not listened to (yet).

Plus, they come in these nifty boxes:





V/R
Shapley



The

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

Oh, wow. Have you listened to them yet, Shap? Is the additional material as good as the stuff that made it onto the film soundtracks (which I have all of already)? :drool: