[Masolino]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bunnyears /img/forum/go_quote.gif Chacun à son goût. De Gustibus non est disputandum, etc, etc, etc.

Mozart himself would have thought so, too. Indeed a bit of character is hardly bad for his music.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...011200986.html

 

[Tyson]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Masolino /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes the Mosaiques' Haydn is great. In part because they take their time with it I suppose? More than a decade has elapsed and they haven't touched some of the opuses. Technically speaking Mosaiques' Haydn is not quite 'a set' yet.

I don't think it's that they take their time, as much as its that they treat it as GREAT music. There's a seriousness of purpose, an intensity, that is just not matched by anyone else I've heard (Lindsays, Takacs, Emersons, Aeolian, Angeles, Kodaly, a few others).

Yeah, it's a bummer that they are only a few CD's shy of a whole set.

 

[Masolino]

I agree that giving great music its due treatment shouldn't be equaled to taking time with it. The snappy performances by Appony Quartet of op. 33 (the recording is kind of hard to find now) are pure quickfire compared to the Mosaiques' measured efforts, and yet they are so good (check internet forums for references

) who can say that the musicians are not treating it as great music??

 

[Bunnyears]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Masolino /img/forum/go_quote.gif I agree that giving great music its due treatment shouldn't be equaled to taking time with it. The snappy performances by Appony Quartet of op. 33 (the recording is kind of hard to find now) are pure quickfire compared to the Mosaiques' measured efforts, and yet they are so good (check internet forums for references ) who can say that the musicians are not treating it as great music??

That's Gottfried von der Goltz's string quartet. I've some of his Haydn with the Freiburger Barockorchester so I know that his Haydn is excellent. Finding that album is going to be very difficult as it dates from more than 10 years ago.

Masolino, I'm sooooo tired of looking for things that are OOP that when (and if) they are found cost an arm and 2 legs! How about a recommendation I actually can find, and afford to buy!

 

[Assorted]

Yes I"m also curious. My only source of CDs is the A&B, Naxos and Arkivmusic :/

 

[Masolino]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bunnyears /img/forum/go_quote.gif That's Gottfried von der Goltz's string quartet. I've some of his Haydn with the Freiburger Barockorchester so I know that his Haydn is excellent. Finding that album is going to be very difficult as it dates from more than 10 years ago. Masolino, I'm sooooo tired of looking for things that are OOP that when (and if) they are found cost an arm and 2 legs! How about a recommendation I actually can find, and afford to buy!

But my recommendations are not necessarily for instant purchases! They are for your reference as a music collector. If you do ebay or frequent used cd stores, some of these items do pop up every now and then (often at ludicrously low prices). That's when you can put the information to use. Two recent examples: I recently got Kovacevich/Davis Mozart pc 21/25 used because I once had them and know they are among the best of their kind. Can anyone tell me how long they have been op? Ditto for Marc Minkowski's Erato recording of Marais "Alcyone" which I have been looking to own at a sane price for at least ten years and only saw it up for sale yesterday. Of course I jumped on it. Now if I didn't know anything about the performances those deals would have slipped unnoticed by me I am sure....

 

[Masolino]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Assorted /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes I"m also curious. My only source of CDs is the A&B, Naxos and Arkivmusic :/

Perhaps you are opposed to the idea of ordering from oversea sources? I do it every once in a while if I have to. How about some tips from Bunny? She does know how to get things she wants if and when she wants

 

[Bunnyears]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Masolino /img/forum/go_quote.gif But my recommendations are not necessarily for instant purchases! They are for your reference as a music collector. If you do ebay or frequent used cd stores, some of these items do pop up every now and then (often at ludicrously low prices). That's when you can put the information to use. Two recent examples: I recently got Kovacevich/Davis Mozart pc 21/25 used because I once had them and know they are among the best of their kind. Can anyone tell me how long they have been op? Ditto for Marc Minkowski's Erato recording of Marais "Alcyone" which I have been looking to own at a sane price for at least ten years and only saw it up for sale yesterday. Of course I jumped on it. Now if I didn't know anything about the performances those deals would have slipped unnoticed by me I am sure....

I have had notices sent up at Ebay for any number of recordings that I have been outbid on. I'm glad you are luckier than I!! I only wish I could remember everything I'd love to get and then check everyday, but I'm not that well organized (or obsessive).

Meanwhile, I've found some Beethoven that I hope arrives by the Schuppanzigh Quartett.

 

[Masolino]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bunnyears /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have had notices sent up at Ebay for any number of recordings that I have been outbid on. I'm glad you are luckier than I!! I only wish I could remember everything I'd love to get and then check everyday, but I'm not that well organized (or obsessive). Meanwhile, I've found some Beethoven that I hope arrives by the Schuppanzigh Quartett.

Well one does what one can, and it is not terribly difficult really, provided that one doesn't require "any number" of recordings at any time.

The Schuppanzigh Quartet recording is interesting (even though we now know some of the instruments used didn't really belong to Beethoven) and makes a good listen!

 

[Assorted]

Well, I don't know any overseas retailer and the "used CD stores" here have mostly vinyl and some classic rock

 

[Masolino]

mdt.co.uk
crotchet.co.uk
amazon.co.uk
amazon.fr
cdmail.fr
alapage.fr
abeillemusique.fr
fnac.com
jpc.de
zweitausendeins.de
...
for starters
Also don't forget that amazon and ebay run two of the world's largest
used cd stores.

 

[Bunnyears]

Here are a few hints for ordering things from overseas.

1. Order from Amazon Germany only if you must. The German postal rates are the highest in the world. It's at least $13 to $15 to ship to the USA.

2. If you must order from Germany, use JPC.de/ because they will pack as many items in one package as they can, which can amortize the cost of shipping (€12.99) for a large order. Their prices also have the VAT (Value Added Tax) included, which is automatically deducted when the shipping address is outside the European Community.

3. It's cheaper to order from England than France (and I don't know why); also, most French vendors don't have any English language help. I guess that's because they are French. FNAC is one of the hardest vendors to deal with as they frequently list things that take forever to arrive as well as things that never arrive. Think of them as the Caiman of France.

4. Of the English Vendors, all are easy to navigate. The easiest is HMV.uk. If you are looking for HMV US, it's the same thing as Amazon.

5. There are some overseas vendors that have more specialized inventory that are set up for delivery to the USA. The best of these are Germanmusicexpress.com (which is a Dutch company not a German company. I think the reference is to German language composers such as Mozart or Beethoven, etc.) and Musicabona.com which specializes in Czech inventory, especially Praga and Supraphon.

6. It's easier and cheaper to order from HMV Japan than Amazon Japan. Delivery is cheaper from HMV as well, but you can use any Amazon coupons and gift certificates at Amazon Japan (as well as any of their worldwide websites).

7. Searching for something is incredibly difficult at Amazon Japan or HMV Japan. I frequently have to go through pages of composer listings before I can find the particular recording I want. You are better off using an artist search (such as L'Archibudelli or Pogorelich) than a composer search if you have a specific album in mind. However is the artist is Japanese or Chinese (such as Ozawa or Oué or Lang-Lang) you cannot search by artist unless you can input the Japanese characters. You had better hope there's a picture of the album, otherwise you won't find it.

8. Keep a tab open from xe.com so that you can do some sort of currency conversion while you shop. There will be commissions taken by your credit card company on foreign currency purchases. This may take the form of a flat fee or percentage. If you have an American Express card, use that as the commissions are supposed to be less and they are also supposed to use the most favorable rate. I think that has something to do with the fact that American Express is a "world wide" travel company. Who knows? It's all a crap shoot.

Good Luck finding things and try not to break the bank.

Another UK Vendor: Castle Classics

 

[Bunnyears]

Here's some interesting Beethoven and Mozart I just picked up. Very, very nice.