Recommendations for Box Sets of Classical Music that would be Good intros w/ Great Sound Quality

I would recommend the Vaska Beethoven symphony set

http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Symphonies/dp/B002QEXN6Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1274767222&sr=1-1-spell

 

I also like this Shostakovich set

http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-complete-symphonies-Box-Interview/dp/B000J20V8K/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1274767342&sr=1-3

 

If you like organ music maybe this Bach set

http://www.amazon.com/J-S-Bach-Organ-Complete/dp/B000GW8RFC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1274767447&sr=1-1

 

If you like piano you might enjoy these Martha Argerich sets

http://www.amazon.com/J-S-Bach-Organ-Complete/dp/B000GW8RFC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1274767447&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/Collection-2-Concerto-Recordings/dp/B002DZX94Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&

qid=1274767656&sr=1-1

 

If you like Mahler symphonies

http://www.amazon.com/Mahler-Symphonies-1-10-Lied-Erde/dp/B000BQ7BX2/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1274767741&sr=1-4

 

These are a few that I have come to enjoy.

http://www.mozart-complete-works.com/

http://www.bach-complete-works.com/

http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Complete-Works-85CD-Box/dp/B000VBNRE4/ref=pd_sim_m_2

http://www.amazon.com/Brahms-Complete-Various-Ltd-Box/dp/B001TH28EO/ref=pd_sim_m_4

50th anniversary Harmonia Mundi box set would be a great introduction to this companies high quality catalog.  Good especially for earlier music.

I have the Mozart, Bach and Beethoven's. Some of the recordings are great, some are OK. But you can't beat the price. 
 

Yes.  And for starters, you have there (almost) a lifetime of good music to listen to, affordable to anyone.  Musical democracy, I would say.

To go with the Harmonia Mundi box mentioned by zumaro, you could also look at their Sacred Music box, especially since you like choral music.   I ordered both of them. :)

 

Just one caveat: most boxes don't come with much (anything, really) in the case of liner notes, which is quite a disadvantage if you're using them to explore works new to you.   One exception is the Chandos 30 year anniversary box, which has booklets available as PDFs on their website (the box itself is a mix of the wonderful and the odd, but on the whole well worth having).   Otherwise you'll be reliant on the net or books for listening guidance.

Here is a Brahms complete works boxset that I came across that I am itching to get, and for under $50 bucks from one of the amazon sellers!  http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B0012Y1J3K/ref=sr_1_9_olp?ie=UTF8&qid=1275195831&sr=8-9&condition=new

 

Amazon link:http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0012Y1J3K/sr=8-9/qid=1275195831/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&qid=1275195831&sr=8-9&seller=

111 Years of Deutsche Grammophon

 

http://www.dg-111.com/en_GB/home

 

http://www.amazon.com/111-Years-Deutsche-Grammophon-Anthology/dp/B002DZX95I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1275239189&sr=8-1

 

Bach 2000: The Complete Bach Edition

http://www.amazon.com/Bach-2000-Complete-Commemorative-Book/dp/B00001IV8B/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1275239328&sr=1-1

Edited by squall343 - 5/30/10 at 10:09am

Box sets aren't the best way to sample classical for the first time. Most boxes are either for completists, or they're padded with mediocre performances. There are so many budget single disks or twofers, there is no reason to start with boxes. If you want suggestions for individual disks, I can dig up my list.

Ten CDs, every one a five star performance of a major work, almost all at budget price, with styles spanning the range of classical music. If you buy these and listen to them, you'll know what areas you want to explore further. Then let me know which you liked and I'll give you ten more in that style.

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/132136/ten-cds-to-introduce-new-listeners-to-classical-music

But the 111 Years of Deutsche Grammophon has lots of terrific recordings, even though it has lots of filler too I do think it's a great value for money and a terrific way to start your classical music library. For specific recommendation on classical music recordings with benchmark sound quality I recommend these 2, which are my favourite:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Complete-Piano-Concertos-Box/dp/B000GLKLCK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1275363678&sr=8-1

 

http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Violin-Sonatas-Ludwig-van/dp/B0000041UF/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1275363702&sr=1-1

When I first started listening to classical music, I thought DGG was the best label and only bought records with that nice yellow marquee on top. After a while, I realized that DGG was no better and no worse than EMI, Philips, Decca/London or any other label. Even budget labels like Naxos have excellent recordings that no other label can top. The way to find excellent classical music is to learn about the performers and the specific recordings, and ignore the label.


I can't tell you how many times I've heard a piece and thought, "well that's pretty, but it doesn't really speak to me." then I'll hear a different conductor and orchestra performing the same piece and it will be electrifying. If I had to pick my favorite recordings of Beethoven's nine symphonies, it would be nine different conductors on just about all of the major labels.


Box sets are great. I have a bunch of them myself. But for a beginner, I would start with the absolute best performances of a variety of works so the first impression is a vivid one. Fortunately, there are plenty of bargain priced classic recordings. If someone who knows the repertoire points you to the right CDs, you can get just as good of a deal, but with no filler at all.



P.s. Murray Perahia is wonderful, but if I was just starting out, listening to that many Mozart piano concerti in a row would be like eating a tub of butter cream frosting in one sitting. I would never listen to classical music again.
Edited by bigshot - 5/31/10 at 10:21pm

Bigshot, those 10 CDs are excellent recommendations.

As I looked over your choices I realised I have more than half of them!

However, the DG 111 years set is also excellent and has many reference performances - Kleiber's B5 and B7, Karajan's B9, Horowitz in Moscow etc. A bonus is many other gems which may not have quite the same reputation.

When it was released the DG set was <$100 ie 55 "excellent" CDs for less than the price of your selection of 10 CDs.

I would still recommend the DG set, however, it looks like it is getting hard to find and the price seems to be sky-rocketing!