# The complete works of...



## KenDuctor (Mar 7, 2014)

I'm new to classical music and of course I do like the obvious composers, Beethoven, Chopin, Bach...etc. And I'm considering purchasing the complete works of a composer. Is there any recommendations? Is it a good idea at this point? I'm really open to any works, not just the famous names.
Thanks for your input


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## classifriend (Mar 9, 2014)

sincerely? i don't think it's a good idea to spend a high amount of money into a vast catalogue that you might not enjoy in its entirety. maybe you should try to check as many composers as you can and if you like a couple of them better, just dive into their other stuff and just then i think it'd worth buying a "complete works" box set


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

The complete works boxes are a very good deal for new comers. 
They offer good value and good performances.
Beethoven and Mozart might be a good start.


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## Morimur (Jan 23, 2014)

KenDuctor said:


> I'm new to classical music and of course I do like the obvious composers, Beethoven, Chopin, Bach...etc. And I'm considering purchasing the complete works of a composer. Is there any recommendations? Is it a good idea at this point? I'm really open to any works, not just the famous names.
> Thanks for your input


Buy this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0016A8E1K

And remember that 'classical' is not just music composed 100 or 200 years ago.


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## classifriend (Mar 9, 2014)

if you're really considering it, i'd buy something with more variety http://www.amazon.com/111-Years-Deutsche-Grammophon-Anthology/dp/B002DZX95I


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

It depends. If you really connect with a composer, a complete works set might be good. That's how I got into Erik Satie and Anton Webern. But their complete works is a pretty small set. 

Also, you might connect with a composer's output in a particular genre and not another, so you might want a complete works set in a particular genre rather than the whole output. I have all of Bach's cantatas and passions but none of his organ works, because I don't like the organ. 

One drawback of a box set which is also an advantage is, it's not always the best recordings of each particular piece. But the advantage is, if you hear the same ensemble doing the complete works, you're listening to the piece and not the individual quirks of a different set of performers. 

What I've done is to get a complete genre-works set, like the Naxos White Box set of Bruckner's complete symphonies. If there's one symphony that really interests me, I'll branch out and try to find the best recording of that particular symphony. If I start with a competent recording, hearing an outstanding recording turns the piece into a revelation. 

Just some random thoughts.


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## Morimur (Jan 23, 2014)

I agree with Manxfeeder. Anyway, there's some excellent boxsets out there but they tend to be the smaller ones. Ligeti, Varese, Berg, Webern have some very good ones.


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## Blancrocher (Jul 6, 2013)

Careful--within a couple pages I suspect we'll have spent 200K of your money in this thread :lol:

Keep an ear on Youtube and maybe a streaming site (Spotify charges $10/month for its premium service) to try before you buy. However, no matter how careful you are you'll probably throw away most of what you buy if you take to collecting: everyone's taste is different, and one's tastes change. 

Anyways, welcome to the forum!

*p.s.* I'd recommend the "Stravinsky conducts Stravinsky" boxed set: 22 cds for about $30.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Also, depending on how much gold is in your vaults, you may want to think about quite a few excellent "mass" downloads available on Amazon for a buck to five bucks. Name your poison and we can advise.


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## brianvds (May 1, 2013)

I wouldn't recommend the complete works of Mozart, considering that most of his work written before his late teens is not exactly Mozart. 

With the complete Bach, you'll be assured high quality throughout, but the set is so huge it may well undergo gravitational collapse. 

The composer that occurs to me is Chopin, whose output is also mostly of high quality and large but not absolutely gigantic. If you can stand hours and hours of piano music, that is.


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## KenDuctor (Mar 7, 2014)

Wow! Thank you guys for the suggestions. I'm going to look into all of them. I do love Bach, but I'm thinking about a modern composer as well. May have to get two sets.


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## Nereffid (Feb 6, 2013)

classifriend said:


> sincerely? i don't think it's a good idea to spend a high amount of money into a vast catalogue that you might not enjoy in its entirety. maybe you should try to check as many composers as you can and if you like a couple of them better, just dive into their other stuff and just then i think it'd worth buying a "complete works" box set


I agree with this, with the obvious caveat that neither I nor classifriend are you, and different things work for different people.

Let's say you get the 86-disc Beethoven edition from Brilliant - what happens when you get to disc 38 (or whatever) and think, "Uhhhh.... that's enough Beethoven for now...."?

Suggestions like Ligeti and Webern are reasonable, but maybe you won't like their music. Given the availability of resources like Spotify, Rdio, and the Naxos Music Library, newcomers to classical music have a phenomenal opportunity to explore the entire genre without much expenditure, so I'd suggest you just dive in and find out what works best for you.

(Also, I should add that exploring classical music in all its variety could well lead you away from a composer-centric viewpoint, too. If you like Bach, for example, there are plenty other north German baroque composers out there...)


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## Crudblud (Dec 29, 2011)

To be honest, most of them are chock full of mediocre recordings and will probably just end up being oversized paperweights before long. There are a few I own that I don't feel this way about.

Domenico Scarlatti - _Complete Keyboard Sonatas _by Scott Ross
Anton Webern - _Complete Webern _by Pierre Boulez
Edgard Varèse - _Complete Works _by Ricardo Chailly

I'm struggling to think of any others. My advice would be to check out some of the classical music channels on YouTube, you can check out a string quartet by Beethoven, check the performer, decide if you want to hear more of their Beethoven recordings etc. These channels will also introduce you to a wide range of composers and performers, and you'll be that much more confident when you decide to commit to a purchase.


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## starry (Jun 2, 2009)

Manxfeeder said:


> But the advantage is, if you hear the same ensemble doing the complete works, you're listening to the piece and not the individual quirks of a different set of performers.


Just individual quirks or genuinely valid alternative interpretations that still relate to the music? Often if can be the latter.


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

Let me confess something.

I have a few of those large boxes and I don't listen to them much - even the ones that are considered by many to be "great recordings." I've found that I need smaller bits in order for my attention to work well. In principle perhaps I ought to be able to pay just as much attention listening to small pieces of big boxes as I pay to single CDs or even smaller sets, but in practice I find that I can't.

As a result, in order to enable/encourage myself to pay more attention, I find myself buying single CDs or smaller sets that have works that I already own in those big boxes.

Less of a confession but also something to consider is that when I don't enjoy a work from a large box, or don't enjoy it much, I always find myself buying other recordings that are (or appear to be) more famous or more highly regarded. I want to enjoy the music and I expect myself to and I usually do, but when I don't, I wind up spending the money on the CDs that maybe I should've gotten in the first place.

So, from that big Mozart box, really the only bits of it that I even consider turning to on any regular basis is the operas, but usually only the ones that I don't own any other recordings. For the operas (like _Don Giovanni_ or _Figaro_) of which I have other, more famous recordings, I almost never turn to the Mozart box.

I find that something like this is true at a smaller scale as well. I do listen to my boxes of Beethoven's string quartets, but I seem to enjoy smaller collections more.

All the same, I couldn't have been dissuaded....

And also, I haven't mentioned the Beethoven Sony box, which has some parts (Zinman's recordings of the symphonies, and his recordings with Bronfman of the piano concertos) that I listen to fairly often. So to be fair it depends quite a bit on the particular boxes.

But in the market for boxes, boxes that I find myself loving are those such as the DHM 50 box or the MLP boxes, each of which bring together about 50 things that were originally released independently without any (or not a lot) of meddling by the people who put the box together. Even though quite a bit of those CDs turn out to be stuff that I probably won't listen to more than one or two times, I seem to listen to it quite a bit more attentively anyway, and then turn back to the good stuff much more frequently than I do to the bits of most of the bigger sets.

(Eternal shame on DG, who have phenomenal resources but too rarely find themselves able to do something like that. Consider the Preston box of Bach organ works, which leave out some works, even works that Preston had previously recorded for DG at some of the very dang same times and places that he recorded the stuff they did include on the set. So much for the stereotype of hyper-organized Germans. Perhaps the stereotype can be preserved, if they just admit that their box sets are assembled by semi-literate drunks on work release from penitentiary. Or, of course, if they admit that they're trying to get you to buy the box, discover the stuff that is missing and then trudge back to your record store and buy the individual recordings as well so that you'll get those other things. It's like selling a few MP3 tracks of an album but not the complete works hoping that you can later sell the whole album - without, of course, discounting the price given that you'd earlier paid for the individual tracks. So just as I've never bought tracks like that, I doubt I will ever again buy a big DG box without knowing precisely what it includes and excludes.)


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## quack (Oct 13, 2011)

The Thomas Tallis box set from Brilliant classics is amazing, if you are in to that kind of music and the two Penderecki boxes from Naxos are also a good intro.

But I would mostly agree with science and the others here, boxes are not so good for the beginner or even the established fan.


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## Wood (Feb 21, 2013)

For a newcomer, I would recommend exposure to the widest range of music and sounds possible, rather than focus on a single composer, which can be done later.

As such, boxes like this have great recordings and are economical whilst covering a large range of composers, periods and genres:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/EMI-Eminenc...d=1394539373&sr=8-1&keywords=emi+eminence+box

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Living-Ster...=1394539421&sr=8-1&keywords=living+stereo+box

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-All-Bar...id=1394539458&sr=8-1&keywords=all+baroque+box

OP please let us know what you you buy in the end. Good luck.


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

I know of damn few composers whose 'complete works' don't contain a fair amount of dreck. Maybe Brahms, because he was a tough critic of his own compositions, and sent a lot of them to the dust bin instead of to a publisher. If we stick to his piano music only, Schumann shines, and Jorg Demus' set is probably findable.

Move toward the present a little, Stravinsky, Debussy, Ravel, Bartók all have a low clunker level.

Hell, the more I think about it, the longer the list gets. Never mind then.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Well I just got an 87 CD complete works of Beethoven for $29.99 plus $3.99 shipping.

Select the Used for $29.99 as it is really new with a slightly damaged outer case.

Here is a complete list of everything that is in the set.


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## Alfacharger (Dec 6, 2013)

Since today is his birthday, get this set...


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## Centropolis (Jul 8, 2013)

Crudblud said:


> To be honest, most of them are chock full of mediocre recordings and will probably just end up being oversized paperweights before long. There are a few I own that I don't feel this way about.


I agree with this.

Being relatively new at buying classical music, I started near the very beginning and bought the Bach Masterworks 40 CD set by Brilliant Classics. I have regretted this purchase even though it was only $40 for 40 CDs. I've tried to listened to various CDs on this but was not able to finish the CDs without feeling "bored".

Now, I am not sure if it's because Bach's music don't speak to me or just the performances suck. Probably a combination of both.


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## Whistler Fred (Feb 6, 2014)

Centropolis said:


> I agree with this.
> 
> Being relatively new at buying classical music, I started near the very beginning and bought the Bach Masterworks 40 CD set by Brilliant Classics. I have regretted this purchase even though it was only $40 for 40 CDs. I've tried to listened to various CDs on this but was not able to finish the CDs without feeling "bored".
> 
> Now, I am not sure if it's because Bach's music don't speak to me or just the performances suck. Probably a combination of both.


I believe the Brilliant set was largely done on period instruments. I haven't heard them and can't vouch for the quality of the performances, but I know that a lot of people find period instrument performances to be heavy going. I have the complete works on the Haenssler label. I like this a lot, particularly for the cantatas, but there are a few "clunkers" in there as well, particulalry in the organ works (14 minutes for the "Musical Offering" Ricercar?...Seriously?...)

You might want to check out Walcha for the organ works, or Rilling (among many others) for the Bradenburgs and Orchestral Suites. If those leave you cold it may be that Bach isn't your thing.


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## Guest (Mar 11, 2014)

My recommendation is to not start with complete sets. Get the works that you like. I can't think of any composer where I like all of their works, and you might get bogged down in stuff. Sample works from different composers to find out what you like. Then go from there. Believe me, once you get going, you will quickly pick up on what you like, and then there will be no shortage of things to buy. But I liken it to taking a drink when you are parched - get yourself a nice glass of ice water and enjoy it, rather than putting your mouth to a firehose.


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## Jonathan Wrachford (Feb 8, 2014)

KenDuctor said:


> Wow! Thank you guys for the suggestions. I'm going to look into all of them. I do love Bach, but I'm thinking about a modern composer as well. May have to get two sets.


Oh, yeah! Bach is wonderful, and definitely worth looking into. The Well-Tempered Clavier, books 1 and 2, with Glenn Gould would be the best by my standard.


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## Guest (Mar 11, 2014)

Ukko said:


> I know of damn few composers whose 'complete works' don't contain a fair amount of dreck. Maybe Brahms, because he was a tough critic of his own compositions, and sent a lot of them to the dust bin instead of to a publisher. If we stick to his piano music only, Schumann shines, and Jorg Demus' set is probably findable.
> 
> Move toward the present a little, Stravinsky, Debussy, Ravel, Bartók all have a low clunker level.
> 
> Hell, the more I think about it, the longer the list gets. Never mind then.


Mahler has a fairly small output, and doesn't have a lot of dross and dreck.


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## Winterreisender (Jul 13, 2013)

I agree that the Brilliant box sets contain a lot of disappointments. The bargain prices are tempting but not bargain performances. With Bach and Mozart, you would definitely be better off collecting works separately (or at least buying smaller box sets, e.g. complete Bach organ music by Simon Preston, or complete Mozart piano concertos by Barenboim, etc.)

As for complete works, I suggest this here Complete Brahms Edition (uniformly excellent throughout):










and, if you like this sort of thing, Complete Dowland Edition!!:


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## Sonata (Aug 7, 2010)

I can vouch for Mahler's complete works.  It was my birthday present to myself two years ago and has brought me a lot of enjoyment.

Chopin, Ravel, and Brahms would be the other composers for whom I'd have no problem owning everything they wrote (already do for Brahms and will sooner or later the other two). In Brahms case he is my absolute favorite composer, so I'd pay a bit more. Chopin and Ravel, like Mahler are under 20 albums' worth and not terribly expensive in terms of available sets. And with that combo of four composers you get a fairly good variety of music that is not boring, IMHO.

Side note: I own Mozart's complete operas and am thrilled to have them all (and a goodly bit of his other music) but there is so much of his youthful published music and certain genres of his don't appeal to me. So I decided that the 80-90 albums or so equivalent of material from his is enough, I don't need all 170!


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## Vesteralen (Jul 14, 2011)

I have a couple complete-works sets (Mozart, Brahms) from Brilliant Classics, and it doesn't bother me that there aren't any "Greatest Recordings" in the bunch because I just bought them to get familiar with some of the unknown pieces of both.

The only composer I can think of who might be completely "dreck-free", other than Brahms, would be Dvorak. But, I don't think I've ever seen a "Complete Dvorak" set.

(I'd buy a "Complete Schumann", "Complete Nielsen" and probably a "Complete Barber" set, too, but I would expect at least a small percentage of "dreck"* from each.)

* word borrowed from previous poster


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## mirepoix (Feb 1, 2014)

Part of the journey of discovery means that for me there are no 'complete works of' on my shelves. Or at least, not yet. It's too much of a fascinating, enjoyable and informative process for me to instead dip into a playlist on YouTube or browse a thread here on the forum devoted to a composer I already enjoy, or perhaps one who is far from familiar and resides outside my comfort zone.
And watch out too for the spectre of _instant gratification_ - we can all be vulnerable to the way of thinking that's along the lines of "well, only when I have W, X, and Y, can I then truly experience Z".
The music is all out there, for the most part it's been there a long time and isn't going anywhere soon. So enjoy whatever journey you find yourself taking through it.


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

I would not go for the complete recordings of any composer. It is simply that the box might be a very good value but the recordings will not be of equal quality. Beware also some of the boxes containing very old recordings which are out of copyright. They can be interesting but really they have no place in the hi-fi world. Better I think to stick to one genre e.g. Beethoven symphonies. Or go on Amazon to their second hand offers and by the old recording is very cheap. What can be interesting is a box set of the recordings of a particular artist. Four example I have near complete recordings of Grassman and Fleischer on boxes - cheap and very good performances. 
Even then there are uneven boxes. For example, buy a box of a Beethoven symphonies or sonatas and there will be the odd movement or two that does not come off, simply because no-one was the complete master of all the music.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

When the price is right, why not. There are some good recording on the set I mentioned, and surely for the price you could spend that much alone just on a Fidelio set. But I would agree that if you are not into any particular composer it may be premature to buy a complete set. It won't stop me from buying more Beethoven CDs as I please, or even another set or sub set depending on the price and the performances. Ah, I do have two complete symphony sets besices the complete set. No regerets.


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## KenDuctor (Mar 7, 2014)

It wasn't till I started reading here on the forums that certain symphony orchestras and certain conductors make a huge difference in the pieces. Man there is a lot to Learn, but hey .....I've got the time. Oh yeah, what is dross and dreck?


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

starry said:


> Just individual quirks or genuinely valid alternative interpretations that still relate to the music? Often if can be the latter.


I'm meaning more recording quirks; some ensembles are closer to the mic and some farther away, so the difference in sound can be a little distracting if you're listening through a set of pieces. Also, some orchestras play smoothly and some play rougher, which can also distract from a sequential listening. Then there are occasionally humming conductors. It's little things like that that I was referring to.


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

KenDuctor said:


> It wasn't till I started reading here on the forums that certain symphony orchestras and certain conductors make a huge difference in the pieces. Man there is a lot to Learn, but hey .....I've got the time. Oh yeah, what is dross and dreck?


www.thefreedictionary.com/*dreck*‎TheFreeDictionary.com

[German, dirt, trash and Yiddish drek, excrement, both from Middle High German drec, from Old High German; see sker-3 in Indo-European roots.]


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## Sonata (Aug 7, 2010)

mirepoix said:


> Part of the journey of discovery means that for me there are no 'complete works of' on my shelves. Or at least, not yet. It's too much of a fascinating, enjoyable and informative process for me to instead dip into a playlist on YouTube or browse a thread here on the forum devoted to a composer I already enjoy, or perhaps one who is far from familiar and resides outside my comfort zone.
> And watch out too for the spectre of _instant gratification_ - we can all be vulnerable to the way of thinking that's along the lines of "well, only when I have W, X, and Y, can I then truly experience Z".
> The music is all out there, for the most part it's been there a long time and isn't going anywhere soon. So enjoy whatever journey you find yourself taking through it.


That makes sense. My journey includes staring in rapt fascination at my CDs or iPod, laughing maniacally and saying "I have it ALL. I have ALL of BRAHMS. It's mine, it's all mmiiiiiinnnnnneee!!"

But again, just MY journey


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Sonata said:


> That makes sense. My journey includes staring in rapt fascination at my CDs or iPod, laughing maniacally and saying "I have it ALL. I have ALL of BRAHMS. It's mine, it's all mmiiiiiinnnnnneee!!"


While you are cackling madly, ask yourself: Do I have ALL available and even unavailable recordings of all those works?


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## GiulioCesare (Apr 9, 2013)

If you're a newcomer, the Brilliant Classics boxsets are a good, very affordable choice.


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## Polyphemus (Nov 2, 2011)

I agree there are amazing bargains to be had in these complete works sets, however I do have some serious reservations. For instance the Shostakovich set comprises 49 CD's albeit at a bargain price. However for this you get quite a lot of music that may not appeal to you and you will be left with a huge box set of CD's which in all probability will never be played. This reservation applies to all composers. Does anyone listen to all Beethoven or all Mozart or indeed Haydn.
Lope De Aguirre makes a valid point when he refers to smaller sets (Post 7). I just consider the huge complete sets of the masters a lot of which will be unplayed dust collectors to be a bit of a waste.
If one settles on liking,say, the string quartets of a composer and cost is an issue there is much fun to be had seeking out excellent performances on the net at reasonable prices.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Good point Polyphemus. For me it works because I like everthing Beethoven, except perhaps for Fur Elise. :lol:


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