# record you love on BIS (label)



## deprofundis (Apr 25, 2014)

You think im some cheap skate and buy only economic title well your wrong, i got at least two BIS, this label is so good , i would bet anything on BIS is awesome.You can trust these guys to deliver the goods if you understand me.Nice info and booklet, top notch recording, my dad brag about his deutsch gramophone recording , hey pops i got BIS there in league whit deutsch gramophone trust me.

Than i have the Jon Leifs saga symphony i love so mutch on this amazing label.But Bis has a price of admition for his awesomeness lol, my only complaint about this label

Let talk about the Bis recording of George Crumbs featuring his madrigals and makrokosmos 3(this is perhaps one of the best recording i heard from this work, i heard another one and own another one but it's just not as good.

The story go i was whit some friend he was drinking and smoking nothing unusual than it struck em like jeez dude this is quite something he felt transcendant effect of this work(makrokosmos) he was obliterated by the relentless power of this symphony it had somesort of mystical effect on him. i would agree this can occur when lisening to great mister Crumbs.


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

deprofundis said:


> You think im some cheap skate and buy only economic title well your wrong, i got at least two BIS, this label is so good , i would bet anything on BIS is awesome.You can trust these guys to deliver the goods if you understand me.Nice info and booklet, top notch recording, my dad brag about his deutsch gramophone recording , hey pops i got BIS there in league whit deutsch gramophone trust me.
> 
> Than i have the Jon Leifs saga symphony i love so mutch on this amazing label.But Bis has a price of admition for his awesomeness lol, my only complaint about this label
> 
> ...


Who is the performer on the BIS recording of Makrokosmos? I didn't know BIS had released that.


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## deprofundis (Apr 25, 2014)

Anne-Marie Mulhe: soprano
Ingrid Lindgren: piano
Barbro Dahlman: piano
Rainer Kuisma: percussion
Seppo Asikainen: percussion


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

BIS have done Schnittke proud - about half of my recordings of his work are on that label.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Forget the madrigals, there piano recordings are all almost stunning.

Try Music for a rainy day by Roland Pöntinen:tiphat:


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Takemitsu-How Slow The Wind


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

I agree about the Crumb recording - it is very good. And Leifs too.

My favourites are:

- Feinberg: Sonatas, 2 cds
- Sorabji: 100 Etudes (4 cds so far)
- Holmboe: complete symphonies, , Metamorphosis 1-4 
- Tubin: complete symphonies
- Gubaidulina: piano music/Rauch
- Takemitsu: Riverrun, Viola Concerto etc.
- Sumera: Symphonies & concerto; Mushroom Cantata
- Leifs: Saga Symphony
- "La Spagna"
- Händel: Dixit Dominus/Öhrwall
- Rascher Saxophone Quartet - The Eight Sounds
- Sibelius: A capella choral works


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## Couac Addict (Oct 16, 2013)

Schnittke - Faust cantata...DePriest/Malmo. Symphony #2 Segerstram/Stockholm
Scarlatti piano sonatas...Sudbin
Triduum - James Macmillan...Vanska/BBC Scottish
Martinu symphonies...Jarvi/Bamberg
Penderecki string quartets 1&2...Tale quartet
Scriabin sonatas 2,5,9...Sudbin
Sibelius symphonies Vanska/Lahti or Jarvi/Gothenburg


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## Kjetil Heggelund (Jan 4, 2016)

Ah! BIS has been one of my favorite labels since student days early 90's. The 2 cd's I've listened to the most are Schnittkes concerto grosso no.1/piano concerto (+1) & Denisovs chamber music. Since spotify came into my life I've heard many from their catalog. Mozart w/ Ronald Brautigam, Bach w/ Suzuki. Also recently bought 2 with guitarist Franz Halasz; Gubaidulina & Gnattali, he got a latin grammy for Gnattali


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## jim prideaux (May 30, 2013)

mainstream I know but I really like the Bis Myung Whung Chung Nielsen recordings


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## Badinerie (May 3, 2008)

The very first classical cd I ever bought when I got my first cd player, (Philips 104B) in 1986 was...










Still an amazing CD...loved that player too!


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## Muse Wanderer (Feb 16, 2014)

BIS have produced two of my favourite box sets of all time...


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Couac Addict said:


> Schnittke - Faust cantata...DePriest/Malmo. Symphony #2 Segerstram/Stockholm
> Scarlatti piano sonatas...Sudbin
> Triduum - James Macmillan...Vanska/BBC Scottish
> Martinu symphonies...Jarvi/Bamberg
> ...


Sudbin was a major find for BIS; I love the man's interpretations.


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## Biwa (Aug 3, 2015)

I love BIS recordings.

Thank you for all the fantastic 5.0 multichannel Hirez surround recordings, Robert von Bahr!!!

Just listening to Sibelius - Symphonies (Lahti Symphony Orchestra / Okko Kamu)


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## jegreenwood (Dec 25, 2015)

How about this - 4 hours of Dowland in one small (one single layer SACD) package?


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## Guest (Jan 22, 2016)

I love BIS - especially for their Vanska/Beethoven Symphony Cycle and their Suzuki/Bach collection. I don't think everything of theirs is exceptional, but a large percentage is.


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## tortkis (Jul 13, 2013)

_Chamber music_ is my favorite Takemitsu album. I also like the set of Schnittke's symphonies.


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## LHB (Nov 1, 2015)

BIS is awesome. Here's one I keep coming back to over and over.


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

Looking over my CD shelves, I see dozens of the familiar black spine BIS recordings, the majority of which feature Scandinavian music. A lot of good stuff there. Perhaps I most cherish the BIS recordings of Bach Cantatas under the baton of Masaaki Suzuki, especially the following disc:


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## Xaltotun (Sep 3, 2010)

Vänskä's Beethoven symphony cycle, all their numerous Sibelius things, and Weber's clarinet concertos (Fröst/Kantorow/Tapiola sinfonietta).


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

The complete everything by Haydn for the keyboard,


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## Alfacharger (Dec 6, 2013)

The six symphonies of Gosta Nystroem.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

My favorite from BIS is the complete Beethoven Keyboard Sonatas and Variations performed by Ronald Brautigam on fortepiano.
A real ear opener!!


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## Grizzled Ghost (Jun 10, 2015)

VILLA-LOBOS: Complete Bachianas Brasilieras, Choros, and Guitar Works










Just $10 to download from google play!!! A great set at any price and steal at three times this price (i.e. what I paid for it).

Need more music? How about The Essential Sibelius:










Also $10 from google play.

I have 127 hours of music from BIS in my collection. Including almost none of the items listed above, oddly enough. That makes BIS second only to Naxos in my library.


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## Prodromides (Mar 18, 2012)

Here are 4 of my faves on BIS:

1. BIS-CD-760 Takemitsu - A Flock Descends http://www.bis.se/index.php?op=album&aID=BIS-CD-760
2. BIS-CD-1050 Leifs - Hafís 
3. BIS-CD-1212 Arne Nordheim - Complete Violin Music 
4. BIS-CD-573 Holmboe - Symphonies No.6 & 7

I have more faves in BIS' volumes on Jón Leifs, Holmboe plus others. A special mention for their series on Nikos Skalkottas, without which my discography on Skalkottas would be a single CD on Koch


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

As I celebrate Mozart's 260th birthday today, I am reminded of this thread as I listen to the remarkable readings of the complete works for Flute and Orchestra featuring flautist Sharon Bezaly (accompanied by harpist Julie Palloc in the KV299 Concerto in C). This BIS recording (5190261) presents the flute music in brilliant, fresh readings, well recorded and alive. Bezaly's cadenzas are of special note. Certainly a recording for the library of all Mozart flute music fans ... and everybody else.









By the way, if you haven't yet celebrated Wolfgang Amadeus's birth, there's probably no better place to start than here:


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

This is outstanding, as is The Bach Collegium Japan


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## CDs (May 2, 2016)

How does the "Sibelius The Symphonies" box set (Okko Kamu) on BIS compare to other box sets? I like that it is in the SACD format but not sure if it's worth spending the $50. My only Sibelius symphony cycle is by Bernstein.


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## fluteman (Dec 7, 2015)

The great thing about BIS, in addition to owner Robert von Bahr also being a flute player, not to mention a nice guy who responds to e-mails, is the breadth of their catalog.


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## Biwa (Aug 3, 2015)

CDs said:


> How does the "Sibelius The Symphonies" box set (Okko Kamu) on BIS compare to other box sets? I like that it is in the SACD format but not sure if it's worth spending the $50. My only Sibelius symphony cycle is by Bernstein.


I haven't gone into in depth listening with this set, but so far I find the performances quite satisfying. And the SACD sound is fabulous! Reviews all around have been generally favorable. Here are some reviews from the SACD perspective...

http://hraudio.net/showmusic.php?title=11014#reviews

I am not sure where you're located, but it's available for under $30 from several sellers on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-list...acd_new_olp_sr?ie=UTF8&condition=new&qid=&sr=


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## CDs (May 2, 2016)

Thanks for your reply! I didn't even think to check HRAUDIO for reviews. They are very detailed and informative reviews.
I just said $50 because that's what Amazon is selling it for.
Thanks again!


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

For some reason, a lot of BIS material has shown up on budget downloads. Both the recordings and the performances are usually first rate. For instance, my favorite Saint-Saens Organ Symphony is played by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic conducted by the late James Depreist, with Hans Fagius on organ. It's just a small part of almost ten hours on this download, which may have all the Saint-Saens anybody could ever want. About six bucks right now.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...sr_1_1&s=dmusic&sr=1-1-mp3-albums-bar-strip-0


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

​This pianist is on Bis, every recording is a treasure :tiphat:


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## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

I like the Bis release called "Sun-Flute;" and also Gunilla von Bahr's flute recordings with the Kroumata Percussion Ensemble.


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## billeames (Jan 17, 2014)

Nielsen Symphonies Oramo, no 2 Chung. Beethoven Symphonies Vanska. Schnittke symphonies.


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## Ilarion (May 22, 2015)

Well,

I have been busy collecting the complete JSBach Cantatas interpreted by Masaako Suzuki...


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## CDs (May 2, 2016)

I have acquired quite a few BIS CDs over the last year or so thanks to Yevgeny Sudbin.


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

I'm reminded of this thread after listening tonight to the Third Symphony ("Facetter", 1950) of Karl-Birger Blomdahl, which is recorded along with the composer's first two symphonies on BIS-CD-611.









I know I've already nominated a favorite BIS disc in an earlier post, but since Blomdahl's Symphony No. 3 has long proven a favorite modern symphony of mine, I'll give it a shout out here.

The liner notes (by Per F. Broman) state that this is "one of the greatest Swedish symphonies ever written, was Blomdahl's first real masterpiece and has justly received popular acclaim ever since its completion. Being one of the first Scandinavians to show any interest in twelve-tone technique, Blomdahl planned this symphony in a dodecaphonic manner. Blomdahl nevertheless claimed that Schoenberg's twelve-tone technique did not suite him. What he wanted to achieve was a personal expressive language ranging from tonality to atonality and from simplicity to complexity."

The symphony clocks in at 22:38, and if you haven't yet encountered this one, please put it on your "must hear" list, soon.


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## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

From the OP, it sounds like BIS is a budget label. Here in the States, it's an exotic import.


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

But boy, what an exotic import! I can't tell you how many great BIS recordings I've bought - a label that opened my ears to a enormous amount of wonderful music. The symphonies of Blomdahl, Alfven, Gade and especially Tubin. The complete works of Sibelius. Staggering recordings of the Bloch C# minor symphony, the Schoenberg orchestration of the Brahms quartet. Definitive recordings of the Rachmaninoff concertos - the ones that finally let me give up the old Wild/Horensteins. A beautiful, understated and underrated Tchaikovsky symphony cycle with Jarvi. When the final nails are put into the coffin of classical recording, BIS will be one of the most celebrated and cherished enterprises we've been blessed with. Robert Bahr is one of those unsung heroes of classical music.


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## CnC Bartok (Jun 5, 2017)

Indeed, BIS CDs are quite expensive, not only in the USA!

However, while I have managed to purchase some that are worth hearing a couple of times and not much more (sorry, but I don't get on with Schnittke, for example, and some of the more obscure "experts and obsessives only" Sibelius releases aren't that Earth-shattering either), I don't have a single BIS CD that is a disappointment on the non-content side. They record beautifully*, they are usually well-filled, and the documentation, while on occasion coma-inducing, is always full, highly informative, and comprehensive. In their earlier days, their recordings of the Sibelius and Nielsen symphonies were the go-to sets; to show my age, I had several of them on LP before I converted to the now archaic (!) Compact Disc.

My thing with BIS is that they have introduced me to so many wonderful works, by some of the lesser lights of the classical world, who perhaps shouldn't be classified as such? Of those I'd put the Tubin symphonies and the Holmboe symphonies top of the list. Oh, and that CD of the original version of the Sibelius Violin Concerto with Leonidas Kavakos, a landmark disc. Thank you, Swedish people!

*...although I might add that the huge dynamic range on the Vanska Sibelius symphonies is not conducive to relaxed listening. I think that's the conductor, though....


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

Robert Pickett said:


> ... to show my age, I had several of them on LP before I converted to the now archaic (!) Compact Disc.


You're not the only one out there with BIS LPs that go back to the ol' days. Of course, I'm much much younger than you, I'm sure, but I've held onto my LPs and they still spin regularly on my VPI ScoutMaster, a worthy machine for playing well recorded vinyl.

Here's one I spotted on my record shelf immediately after reading your post: BIS-LP-78 Cello Concertos by Herman Koppel and Vagn Holmboe performed by Erling Bløndal Bengtsson.









This is a beautiful gatefold cover with plenty of documentation on each work (a full page for each on the inside of the gatefold) as well as photos of the performers, all in a near-mint glossy surface. This may well be the record which introduced me to both Koppel and Vagn Holmboe, both of whom are today well represented on my record/CD shelves. The disc was released in 1977.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Concerning Danish composers, there´s also the fine Nørholm Violin Concerto with that impressive symphonic poem by Erik Norby, The Rainbow Snake. 

Besides Holmboe and Nielsen, BIS unfortunately hasn´t excelled much in new Danish music, though. 
A little Nørgård and N.V. Bentzon too etc.. I´d like them to do more N.V. Bentzon, for example. 

But the Danish Dacapo label has of course done a lot of Danish music. Also Kontrapunkt, and to some the extent Danacord, Paula and Bridge labels etc.


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## Azol (Jan 25, 2015)

*Melartin - Aino
Silvestrov - Symphonies Nos. 4 & 5*

Brilliant performances!!!


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