# ICON Box Sets (EMI-Warner-Erato)



## Granate

Umbrella thread for chatting about the EMI Icon series, still ongoing though not as continuous as the other bargain boxes.

I'm hesitating. Is it worth buying these boxes for 25€ each? I like Kubelík's Tchaikovsky mostly but other recordings are rarely available.


















EMI Icon boxes for Rafael Kubelík and Igor Markevitch


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## Manxfeeder

I don't know about those two, but I'd definitely recommend the Jochum Icon box.


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## Helgi

Many of these are great bargains, but I would happily pay just a bit more if they printed the CD contents on the back of each sleeve.

I will second the Jochum, that's a good one!

The ones I'm looking into at the moment are Carl Schuricht, Lucia Popp, Janet Baker and Dinu Lipatti.


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## Manxfeeder

Helgi said:


> The ones I'm looking into at the moment are Carl Schuricht . . ..


That is an interesting set, particularly for the French orchestra's take on Beethoven. The sound is mono except for, I think, the 9th. His Bruckner is also in mono, but it it compelling because of its sense of forward momentum without sounding rushed.


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## Manxfeeder

I have the Bruno Walter set also. It's true to its label; it is early recordings, so the sound is not up to modern standards but not bad for the '30s and '40s. If you can sample it, try Schubert's 8th, the Kindertotenlieder, Mozart's 38th symphony and Nachtmusik, or Haydn's 92nd symphony to see if you want to pull the lever on it. It also has his famous Mahler 9 from 1938, recorded right before he had to leave Vienna, famous I think more for the occasion than for the recording itself.


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## Helgi

Manxfeeder said:


> That is an interesting set, particularly for the French orchestra's take on Beethoven. The sound is mono except for, I think, the 9th. His Bruckner is also in mono, but it it compelling because of its sense of forward momentum without sounding rushed.


Yes, I'm up to my neck in Beethoven symphony cycles but this one I just have to have :lol:

I guess I'll stop when the stack is as tall as I am.

I enjoyed his Bruckner 3 w/VPO, which I'm guessing is the one that's in the Icon box. So it's a no-brainer at 16 Euros.


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## Manxfeeder

We used to have a very knowledgeable and enthusiastic member, Marshallin Blair, who championed the Cantelli set. I've been happy with it. There are a lot of mono recordings here, if sound is an issue, but his conducting is interesting.







7


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## Manxfeeder

Helgi said:


> Yes, I'm up to my neck in Beethoven symphony cycles but this one I just have to have :lol:
> 
> I guess I'll stop when the stack is as tall as I am.
> 
> I enjoyed his Bruckner 3 w/VPO, which I'm guessing is the one that's in the Icon box. So it's a no-brainer at 16 Euros.


Yes, the Brucker is with Vienna.

And I'm with you on the Beethoven cycles. I'm to the point where anywhere I step in my listening room, I trip over a Beethoven cycle.


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## Manxfeeder

I'm curious if anyone has heard the Martinon set.


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## GraemeG

Pretty much all the sets I have I would unhesitatingly recommend. That's Martinon above - excellent, and Cantelli too - the sound isn't an issue. The other sets I've been hugely impressed by are Charles Mackerras, Annie Fischer and Melos Ensemble. On the de Laroccha box the playing is wonderful but the sound is a bit ropey.
I thought the Kempe box looked good, but I was collecting just too many duplications. I also recall thinking the Ogden box looked pretty special too, but every time I looked it was stupidly priced.
I forgot Sviatoslav Richter - another stunner box for a bargain price.


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## D Smith

I have the Schuricht set and the performances are all excellent and the sound is ok to fine. Jochum set is also great.


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## wkasimer

If you can still find it, the Constantin Silvestri box is essential.


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## Triplets

Granate said:


> Umbrella thread for chatting about the EMI Icon series, still ongoing though not as continuous as the other bargain boxes.
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> I'm hesitating. Is it worth buying these boxes for 25€ each? I like Kubelík's Tchaikovsky mostly but other recordings are rarely available.
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> EMI Icon boxes for Rafael Kubelík and Igor Markevitch


Kubelik recorded Ma Vlast about 100 times. Would it have killed them to include a complete version?


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## wkasimer

Triplets said:


> Kubelik recorded Ma Vlast about 100 times. Would it have killed them to include a complete version?


None of Kubelik's recordings of Ma Vlast were done on a Warner label.


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## Itullian

Jochum, De los angeles, Schwarzkopf here.
Love em.


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## bavlf

My top five:


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## Granate

Thank you for your insights. Almost the majority of the boxes you talk about are Out of Print, such as the Walter or Silvestri boxes. Several threads have been dedicated to Jochum's ICON box, certainly impressive, but I have already listened and compared all the recordings included and I could do without the London Beethoven and Brahms. I already own the Bruckner symphonies on CD from the latest box with Original Jackets. 

I also own the Schuricht box. Too bad I paid twice as much as it costs today. I reccomend it a lot. I have also listened to Martinon and I'm tempted to get it. It's widely recommended. One I'm very interested into is the Janet Baker box, but I don't know if I could get my Mahler songs in a later Barbirolli reissue with the other symphonies.

These boxes cover a lot of stuff that hasn't been available for streaming, from very early LP collections. Is there any artist that they haven't covered yet? The Markevitch is mostly his French years.


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## Helgi

Presto has the Icon boxes on sale right now, up to 35% off.


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## Manxfeeder

Helgi said:


> Presto has the Icon boxes on sale right now, up to 35% off.


Thanks for the heads-up. If anyone is wondering, they are listed under the Historical Recordings sale.


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## Rmathuln

Manxfeeder said:


> Thanks for the heads-up. If anyone is wondering, they are listed under the Historical Recordings sale.


By a long shot the THE best ICON box of them all but also OOP


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## wkasimer

Helgi said:


> The ones I'm looking into at the moment are Carl Schuricht, Lucia Popp, Janet Baker and Dinu Lipatti.


It's really a shame that Warner didn't keep the bigger Baker set in circulation:


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## Triplets

wkasimer said:


> None of Kubelik's recordings of Ma Vlast were done on a Warner label.[/QUOTE
> 
> Many of these CD reissue boxes will Liscense a few tracts from other labels. And what is the provenance of the "extracts" on the Warner collection?


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## Helgi

wkasimer said:


> It's really a shame that Warner didn't keep the bigger Baker set in circulation:


Yeah, I've been holding off on getting the Icon box in the hope of finding that one. Luckily it's on Spotify, but I'd love to own it.

I'm counting on them to re-release it in the next few years with different packaging


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## GraemeG

And now I've gone and bought the Malcolm Sargeant and Joseph Keilberth boxes as well. Sheesh.


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## Geoff48

The Icon series is a great way of collecting historic and early stereo artists. Sets include Fischer ( with the Bach 48), Schnabel, Gieseking and Toscanini’s Thirties hMV recordings amongst others. There is a great set of Solomon recordings which includes Beethoven concertos 3 and 5, most of the named Sonatas, Piano Concertos by Tchaikovsky, Grieg, Mozart 24 and Brahms 2. The set is historical, mainly mono and the transfers aren’t always brilliant but the artistry of Solomon is never in doubt. No Chopin which is a pity but for the minimal cost well worth buying.
And there is a document 10 cd set as a supplement which also includes Beethoven Concerto 1, Brahms 1, Mozart 15 and a disc of Chopin. The transfers are even poorer than the EMI but certainly not bad enough to preclude enjoyment. Ando whilst some of the EMI are in stereo Membran seem to have preferred mono.


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## starthrower

I have just a couple including Starker, Gedda, and I went for the 20 CD EMI Baker box. If some of those pianist sets featured more solo piano I'd probably have picked up more.


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## vincula

I've got only the Annie Fisher box, but it gets whirled quite often. Might buy one or two. Must have a look at 'em. I don't usually buy any boxes unless I'm sure I'm gonna listen to at least 50-60% of the works included. 

For historical recordings sometimes I'd rather invest in individual issues from Naxos Historical, as they usually sound much better than the ones on EMI. Still those boxes are great value.

Regards,

Vincula


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## Malx

The three I wouldn't want to part with are:
Silvestri
Martinon
Berglund - worth buying for his Shostakovich the rest is a high quality bonus.


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## vincula

This one is beautiful:









Regards,

Vincula


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## mbhaub

wkasimer said:


> If you can still find it, the Constantin Silvestri box is essential.


Ditto. With one whopper of an exception, there's not a dud in the whole set - just tremendous. So much to enjoy. He was a real conductor who shaped the music, but didn't distort it or go goofy. The sound quality is excellent, too. The one exception is the most appalling Tchaikovsky 4th ever recorded. He mangles the rhythmic figure right out the beginning into something other than what Tchaikovsky wrote - and somehow managed to get the orchestra to play it "wrong" every time it appears anywhere in the work. It's bewildering how and why he did it. But otherwise, a fine set. So good in fact that it this was someone's only classical music in their collection it would be quite comprehensive.


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## vincula

This is another peach from the wonderful ICON boxes:









What a shame he died so young.

Regards,

Vincula


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## Kreisler jr

- Silvestri, also because the stuff is almost introuvable otherwise
- Annie Fischer (with the caveat that I have most this in older issues, not the Icon, and for those mostly wanting Beethoven, the sonatas on hungaroton are better)
- Edwin Fischer, essential but infuriating because incomplete (lacking among others Beethoven's op.110, the Wanderer fantasy and the Schumann Fantasy
- De Larrocha, essential despite not always great sound
- Richter, with the caveat that most of this has been available in smaller portions before, that these mostly studio recordings are not always his best of some pieces, and it might annoy some to have only Richter's half of the Handel suites he shared with Gavrilov. Some couplings are also idiotic, spreading the violin sonatas with Oleg Kagan over three discs


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## Bruckner Anton

I only have a few sets. I like the Beethoven Symphony Cycle in the Jochum one and Brahms and Strauss in the Kempe one.


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