[bigshot]

Rare live performances by Gould, Stokowski, Bernstein, Haskill, Reiner! Menuin, just about every great classical music star of the 20th century. Track listings here...

http://www.membran-online.de/product_info.php?products_id=818

The price is a downright steal. After shipping to the US, it comes out to about fifty cents a CD.

http://www.amazon.de/100-CD-Meisterkonzerte-The-Masterconcerts/dp/B001G8P3KM/

 

[liuzerus87]

This is actually the first mega-box that I've been tempted to grab... Edwin Fischer, Backhaus in Beethoven? Menuhin's Elgar and the Rostropovich/Talich Dvorak? Dennis Brain's Mozart? Some of these recordings have a claim to the best ever despite being 50 years old.

 

[bigshot]

You better grab it if you want it. Back in July the price dropped but it was back up in a few days.

 

[sphinxvc]

Quote:

Rare live performances by Gould, Stokowski, Bernstein, Haskill, Reiner! Menuin, just about every great classical music star of the 20th century. Track listings here...
http://www.membran-online.de/product_info.php?products_id=818
The price is a downright steal. After shipping to the US, it comes out to about fifty cents a CD.
http://www.amazon.de/100-CD-Meisterkonzerte-The-Masterconcerts/dp/B001G8P3KM/

 
Well I know not much about classical music, but I just pulled the trigger.  

  Something about buying 100 cds at once makes me happily giddy.

 

[bigshot]

No one better tell him about the 500 CD jazz set this same company puts out!

 

[Teuneu]

Thank you very much for this link. Just bought it for 28 euro's (shipping to the netherlands was for free ). 0,28 euro per cd isn't that bad....

 

[Henmyr]

Thanks. I got the box today. I can't seem to resist large classical boxes on discount

 

[elwappo99]

Any comments on the recording quality on these? 

 

[bigshot]

They are mostly mono high fidelity recordings from the mid 50s.

 

[elwappo99]

Quote:

They are mostly mono high fidelity recordings from the mid 50s.

 
How is the transfer? Any remastering? 

 

[bigshot]

Haven't heard them yet. Membran used to have a reputation for variable tranfer quality, but their Furtwangler set was compared favorably to EMI's releases.

 

[bigshot]

Mine arrived today in a great big box. The recording dates vary a lot, from the 30s to the 70s, sou the sound quality depends on the recording. It's a very nice package. Looks to be well worth the money.

By the way, the mono recordings are in that split frequency stereo thing where they put the low end on the left and the high end on the right. If you rip them to true mono, they sound very good.

 

[Henmyr]

Is it possible to know which ones are mono without listening to them first? (I'm ripping them all in one go).

 

[bigshot]

There is a LOT of very good stuff in here! Yow! Some excellent sound too (once you flatten it to true mono). The Beethoven Violin concerto with Taschner and Solti/BerlinPO is spectacular. How did I not know about this recording before?!

I'll make note here of all of the stereo tracks I find...

1) tk 7-8-9
2) tk 7-8-9
8) tk 5
14) tk 4
15) tk 4
18) tk 1-2-3
21) tk 4
29) whole cd
31) tk 4-5-6-7
33) tk 5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12
35) tk 1-2-3-4-5
41) whole cd
42) 1-2-3-4-5-6-7
47) tk 1-2-3
48) tk 4-5-6
50) 1-2-3-4
63) whole cd
64) tk 3-4-5
65) tk 4
66) tk 5-6-7

76) 4-5-6-7-8
78) whole cd
80) tk 5--6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15-16-17
81) whole cd
83) tk 4-5-6
84) tk 4-5-6
88) tk 4-5-6
89) whole cd
90) whole cd
91) 2-3-4
92) whole cd
93) whole cd
94) whole cd
96) whole cd
97) tk 4

By the way, the Gracenote tags on these are ALL messed up. They don't list the performers and it doesn't have disk number tags. I'm having to correct as I rip.

 

[bigshot]

I've been listening, and I've only got as far as Brahms (the set is alphabetical by composer) and I've already found some desert island disks. Just listened to Brahms' Double Concerto with Kuhlenkampff and Mainardi with Schuricht conducting. Kuhlenkampff may just be the most ravishing violinist I've ever heard. Better than anyone today by a wide margin. I had no idea this stuff existed. This set is a treasure. Everything I've listened to so far is totally new to me and totally great.