# Pilz Vienna Masters



## jshollis

Hello,

I am a nubie here. Can anyone tell me how many CD's are in the Pilz Vienna Masters Series?

[


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## jshollis

*Are These Labels Still In Business*

Pilz, LaserLight, Delta?  
I could not find websites for any of them that had any real detail on their recordings?


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## World Violist

Way too many... I really have no clue, but there are A LOT!


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## abobparis

I have a set and it has 62 cd, I am looking for a list of all the cd's and the music on them it came with one but I lost it. hope this helps bob paris


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## StBrianofMinneapolis

I have a collection of the PILZ Vienna Master Series that was sold at Best Buy stores in the US around 1996. 

I scoured various stores, and concluded there were 40 volumes, each containing two cds.

These do not have the sleek gray design as pictured above. Instead, these came packaged in a cheap 2 CD case, and featured various stock photos of landscapes on the cover, with very simple text that is often hard to read. They had an amazing price of $$1.50 a piece (for 2 cds). I believe I bought all of them, and as of today can locate 38 out of the forty total volumes.

I am trying to track down the other two volumes and may need help doing so. If anyone needs any help regarding these, please ask away.


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## dmg

StBrianofMinneapolis said:


> I am trying to track down the other two volumes and may need help doing so. If anyone needs any help regarding these, please ask away.


I have several of these, and I frequently find them in various clearance bins around town. Which ones are you missing?


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## Voyager1

*PILZ / Vienna Masters 2x CD Sets*

I, too, am interested in completing the 40 2xCD set that was sold at Best Buy. It is rather hard to track down what is in each set, but here is what I have located. Once you know what is in each, they are far easier to find!

Edit -- I originally asked folks to fill in the blanks, but I've done some more hunting and polished off the list. Hope this helps people hunt!

No. 1 Ludwig van Beethoven
CD1: Famous Sonatas For piano
CD2: Piano Concerto No. 3

No. 2 Johann Sebastian Bach - The Well-Tempered Clavier
CD1: Part I/I
CD2: Part I/II

No. 3 Ludwig van Beethoven
CD 1: Symphony No. 9
CD 2: Piano Concerto No. 1

No. 4 Antonin Dvorak
CD1: Symphony No. 9 "From the New World"
CD2: Stabat Mater

No. 5 Georg Philipp Telemann
CD1: Dinner Music Vol. 1
CD2: Dinner Music Vol. 2

No. 6 Peter I. Tchaikovsky
CD1: Romeo and Juliet / The Sleeping Beauty
CD2: Symphony No. 6 - Pathetique

No. 7 Johann Sebastian Bach
CD1: Famous Organ Works
CD2: Goldberg Variations

No. 8 Antonio Vivaldi
CD1: The Four Seasons
CD2: Concertos on Authentic Instruments

No. 9 Short Pieces - Great Composers
CD1: Vol. 1
CD2: Vol. 2

No. 10 Ludwig van Beethoven
CD1: Symphony No. 3 "Eroica"
CD2: Symphony No. 6 "Pastorale"

No. 11 Johannes Brahms
CD1: Festival Overture / Tragic Overture
CD2: Liebeslieder-Waltzes

No. 12 Anton Bruckner
CD1: Symphony No. 4 "Romantic"
CD2: Symphony No. 2

No. 13 Frederic Chopin
CD1: Waltzes (Complete Edition)
CD2: Piano Concerto No. 2 / Funeral March

No. 14 Georg Friedrich Handel
CD1: Water Music / Music for Firework
CD2:Concerti Grossi Op. 6 No. 5-7

No. 15 Joseph Haydn
CD1: Symphony No. 99 & 101 "Clock"
CD2: Symphony No. 94 "Surprise"

No. 16 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
CD1: Symphony No. 35 - Haffner & No. 38 - Prague
CD2: Salzburg Symphonies

No. 17 Claude Debussy
CD1: Piano Works
CD2: String Quartet No. 1 / Suite Bergamusque

No. 18 Antonin Dvorak
CD1: Symphony No. 8
CD2: String Serenade / Slavonic Dances

No. 19 Edvard Grieg
CD1: Holberg Suite / Norwegian Wedding Dances
CD2: Lyric Suite Op. 54

No. 20 Joseph Haydn
CD1: Symphonies No. 48, 59 & 92
CD2: String Quartets Op. 64 No. 1-3

No. 21 Franz Liszt
CD1: Piano Concerto No. 1
CD2: Symphonic Poems

No. 22 Gustav Mahler
CD1: Symphony No. 1 "Der Titan"
CD2: Symphony No. 5

No. 23 F. Mendelssohn Bartholdy
CD1: A Midsummer Night's Dream
CD2: Symphonies No. 4 & 5

No. 24 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
CD1: The Merry Mozart
CD2: "Ein Musikalischer Spass"

No. 25 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
CD1: Requiem
CD2: Coronation Mass

No. 26 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
CD1: Famous Arias Vol. 1
CD2: Famous Arias Vol. 2

No. 27 Franz Schubert
CD1: Symphony No. 4 "Tragic"
CD2: Death and the Maiden

No. 28 Robert Schumann
CD1: Piano Concerto A Minor / Symphony No. 4
CD2: Symphony No. 1 & 3

No. 29 Bedrich Smetana
CD1: The Bartered Bride
CD2: My Fatherland

No. 30 Guiseppe Verdi
CD1: Aida - Highlights
CD2: Rigoletto - Highlights

No. 31 Guiseppe Verdi
CD1: La Traviata - Momentos Culminantes (Highlights)
CD2: Otello - Momentos Culminantes (Highlights)

No. 32 Richard Wagner
CD1: Tristan & Isolda - Momentos Culminantes Vol. 1
CD2: Tristan & Isolda - Momentos Culminantes Vol. 2

No. 33 Famous Opera Choruses and Arias
CD1: Vol. 1
CD2: Vol. 2

No. 34 Popular Overtures
CD1: Vol. 1
CD2: Vol. 2

No. 35 Romantic Piano Music
CD1: Vol. 1
CD2: Vol. 2

No. 36 Music for Meditation
CD1: Vol. 1
CD2: Vol. 2

No. 37 Music for Meditation
CD1: Vol. 3
CD2: Vol. 4

No. 38 Festival Clasico (Classic Festival)
CD1: Vol. 1
CD2: Vol. 2

No. 39 Baroque Festival
CD1: Vol. 1
CD2: Vol. 1

No. 40 Romantic Festival
CD1: Vol. 1
CD2: Vol. 2



StBrianofMinneapolis said:


> I have a collection of the PILZ Vienna Master Series that was sold at Best Buy stores in the US around 1996.
> 
> I scoured various stores, and concluded there were 40 volumes, each containing two cds.
> 
> These do not have the sleek gray design as pictured above. Instead, these came packaged in a cheap 2 CD case, and featured various stock photos of landscapes on the cover, with very simple text that is often hard to read. They had an amazing price of $$1.50 a piece (for 2 cds). I believe I bought all of them, and as of today can locate 38 out of the forty total volumes.
> 
> I am trying to track down the other two volumes and may need help doing so. If anyone needs any help regarding these, please ask away.


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## 2old

*Pilz vienna master series*

I have had these CDs since 1994. I bought them in sets of about 60 each. I know from what I have there are 171 cds #160 101 thru 185, 201 thru 278, 301 thru 305, 401 thru 408, 414 and 422. more info is on the front cover of the cd in the disks #160 101- 185:tiphat:


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## Voyager1

*Pilz Catalog*

I've been in the process of scanning my CDs into itunes and I discovered a catalog inside one of the Pilz Vienna Master CDs. I've attached a jpg scan of all 3 pages of the catalog. Perhaps this will help in your quest to track down a complete set of their releases.


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## 2old

Thanks for your help


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## Clem

*full PILZ CD list*

Hi all

I've had the entire (as far as I know) PILZ collection since the early 90s. I called the company to get every CD in the Vienna Masters Series collection, so according to their salespeople I have a full set.

I have 158 total, plus I gave away 6 CDs: #101, 102, 109, 140, 182, and 216 as I already had those pieces on other CDs. So it looks like there are 164 in the full Vienna Masters Series set, which was also sold as Mozart's Revenge I, II, and III.

There are a few numerical gaps in their series in the catalog list, so if these "gap CDs" exist then maybe there are 171 as 2old says. It's possible I'm missing a few, since their catalog at the time had some mistakes, and I was sent a few duplicates by mistake.

Here is my list, which i keep in alpha by main composer. The number following is the PILZ number.

Adam/Schubert/Rubinstein/Strauss/Verdi/Delibes/Tschaikowsky (P151)
Bach - Brandenburg concertos 1-3 (P407)
Bach - Brandenburg concertos 4-6 (P408)
Bach - Famous Organ Works v.1 (P117)
Bach - Goldberg Variations, 4 duets (P127)
Bach - Inversions, symphonies, preludes (P134)
Bach - Italian concerto 971; partita 825; tocatta 912 (P202)
Bach - Organ works, v.2 (P401)
Bach - Tocatta 910-916 (P178)
Bach - Well-Tempered Klavier, pt.1 v.1 (P121)
Bach - Well-Tempered Klavier, pt.1 v.2 (P122)
Bach - Well-Tempered Klavier, pt.2 v.1 (P139)
Bach - Well-Tempered Klavier, pt.2 v.2 (P142)
Bartok - 15 Hungarian peasant songs; 20 pieces f/children; 5 dances/Romania (P262)
Bayer/Offenbach/Addinsell/Auber/Mascagni (P233)
Beethoven - Piano Concerto #3 (P221)
Beethoven - Piano concerto #1; Overture to King Stephan (P220)
Beethoven - Piano concertos 4,5 (P250)
Beethoven - Piano Sonatas (Les Adieux,Appassionata,Tempest) (P118)
Beethoven - Piano sonatas: Moonlight, Pathetique, Goldstein (P203)
Beethoven - Sonata for piano, violin #4,9 (P180)
Beethoven - Symphony #2, Egmont overture (P204)
Beethoven - Symphony #3 "Eroica" (P251)
Beethoven - Symphony #6, quartet for piano, violin, viola,violincello (P252)
Beethoven - Symphony #9 (P155)
Beethoven - Symphony 1,7 (P152)
Beethoven - Symphony 4,8 (P128)
Beethoven - Triple concert; Eroica variations (P179)
Beethoven/Auber/Humperdinck/Cimarosa/Mozart/Mascagni (P218)
Beethoven/Schubert - Symphony #5; Symphony #8 (P222)
Beethoven/Tschaikowsky - violin concerto in D; Serenade/strings op.48 (P132)
Berlioz - Symphonie Fantastique op. 14 (P264)
Bizet - L'Arlesienne suite 1,2; Symphony #1 (P205)
Bizet/Fucik/Suppe/Mendelsohn Bart./Sibelius/Mascagni/Katschaturian (P219)
Bizet/Mendelsohn Bartholdy - Children's Games, sym.#1; Mids. Night's Dream (P259)
Brahms - Festival & Tragic overtures, violin concerto op.77 (P145)
Brahms - Hungarian Dances 1-21 (P201)
Bruch/Mendelsohn Bartholdy - violin concerto 1; violin conc. E min. op.64 (P112)
Bruckner - Symphony #2 (P159)
Bruckner - Symphony #4 in Eb (P253)
Cherubini - Requiem for chorus, orchestra (P144)
Chopin - Impromptus 1-4, nocturnes, fantasy (P206)
Chopin - Nocturnes 1-10 (P223)
Chopin - Piano music v.2 (P207)
Chopin - Waltzes 1-14 (P230)
Chopin/Lizst/Brahms/Mozart/Schubert (P133)
Chopin/Schubert/Lizst/Grieg/Tschaik./Mozart/Mendels./Schumann/Brahms (P402)
Corelli/Albononi/Vivaldi (P257)
Corelli/Locatelli/Vivaldi/Albononi (P105)
Debussy - Piano works (P130)
Debussy/Handel/Spohr/Glinka/Dussek/Durand/Bach - Harp (P137)
Debussy/Mozart/Borodin/Dvorak (P175)
Dvorak - Stabat Mater op.58 (P104)
Dvorak - Symphony #9 (P146)
Dvorak/Haydn - symphony #8; symphony 82 (P167)
Gounad/Smetana/Adam/Dvorak (P208)
Grieg - Peer Gynt, piano concerto in A minor (P153)
Handel - Concerti Grossi op.3 1-6 (P266)
Handel - Concerti Grossi op.6 n.1-4 (P168)
Handel - Concerti Grossi op.6 n.5-7 (P169)
Handel - Organ concerto 1,4,13 (P163)
Handel - Organ concerto 1,4,13, G Major suite (P236)
Handel - Water Music suites 1,2;Music for Fireworks (P154)
Haydn - Concerto for King Ferdinand IV, n.1-4 (P148)
Haydn - Concerto for trumpet; symphony 30,45 (P265)
Haydn - String quartets 1,3,5 (P209)
Haydn - String quartets op. 64 n.1-3 (P404)
Haydn - String quartets op.64 n.4-6 (P116)
Haydn - Symphony #4; concerto for King Ferdinand IV n.5 (P173)
Haydn - Symphony 6,7,8 (P301)
Haydn - Symphony 22,26,53 (P302)
Haydn - Symphony 48,59,92 (P254)
Haydn - Symphony 98,102 (P147)
Haydn - Symphony 99,101 (P156)
Hindemith - Mathis de Maler;Pittsburgh;Metamorphosis (P273)
Kalman/Lehar - Die Czardusfurstin; Die Lustige Witwe (P276)
Lichl/Reicha/Danzi/Haydn (P119)
Liszt/Falla - Hungarian Rhapsody; piano concerto #1;Magic of Love (P181)
Lizst - piano conc.;Funerail. G 173/7;Mephisto Waltz;prelude/fugue on BACH (P267)
Lizst - Symphonic poems (P115)
Mahler - Song of the Earth (P124)
Mahler - Symphony #1 (P160)
Mendelsohn Bartholdy - symphony 4,5 (P210)
Mendelsohn Bartholdy - violin concerto in E minor, symphony #3 (P256)
Monteverdi - Madrigal Amorosi & Guerrieri; Missa 1 "a capella" (P268)
Mozart - Clarinet concerto in A, Bassoon concerto in Bb (P405)
Mozart - concerto for flute; concerto for flute and harp (P422)
Mozart - Coronation Mass (P166)
Mozart - Don Giovanni excepts (P278)
Mozart - Flute concertos (P184)
Mozart - Horn concerto 1,3; Oboe concerto in C (P224)
Mozart - Pariser & Linzer symphonies; Symphony #1 (P176)
Mozart - Piano Concertos 20, 26 (P129)
Mozart - Piano Concertos 21,23 (P135)
Mozart - Piano concertos XV271, KU453 (P212)
Mozart - Piano pieces (concerto 12 et al) (P269)
Mozart - Salzberg symphonies1-3, serenade #6 (P183)
Mozart - Sonatas, fantasy, rondos (P131)
Mozart - String quartets (Haydn & Mailander 1&2) (P225)
Mozart - String quartets (Haydn & Mailander 3&4) (P226)
Mozart - Symphony 10,18,25 (P108)
Mozart - Symphony 21,30,33 (P114)
Mozart - Symphony 22,24,29 (P113)
Mozart - Symphony 35,38 (P107)
Mozart - Symphony 39, piano sonata in B (P255)
Mozart - symphony 41; Magic Flute; Marriage of Figaro; Abduction fr. Seraglio (P211)
Mozart - Symphony40,41 (P103)
Mozart - Two Marches,Horn Concertos,Cosse Fan Tutte (P120)
Mozart - Vesparae de Dominica, Church Sonata, Haydn Quartet (P186)
Mozart - violin concertos 3,4 (414)
Mozart/Tschaikowsky/Debussy (P150)
Orff - Carmina Burana (P149)
Paganini/Tartini - violin concerto #1; violin concerto in D minor (P161)
Palestrina/Bach - Missa Brevis, "Tu es petrus"; overture suite 1 (P238)
Prokofiew - Romeo & Juliet (P271)
Rachmaninoff/Rimski-Kors./Prokof.-piano con.2;Capr.Esp.;Love f/3 Oranges (P272)
Ravel - Bolero, piano concerto in G (P213)
Reubke/Schumann/Franck/Saint-Seans - Organ (P136)
Rimsky-Korsakoff - Scheherazade op.35 (P214)
Rossini/Weber/Verdi/Mozart/Smetana/Wagner (P170)
Saint-Saens - Carnival of Animals; Fantasy in Eb; Organ symphony #3 (P260)
Scarlatti - Sonatas (P106)
Schubert - 8 Impromptus op.90 op.142 (P126)
Schubert - "Death and the Maiden", string quartet in C (P231)
Schubert - Deutsch music; symphony #6 (P240)
Schubert - Schwanengasang D 957, sonata D 821 (P270)
Schubert - Symphony #7 (P174)
Schubert - "Trout" quintet op.114 D667; string quartet op.29 D804 (P111)
Schubert - Wanderer fantasy; symphony #4 (P158)
Schubert - Winter Journey (P172)
Schumann - Piano concerto op.58; symphony #4 (P239)
Schum./Rameau/Chop./Tsch./Mozart/Skriabin/Schubert/Grieg/Beet./Mendel. (P403)
Schutz - Matthias Passion (P123)
Sibelius/Grieg - violin con. op.47,valse triste op.44;symph.dan.4, Lyric op.54 (P277)
Strauss - Melodies v.1 (P303)
Strauss - Melodies v.2 (P304)
Strauss - Melodies v.3 (P305)
Strauss/Smetana - Don Quixote (P242)
Stravinski - Petrushka, symphonic sutzen (P243)
Suppe/Wagner/Schumann/Weber/Mendelsohn Bartholdy (P171)
Telemann/Hummel - Dinner music; Concerto for trumpet (P157)
Telemann/Richter - Dinner music; Trumpet concerto (P162)
Tschaikowski - Piano concerto #1, 1812 Overture (P244)
Tschaikowsky - Symphony #5 (P227)
Tschaikowsky - Symphony #6 (P228)
Tschaikowsky/Beethoven - violin concertos;violin romances (P125)
Tschaikowsky/Glinka-Romeo&Juliet,Sleeping Beauty;Ruslan&Ludmilla (P215)
Verdi - Aida (P245)
Verdi - La Traviata highlights (P247)
Verdi - Rigoletto (P248)
Verdi/Mascagni/Glinka/Donizetti/Leoncavallo (P165)
Verdi/Wagner/Puccini/Beethoven/Mozart/Bizet (P237)
Vivaldi - Concertos (P229)
Vivaldi - Concertos in period instruments (P110)
Vivaldi - violin concerto op.3 n.1-7 (P177)
Wagner - Overtures (P249)
Wagner/Borodin/Smetana - opera (P164)
Wagner/Rossini/Nicolai/Strauss (P217)

--Derek


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## Lauradon

*Pilz Vienna Master Series Album Covers*



2old said:


> I have had these CDs since 1994. I bought them in sets of about 60 each. I know from what I have there are 171 cds #160 101 thru 185, 201 thru 278, 301 thru 305, 401 thru 408, 414 and 422. more info is on the front cover of the cd in the disks #160 101- 185:tiphat:


I'm looking for a .jpg photo for *Famous Opera Arias (Beruhmte Opernrien) - Vienna Master Series* Disc 2. I believe it is CD#160218. There are 13 tracks; beginning with *Otello, Scene 4 "Ave Maria" - Verdi* and ending with *Tristan und Isolde, "Mild und leise" - Wagner*. Can anyone help?


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## LiquidSoap

I wish everything in the Vienna Master Series were available on mp3. I also wish the Vienna Master Series CDs were not out of print.


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## LiquidSoap

Having read these comments, it appears that the Vienna Master Series has almost 200 titles, including the 40x2 CD set


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## LiquidSoap

@ jshollis

Laser Light Digital was originally owned by Delta Entertainment. The Laser Light Digital titles are currently owned by Cobra Entertainment, some of them are on mp3 and YouTube, in particular

·Masters Of Classical Music is on mp3 and YouTube

·Power Classics Volume 5,6,7,8 and 10 are on YouTube

·Gregorian Christmas is on mp3 and YouTube

·Top 100 Masterpieces Of Classical Music is on YouTube and mp3.

Of course, theres other Laser Light Digital titles on mp3 and YouTube, just not all of them yet.


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## Alfacharger

I have a few Pilz Discs purchased at Ocean State Job Lot about 20 years ago. I also have one CD I purchased at the Christmas Tree Shop of Bruckner's 8th with the Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Herbert Kegel. that is a treasure. The outer cd case has "distributed by Pilz" but CD has PILZ prominently on the facing.


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## Triplets

jshollis said:


> Hello,
> 
> I am a nubie here. Can anyone tell me how many CD's are in the Pilz Vienna Masters Series?
> 
> [


Why the interest? They were spear budget labels featuring 5 th rate Artists and would be sold by the pound in grocery stores


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## BigTex Cowhand

Newbie here to TC...
I hope I'm not resurrecting a long-dead thread that is no longer of interest. I stumbled upon a Vienna Master Series CD in a used CD store clearance bin: Mozart - Horn concerto 1,3; Oboe concerto in C (P224). I had never heard of this series, but since the CD was just $1, I picked it up. There were approximately 15 others in the bin. I bought just this one and listened to it to find out whether the production was good quality, and I thought I'd head back to purchase the others if the quality was good. I was impressed enough to go back and buy the rest of them in the clearance bin yesterday.

Now I see this TC thread (and especially the previous post from Triplets) and wonder whether I should bother picking up any others I might find along the way. I'm also curious to know if anyone knows anything about the post on Discogs (URL below), which essentially pans the entire series. Any information or insights to share? 
https://www.discogs.com/label/276057-Vienna-Master-Series

Thanks in advance for any replies!


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## eugeneonagain

Triplets said:


> Why the interest? They were spear budget labels featuring 5 th rate Artists and would be sold by the pound in grocery stores


5th rate? Peter Schmalfuss is not a 5th rate pianist and he recorded a lot for these. Same for Dubravka Tomsic.

The Chopin Waltzes CD is actually very good as is the Romantic Piano Music (n.35).


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## jdec

eugeneonagain said:


> 5th rate? Peter Schmalfuss is not a 5th rate pianist and he recorded a lot for these. Same for Dubravka Tomsic.
> 
> The Chopin Waltzes CD is actually very good as is the Romantic Piano Music (n.35).


Have not listened to Peter Schmalfuss, but Dubravka Tomsic is very good, I like her Debussy, far from "5th rate".


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## Oldhoosierdude

BigTex Cowhand said:


> Newbie here to TC...
> I hope I'm not resurrecting a long-dead thread that is no longer of interest. I stumbled upon a Vienna Master Series CD in a used CD store clearance bin: Mozart - Horn concerto 1,3; Oboe concerto in C (P224). I had never heard of this series, but since the CD was just $1, I picked it up. There were approximately 15 others in the bin. I bought just this one and listened to it to find out whether the production was good quality, and I thought I'd head back to purchase the others if the quality was good. I was impressed enough to go back and buy the rest of them in the clearance bin yesterday.
> 
> Now I see this TC thread (and especially the previous post from Triplets) and wonder whether I should bother picking up any others I might find along the way. I'm also curious to know if anyone knows anything about the post on Discogs (URL below), which essentially pans the entire series. Any information or insights to share?
> https://www.discogs.com/label/276057-Vienna-Master-Series
> 
> Thanks in advance for any replies!


Some good stuff there. If you like them, go for it!


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## geralmar

Dubravka Tomsic was "discovered" by and studied with Artur Rubinstein and has had an extensive concertizing career in Europe as well as the Americas (including the U.S) so should be considered a serious artist. Of particular interest is the Slovenian conductor Anton Nanut, who died in January, 2017. He made numerous recordings, most of which were available only on super cheap budget CDs-- like Pilz Vienna Masters-- so his reputation has suffered severely and unjustly. Unfortunately the Vienna Masters series has a very poor reputation, at least in part because of slovenly documentation. Many conductors and orchestras are pseudonyms: conductor Alberto Lizzio is a particularly notorious nonentity. And although all CDs are listed DDD, loud tape hiss and muffled sound betray some recordings as pre-digital. (Several "DDD" CDs are attributed to conductor Hans Swarowsky, who died in 1975). Conductor and entrepreneur Alfred Scholz appears on a number of CDs and was involved in production of the series. But since his ethics were somewhat dodgy any time his name appears on any product skepticism is warranted-- and unfortunately that dubiousness taints the entire Vienna Masters series. Therefore I wouldn't recommend spending more than a dollar for any CD unless the artists are those recommended by previous posters. And even then there is the risk that the artists are misidentified. Incidentally, many Vienna Masters recordings were licensed to the Canadian company, Madacy, which republished them in its once ubiquitous super budget World Famous Masterpieces series (Look for the black bordered front cover paper inlays).



I have collected hundreds of Vienna Masters recordings, also tracking and acquiring them on numerous and long gone obscure U.S. and European budget lines. I have no excuse.

For a more positive assessment:

http://www.classicalnotes.net/columns/cheapweb.html


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## BigTex Cowhand

Thanks all of you! All replies are very helpful and interesting. 

Hilarious geralmar: "I have collected hundreds of Vienna Masters recordings, also tracking and acquiring them on numerous and long gone obscure U.S. and European budget lines. I have no excuse." Thanks especially for the link to the Peter Gutmann commentary. Ultimately I bought 16 Vienna Master Series CDs for a mere $14.73 out the door! Lots of good listening ahead, and I agree with Gutmann when he notes essentially that for just 99 cents, how can you go wrong? I'm definitely going to keep my eyes open for others when I'm out on the used CD store circuit.


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## Larkenfield

jdec said:


> Have not listened to Peter Schmalfuss, but Dubravka Tomsic is very good, I like her Debussy, far from "5th rate".


Perhaps Dubravka Tomsic's most famous recording on Piltz: 
https://www.amazon.com/Scarlatti-Wo...r_1_19?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1544144272&sr=1-19
It's brilliant. My favorite Scarlatti performances... so idiomatic. Perfection.

There has been some controversy over the years whether all the Pilz albums have been labeled properly with the right performers. But it _was_ indeed a budget label for the lumpen proletariat such as myself with some world-class musicians. Peter Schmalfuss was a fine pianist, particularly excellent in Debussy. He was more of a first-rate artist than a 5th.


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## SONNET CLV

I have several of these PILZ Vienna Master Series recordings, all of them purchased from Wal-mart-like stores in the dollar a pop cheap bins. But I've enjoyed listening to them.


At the DISCOGS website you'll find information on those discs already catalogued on the site. There are quite a few. Also, this information:

Vienna Master Series
Profile:
This series includes a substantial number of fraudulently described recordings, based exclusively on the catalog sold by the fraudster Alfred Scholz. Although fraudulently described as "digitally recorded" DDD, virtually all of the recordings are old analogue recordings made before the first digital recordings were made. Many of the releases are credited to the semi-fake Süddeutsche Philharmonie, the Philharmonia Slavonica, the fake Camerata Roman, and the fake Caspar da Salo Quartet. The names of real orchestras, like the London Symphony Orchestra, the London Festival Orchestra and the Ljubljana Radio Symphony have been falsely used on recordings not made by these orchestras. Fake/fictitious conductors include: Alberto Lizzio, Henry Adolph, Carlo Pantelli, Sven Bengtson, Vladimir Petroschoff, Loic Bertrand, Eugen Duvier, Peter Stern and others.


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## Larkenfield

SONNET CLV said:


> I have several of these PILZ Vienna Master Series recordings, all of them purchased from Wal-mart-like stores in the dollar a pop cheap bins. But I've enjoyed listening to them.
> 
> At the DISCOGS website you'll find information on those discs already catalogued on the site. There are quite a few. Also, this information:
> 
> Vienna Master Series
> Profile:
> This series includes a substantial number of fraudulently described recordings, based exclusively on the catalog sold by the fraudster Alfred Scholz. Although fraudulently described as "digitally recorded" DDD, virtually all of the recordings are old analogue recordings made before the first digital recordings were made. Many of the releases are credited to the semi-fake Süddeutsche Philharmonie, the Philharmonia Slavonica, the fake Camerata Roman, and the fake Caspar da Salo Quartet. The names of real orchestras, like the London Symphony Orchestra, the London Festival Orchestra and the Ljubljana Radio Symphony have been falsely used on recordings not made by these orchestras. Fake/fictitious conductors include: Alberto Lizzio, Henry Adolph, Carlo Pantelli, Sven Bengtson, Vladimir Petroschoff, Loic Bertrand, Eugen Duvier, Peter Stern and others.


Yes, much chicanery! The Mahler 1st performed by Vladimir Petroschoff and Philharmonic Festival Orchestra was actually by Anton Nanut and The Ljubljana Symphony Orchestra... and one of my favorite Mahler recordings, especially for the lively finale.


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## Oldhoosierdude

Larkenfield said:


> Yes, much chicanery! The Mahler 1st performed by Vladimir Petroschoff and Philharmonic Festival Orchestra was actually by Anton Nanut and The Ljubljana Symphony Orchestra... and one of my favorite Mahler recordings, especially for the lively finale.


And someone said 5th rate? Nanut and company also have a great Mahler 4th.


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## Larkenfield

Oldhoosierdude said:


> And someone said 5th rate? Nanut and company also have a great Mahler 4th.


Yes, that's very true. Wonderful performance! I searched for it after finding out that he was the one who had conducted the Mahler 1st that I had enjoyed so much.


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## Sid James

In my early years of collecting I purchased some of the Pilz label and other similar ones (like Point Classics). I remember them as being quite good considering the price, although a few had sound quality which wasn't the best. I've kept a few I liked the most: Dubravka Tomsic (Brahms Concerto 1), a disc of guitar concertos by Vivaldi, Fasch and Krebs, and the ubiquitous Alberto Lizzio (Bruckner 0). There where others of equal quality that I have I decided to replace. I remember anything with Milan Horvat conducting was pretty good (a Hindemith disc, Shostakovich 10, Janacek Sinfonietta), same goes with Bohdan Warchal. I also had Swarowsky (Strauss waltzes) and Gerhard Eckle (Pictures at an Exhibition). I agree with the above comments on Peter Schmalfuss - his Debussy disc was a fine introduction to a selection of the famous piano pieces.


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## perdido34

Larkenfield said:


> Perhaps Dubravka Tomsic's most famous recording on Piltz:
> https://www.amazon.com/Scarlatti-Wo...r_1_19?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1544144272&sr=1-19
> It's brilliant. My favorite Scarlatti performances... so idiomatic. Perfection.


All of the cheapo issues of Tomsic as a solo pianist are worth hearing (a couple of concertos are falsely attributed to her, but I can't remember which). In addition to the Scarlatti and Debussy already mentioned, there are fine recordings of Bach and several Beethoven sonatas. There were also some full-price recordings of Beethoven, Mozart, and Liszt made later on that are more variable in quality. I think she essentially stopped performing after her husband died.


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## Josquin13

I strongly agree with others about pianist Dubravka Tomsic. In my opinion, her Pilz recordings are among the best super bargain CDs of solo piano music in the whole catalogue (especially when they can be found for under $1). At her best, Tomsic is a very underrated pianist. Arthur Rubinstein called her "a perfect pianist". I like her playing most in the music of Mozart, Bach, Scarlatti, & Chopin. & I most appreciate that she plays without ego, and has unusually fleet fingers that are perfect for Bach, Mozart, and Scarlatti. It's a great pity that the Koch label went out of business, shortly after Tomsic had begun to record a complete set of Mozart Piano Sonatas for them. As a result, she only managed to record volume 1 in the series, but it's remarkable! and not to be missed, IMO: https://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Piano...1&sr=1-1&keywords=dubravka+tomsic+mozart+koch. In regards to her Pilz CDs, like Lark, I'd strongly recommend her wonderful disc of Scarlatti Sonatas: https://www.amazon.com/Scarlatti-Wo...&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=dubravka+tomsic+pilz, and her equally remarkable disc of the Bach Partita No. 1 & Italian Concerto: https://www.amazon.com/Bach-Italian...4368515&sr=1-1&keywords=dubravka+tomsic+pilz; as well as her disc of Chopin's 4 Impromptus: https://www.amazon.com/Vienna-Maste...44368515&sr=1-5&keywords=dubravka+tomsic+pilz, which are among the best in the digital era, IMO. The Bach & Scarlatti discs are desert island discs in my collection, & I'd rate her 4 Impromptus highly--right up there with Tamas Vasary's excellent 4 Impromptus for DG (which is high praise, since that's one of Vasary's finest Chopin recordings, IMO).

If you can find a Pilz CD of Tomsic playing any Mozart Piano Concertos, grab it. I have such a disc, and she's brilliant in these concertos, but I don't think it was on Pilz (rather Stradavari? I think...). I also have a super cheap CD of her playing a good selection of Chopin Nocturnes that's exceptional, but again, I believe it was on another discount label (& is extremely hard to find now). As I recall, Tomsic has been credited with being the pianist on the 2 Pilz CDs of Chopin's 21 Nocturnes, but it was actually Peter Schmalfuss.

Tomsic is a pianist that the major labels seriously missed on, and they should be ashamed of themselves. As they've hyped far lesser pianists over the years, and never contracted her to record more of her exceptional Bach & Mozart, or a complete set of Chopin Nocturnes, or more Scarlatti, etc., which shows just how musically obtuse they can be. If I were a record executive, I'd have signed Tomsic to a big contract in the 1990s to record as much Bach & Mozart as she was willing to play (at the very least). And yes, there's a rumor that she recorded the complete Debussy solo works, but I've never seen it confirmed--as I've only seen the set as a questionable download that shares the exact same album cover as a complete Debussy series from French pianist, Jean-Pierre Armengaud. It wasn't on Pilz, though. I'd be very grateful for a link to any of her Debussy CDs that I could buy (since I don't download).

As for the sound on the Pilz CDs, they're well recorded, and the CDs are German pressings--so what more could you ask for? Purchasing Tomsic's Pilz CDs is a no brainer, IMO. Especially since she does have a following, and they're no longer making those CDs anymore. Indeed, I've occasionally seen Tomsic's Pilz CDs selling for a lot more than $1, so I'd imagine that when they become more scarce one day, they'll get pricey. So, if you ask me, I'd recommend buying them right now.

With that said, I've not been quite as keen on Tomsic's set of late Brahms solo piano works (although maybe I need to revisit those recordings, as my taste in Brahms interpretation has modified over the years), and her Liszt B minor Sonata--although her playing of the two "St. Francis of Assisi" works--Liszt's 2 Légendes--is magical and technically stunning. Neither record was recorded for Pilz though. Nor have I been overwhelmed by Tomsic's Beethoven, either, although I've not heard her Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 on Pilz (just the sonatas), which may be very good(?).

https://www.amazon.com/Liszt-Recita...4372073&sr=1-7&keywords=dubravka+tomsic+Liszt


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## LezLee

These recordings were a great way of acquiring a very varied collection of both well-known and obscure music. They used to be sold in newsagents’ and remainder bookshops for as little as £1. I still have a few and passed a lot on to my nephew when he started taking an interest in classical music.


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## geralmar

On jsbach.org there is a glowing review of the complete 24 preludes and fugues, performed by Christiane Jaccottet (4 CDs).

http://www.jsbach.org/jaccottetthewelltemperedpianosic.html


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## Larkenfield

Here are Dubravka Tomsic's Scarlatti Sonatas on Pilz, beautifully and sensitively played rather than being tense and nervously performed by others. They should be learning from her. Her performances are completely unforced and natural... I love Bach, but there are times when I consider Scarlatti lighter in spirit, more witty, more sparkling, more cosmopolitan, more harmonically inventive, brilliant and contemporary... I find great enjoyment in these little jewels of invention and Tomsic's intelligent understanding of each one without having to resort to any excess, tension, or exaggeration... They have to _breath_ or they can sound irritating.


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## Oldhoosierdude

Larkenfield said:


> Here are Dubravka Tomsic's Scarlatti Sonatas on Pilz, beautifully and sensitively played rather than being tense and nervously performed by others. They should be learning from her. Her performances are completely unforced and natural... I love Bach, but there are times when I consider Scarlatti lighter in spirit, more witty, more sparkling, more cosmopolitan, more harmonically inventive, brilliant and contemporary... I find great enjoyment in these little jewels of invention and Tomsic's intelligent understanding of each one without having to resort to any excess, tension, or exaggeration... They have to _breath_ or they can sound irritating.


I looked through my CDs and I have this. Also have the pilz Cherubini Requiem. Both good.


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## geralmar

Another bargain CD label that featured mostly Pilz/Vienna Masters recordings was Quintessence. For some reason the label created the pseudonymous "Alfred Gehardt" and the "Royal Promenade Orchestra" for some recordings. I regularly find Quintessence CDs alongside Vienna Masters in thrift and charity shops.



Stradavari CDs "cherrypicked" the better Vienna Masters recordings. They also had more colorful covers.





Digital Concerto (Belgium) also featured Vienna Masters recordings. Unfortunately the label created their own pseudonyms which was how I discovered I was duplicating recordings; not acquiring new ones.


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## geralmar

Point Classics (referenced in a linked article above) was another super bargain CD series that included many Vienna Master recordings.





Classical Gallery also made heavy use of the Vienna Master catalogue. Interestingly, it issued several recordings that seemed to originate with Vienna Masters (same artists, conductors, and orchestras) but were not included in the latter's releases. This fueled my suspicion that Pilz did little, if any, recording itself; but instead depended on licensed tapes.


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## geralmar

Aurophon Classics. Yet another malefactor.


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## geralmar

Since I've posted photos of CD labels that accessed Vienna Master recordings it is only appropriate to include a couple representative Vienna Masters themselves.





I remember years ago buying the singles for 79 cents and the doubles for 99 cents at Best Buy. My first Vienna Master purchase (Bizet Carmen Suites and Symphony) was six dollars in a record store-- an incredible value for a classical CD at the time. Fortunately that was also the most I ever paid for a Vienna Master CD. Naxos soon offered better value.

Finally, Pilz created a companion line, Classic Digital, that recycled many Vienna Master titles; but at least added a few new recordings and more striking covers.





(I apologize for hogging the thread. Cheap classical CDs-- and earlier cheap classical L.P.s-- are a peculiar fascination.)


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## geralmar

Addendum: While sorting through my collection this evening I found a clutch of Kannon Classics CDs, another series started by Pilz. When I opened the jewel cases I found "naked" Vienna Master CDs. Repackaging at its most blatant.


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## geralmar

The defunct Onyx Classix (Netherlands)-- not to be confused with the UK based Onyx Classics -- was apparently another Vienna Master clone.





I admit I wasn't really familiar with the label until yesterday when I bought the 10-CD Mozart set (below) at a library book sale. Copyright 1990, lots of Lizzio and Scholz, and licensed from Aurophon (See above).


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## Oldhoosierdude

Interesting about this Vienna Master Series, they feature art on the cover and in the scant insert. This one is art by Zielasco and they give information about it and the artist on the inside. Then there are two pages on Scarlatti in two languages. Only on the bottom front and back is the performer mentioned. It's like 'Oh yeah, this chick plays the piano also."


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## Oldhoosierdude

I go to junk stores and the occasional yard sale. These CDs can be had for a $1 or under. They were widely distributed here, Indiana loves cheap culture. I might start picking up a few.


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## geralmar

Oldhoosierdude said:


> I go to junk stores and the occasional yard sale. These CDs can be had for a $1 or under. They were widely distributed here, Indiana loves cheap culture. I might start picking up a few.


Please feel encouraged to do so. Despite their reputation in more "elevated" circles, they won't rot your brain-- and as indicated above, any recording credited to Anton Nanut or Dubravka Tomsic is automatically worth a listen.


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## Merl

Some of the Pilz recordings had been doing the rounds for years. I've already commented on Alfred Scholtz and his dodgy labelling over in the biggest charlatans in classical music thread. One thing is for sure.... Many of these recordings are attributed wrongly to artists who never made them or who simply never existed.

Classical music's biggest charlatan


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## BigTex Cowhand

Some of my "takeaways" from this immensely informative (and enjoyable) thread are as follows:

I'm going to keep a look-out for anything from Dubravka Tomsic. Thank you Larkenfield and Josquin13 for the URLs or embedded videos of the various Tomsic CDs. I feel duty-bound to pick up her Scarlotti Sonatas (PILZ 106) since it had such unanimous endorsement on this thread. Evidently, it would set me back $10…probably $9 bucks more than it sold for new! Hilarious comment from Oldhoosierdude about the nondescript notation of her name on the CD: "Only on the bottom front and back is the performer mentioned. It's like 'Oh yeah, this chick plays the piano also.'"

On PILZ overall, geralmar, don't apologize for "hogging" the thread. You're not hogging it. On the contrary, your information about the other labels is very helpful...if for nothing else, it will focus and inform my aimless trawling through thrift store used CD bins!


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## BigTex Cowhand

Could this be the final ignominy for our nefarious benefactor Alfred Scholz? A mammoth PILZ collection being sold _by the pound!_

Wait for it...

Forty-one pounds of PILZ CDs for $140. Admittedly, mighty tempting!


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## KenOC

For a collection like that, you're going to need an extra-long Pilz dispenser...


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## Oldhoosierdude

For anyone interested, eBay has a listing today of 61 pilz cds for $30 US including shipping. Too many cds for me but quite a bargain that won't last long.


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## Clem

wow, this thread is still going. Who knew PILZ was such a durable topic?


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## Vincent3

Do you know of a list of Vienna Masters that are correctly labelled, that are pseudonymous, and have been identified as mislabeled earlier performances (stolen performances)? I'm interested in the correctly labelled ones and am okay with the pseudonymous orchestras and conductors (I give them credit for a job generally well done), but don't want any performances that were stolen.

I have the Dvorak 9th, Philharmonia Slavonica, cond. Henry Adolph (both pseudonymous). I found it years ago at Good Will, not knowing anything of the label. It's a solid basic performance.


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