Boston Sym. - Complete DG recordings

[Randy Lane]

This just becsme a must buy for me, as it not only contains all of the BSO recordings for DG, but also, as I learned from this Amazon France listing, all of the Boston Symphony Chamber Players, some being new to CD.

www.amazon.fr/Boston-Symphony-Orchestra-Recordings-Grammophon/dp/B0742VSHG6/

[Terry]

On Thursday, September 14, 2017 at 5:41:23 AM UTC+10, Randy Lane wrote:
> This just becsme a must buy for me, as it not only contains all of the BSO recordings for DG, but also, as I learned from this Amazon France listing, all of the Boston Symphony Chamber Players, some being new to CD.
>
> www.amazon.fr/Boston-Symphony-Orchestra-Recordings-Grammophon/dp/B0742VSHG6/

Really looks good, doesn't it!

[Mark Zimmer]

Indeed it does. I had no idea the BSO had released so much through DGG, and it looks like a pretty terrific collection.

[cooper...@gmail.com]

Not trying to be provocative, but what do you think is "terrific" about it? Lots of well-played, second-tier performances with notable exceptions: Steinberg (esp. the Hindemith), Tilson Thomas's American music, Kubelik's Ma Vlast, and of course the glorious BSO Chamber Players. They add up to a total of 12-13 disks out of 57, most (all?) of which have been (are?) available singly. Not good VFM in my house, and hardly comparable to the Munch and Monteux boxes. Obviously YMMV but I'd be curious to know what you think I'm missing.

AC

[Terry]

Chac'un à son goût.

[Frank Berger]

Does that apply to the spelling of "chacun?"

[smo...@hotmail.com]

I would recommend the discs with Shaham & Williams, Zimerman playing Rachmaninov and Liszt, Mutter & Previn and Ozawa's recording of a Midsummer Night's Dream. That's just five discs, though. I should think the Perlman disc, Abbado's Debussy and Bernstein's recording of Liszt's Faust symphony might be worth acquiring.

Perhaps those who think the box is good value could elaborate on why that is? It would be nice to know.

Soeren

[Ed Presson]

wrote in message
news:2e8d703a-ff96-4674...@googlegroups.com...

I have the same question: what do you find outstanding in this collection
(in additions to the recordings mentioned above)? I may be missing
something here.

Ed Presson

[joey7c...@yahoo.com]

Speaking for myself, I find Ozawa's Tchaikovsky 5th and Pines of Rome outstanding. Might be my favorite of these works in a crowded field.

[Al Eisner]

On Tue, 19 Sep 2017, cooper...@gmail.com wrote:

> Not trying to be provocative, but

Ah, that's a dead giveaway, Alan. :)
--
Al Eisner

[jrsnfld]

I am a little more inclined to celebrate "well played" discs, but in this case, the musical virtues go further than simply accurate reproduction of the notes.

The BSO may have peaked in terms of distinctive interpretations and stylishness under Monteux, and Munch, but the refinement of the playing under Ozawa was often extraordinary. The DG engineering and pressings, the Symphony Hall sound, many excellent guest conductors and soloists, and yes, even Ozawa's keen ear for color, meant the 1970s were another kind of peak.

I know many Bostonians were disappointed with the direction the orchestra took, but the recordings (and the broadcasts) were world-class in many respects. For those of us who admire the legendary principal winds of the BSO during the 70s, the set includes some irreplaceable classics.

So my take on this set is a bit different than yours. Anyone who loves orchestral playing will find much to cherish in this set; anyone who is interested in the repertoire will find many delights. I count at least 50 discs that are exemplary--or at least have an uncontested place on my shelves. There are others that are excellent enough to transcend these cheap per-disc prices.

Abbado's vivid Poem of Ecstasy plus excellent Debussy
MTT's Tchaikovsky 1, Stravinsky, Debussy, Ruggles, and Ives (all near top choices)
Steinberg's Strauss, Hindemith, and Holst (all superb)
Kubelik's Smetana and Bartok (plenty of authority in both)
Jochum's Schubert/Mozart (big band but beautiful)
Ozawa's Berlioz (especially the Symphonie Fantastique, but the longer works are also very well done), Respighi (as noted by others, a great pair of discs), Ives, Poulenc, Mendelssohn (exquisite), Faure, Ravel (an all-round fine set), and Prokofiev and Tchaikovsky ballets (seriously, the Swan Lake is a must, the others are superb)
concerti with Wright (essential), Walt, Eschenbach (a sleeper), Mutter, Rostropovich, Zimermann, Kremer, Shaham
Bernstein's Liszt (long a first choice for many)

Throw in the very attractive Nelsons recordings from a different era entirely, plus the BSO Chamber Players.

I suppose Ozawa's Chabrier, his Brahms 1 or Mahler 1 don't actually rise to the level of top-rank, but actually these are quite good too and well worth having if you're a fan of the orchestra.

I have not heard the previously unreleased Brahms 2 and Rossini Semiramide Overture, which should be icing on an already rich cake. Everybody has their own calculus, but I can't fault anyone for wanting this set.

--Jeff

[O]

In article <2391d20e-3498-47fa...@googlegroups.com>,
Mike <m3m3...@gmail.com> wrote:

> You can tell it's RMCR when a person can't express a personal, fairly general
> opinion ("it's terrific") without generating demands from those who don't
> think so for specifics as if the original commenter were defending a PhD
> dissertation before a committee of hostile professors.
>

I took this in a different way: The original poster expressed
excitement about the release, while some follow-ups were suprised at
his enthusiasm, and wondered why. And several responses, especially the
well-thought out one by jrsnfld, answered their questions. They may
still disagree, but all had a good perspective. The disagreements were
about music, not personalities, and there was no personal sniping. In
all, one of our better threads.

-Owen