# What is Your GRC Count?



## opus67

Yet another meaningless question/poll aimed at the CD collector. 

How many CDs do you have from the so-called _Great Recordings of the Century_ series from EMI?

I have 3.

*Beethoven*,* Mendelssohn* Violin Concertos 
*Beethoven*'s Triple Concerto and *Brahms*' Double Concerto
*Elgar* Cockaigne Overture, Cello Concerto, Sea Pictures


----------



## ChamberNut

Only 1, I believe.

Bach's Cello Suites - Pablo Casals

I do, however, have 4 EMI Budget Box Sets:

Beethoven - Piano Sonatas

Brahms - Orchestral Works

Bruckner - Complete Symphonies (well, at least 1 to 9 )

Mahler - Complete Symphonies


----------



## Manuel

> Beethoven's Triple Concerto and Brahms' Double Concerto


This one should be listed as the disc of the century (XXth, I mean):
_Karajan
Richter
Oistrakh
Rostropovich
Szell
Beethoven
Brahms
_
WOW

I don't think I have many cds from this collection.


----------



## opus67

ChamberNut said:


> Only 1, I believe.
> 
> Bach's Cello Suites - Pablo Casals


I would like to have that one day, the suites played by the man who rediscovered them. I have the first suite as part of another CD.



Manuel said:


> This one should be listed as the disc of the century (XXth, I mean):
> _Karajan
> Richter
> Oistrakh
> Rostropovich
> Szell
> Beethoven
> Brahms
> _
> WOW


Yes, it doesn't get as star-studded as this, does it? Wonderful music in that one. I would get the other GRC with Oistrakh and Szell for the Brahms VC, if only there wasn't the other CD in which the VC(Oistrakh/Klemperer/Nat'l Orch. of Paris) is paired with Mozart's sinfonia concertante. (King David and Prince Igor , with Papa Oistrakh conducting the Berliners and on the viola!) I have never seen this CD at the store, though.


----------



## ChamberNut

They should call it Great _Performance_ of the 20th Century. The Casals performance is great, the sound is lousy.


----------



## Manuel

opus67 said:


> Yes, it doesn't get as star-studded as this, does it? Wonderful music in that one. I would get the other GRC with Oistrakh and Szell for the Brahms VC, if only there wasn't the other CD in which the VC(Oistrakh/Klemperer/Nat'l Orch. of Paris) is paired with Mozart's sinfonia concertante. (King David and Prince Igor , with Papa Oistrakh conducting the Berliners and on the viola!) I have never seen this CD at the store, though.


There's a BBC Legends with Menuhin playing Beethoven's violin concerto conducted by Oistrakh; and Mozart's K364 played by the Oistrakhs, conducted by Menuhin. A live recording at the Royal Albert Hall.
The Mozart is also available in DVD from EMI (the DVD is _filled_ with Brahms double concerto by Oistrakh, Rostropovic and Kondrashin; and Bach's d minor concerto)


----------



## opus67

Manuel said:


> There's a BBC Legends with Menuhin playing Beethoven's violin concerto conducted by Oistrakh; and Mozart's K364 played by the Oistrakhs, conducted by Menuhin. A live recording at the Royal Albert Hall.
> The Mozart is also available in DVD from EMI (the DVD is _filled_ with Brahms double concerto by Oistrakh, Rostropovic and Kondrashin; and Bach's d minor concerto)


*murmuring to self*

Resist temptation to go to amazon...Resist temptation to go to amazon...Resist temptation to go to amazon...


----------



## Chi_townPhilly

opus67 said:


> How many CDs do you have from the so-called _Great Recordings of the Century_ series from EMI?


My collection numbers in the hundreds, _not_ the thousands... this shouldn't take any time to figure out.

Insert "JEOPARDY" theme here.

Two. There are two. The Klemperer/Philharmonia/Mahler _Das Lied von der Erde_... and
The ichiban Furtwängler/Bayreuth/*Beethoven Symphony 9!*

I enjoy both of these discs... but there are definitely better represented labels in my collection.


----------



## opus67

Forgive my ignorance but, Ichiban? Is that a reference to the brand of instant noodles or hip-hop record label?  (I had to 'Wiki' those, BTW.)


----------



## Chi_townPhilly

Ichiban: (ee'-chi-bahn) Japanese for
(English): First place
(French): Le mieux
(Spanish): Numero uno
(Latin): _ne plus ultra_


----------



## opus67

Ah...okay


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

Actually I have quite a few of these:

Bach: Violin Concertos, Etc / Menuhin, Enescu, Monteux, Et Al
French Orchestral Music - Bizet, Fauré, Etc / Beecham, Et Al
Wolf: Lieder / Schwarzkopf, Moore
Khachaturian: Violin Concerto; Taneyev / Oistrakh, Et Al
Szymanowski: Stabat Mater, Litany, Symphony No 3 / Simon Rattle, Et Al
Bach: Mass In B Minor / Klemperer, Baker, Gedda, Prey
Beethoven: Late String Quartets / Alban Berg Quartet
Lyric & Coloratura Arias / Maria Callas, Tullio Serafin, Et Al
Mozart: Opera Arias / Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Elgar: Cello Concerto, Sea Pictures, Etc / Du Pre, Barbirolli
Prokofiev: Violin Concertos No 1 & 2, Etc / Oistrakh, Et Al
Puccini: Tosca /De Sabata, Callas, Di Steffano, Gobbi, Et Al
Schubert: 24 Lieder / Schwarzkopf, Fischer, Moore, Parsons
Schumann: Liederkreis, Etc / Fischer-dieskau, Moore, Klust
Britten: Sinfonia, Etc; Holst: The Perfect Fool, Etc/Previn
Poulenc: Concert Champêtre, Etc / De Wiele, Duruflé, Et Al
Wolf: Italienisches Liederbuch/ Schwarzkopf, Fischer-dieskau
Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique, Etc / Beecham, Et Al
Grieg: Piano Concerto; Schumann / Richter, Matacic, Et Al
Mussorgsky: The Nursery, Etc / Tzipine, Christoff, Et Al
Offenbach: Les Contes D'hoffmann / Cluytens, Gedda, Et Al
French Ballet Music - Delibes, et al / Beecham, Royal PO
Lutoslawski, Dutilleux: Cello Concertos /Rostropovich, Et Al
Mahler: Symphony No 9 / Sir John Barbirolli, Berlin Po
Mozart: Don Giovanni / Giulini, Wächter, Schwarzkopf, Et Al
Schubert: Winterreise / D. Fischer-dieskau, Gerald Moore
Wagner: Orchestral Music / Klemperer, Philharmonia Orchestra
Beethoven: Symphony No 3, Leonore No 1 & 2 /Klemperer, Et Al
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas 21, 23, 30, 31 / Walter Gieseking
Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier / Karajan, Schwarzkopf, Et Al
Bach: St Matthew Passion / Klemperer, Pears, Ludwig, Et Al
Chopin, Enescu, Ravel, Liszt, Brahms / Dinu Lipatti
Chopin: Piano Concerto No 1, Etc / Pollini, Kletzki, Et Al
Mahler: Lieder, Gesänge /Fischer-dieskau, Furtwängler, Et Al
Schubert: Schwanengesang, Etc / Fischer-dieskau, Moore
Verdi: Messa Da Requiem, Etc / Giulini, Schwarzkopf, Et Al
Mozart: Così Fan Tutte / Böhm, Schwarzkopf, Ludwig, Et Al
Mozart: Die Zauberflöte / Klemperer, Gedda, Ludwig, Et Al
R. Strauss: Capriccio / Sawallisch, Fischer-dieskau, Et Al
Debussy: Preludes I & II / Walter Gieseking
Haydn: Cello Concertos No 1 & 2 / Rostropovich, Asmf
Mahler: Des Knaben Wunderhorn / Szell, Schwarzkopf, Et Al
Mahler: Symphony No 2 / Klemperer, Schwarzkopf, Et Al
Paganini: 24 Caprices / Itzhak Perlman
Ravel: Piano Concerto; Rachmaninoff / Michelangeli, Et Al
Humperdinck: Hänsel Und Gretel / Karajan, Schwarzkopf, Et Al
J. Strauss Jr.: Die Fledermaus / Karajan, Schwarzkopf, Et Al
R. Strauss: Ariadne Auf Naxos / Karajan, Schwarzkopf, Et Al
Rachmaninov: Symphony No 2, Vocalise, Etc /André Previn, Lso
Bach, Mozart, Scarlatti, Schubert: Piano Works / Lipatti
Beethoven, Mendelssohn: Violin Concertos / Menuhin, Et Al
Brahms: Violin Concerto / Perlman, Giulini, Chicago So
Mahler: Kindertotenlieder, Rückertlieder, Etc / Janet Baker
Operetta Arias - Heuberger, Lehár, Et Al /Schwarzkopf, Et Al
Schubert: Symphonies No 3, 5 & 6 / Thomas Beecham, Royal Po
Schubert: Winterreise / Hans Hotter, Gerald Moore
Beethoven: Triple Concerto; Brahms /Richter, Oistrakh, Et Al
Brahms: Violin Sonatas / Itzhak Perlman, Vladimir Ashkenazy
Gershwin: Rhapsody In Blue, Concerto In F, Etc / Previn
Schubert: Die Schöne Müllerin / Fischer-dieskau, Moore
Schubert: String Quintet In C / Alban Berg Quartett, Schiff
Beethoven: Symphony No 9 / Furtwängler, Bayreuth Festival
Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem /Klemperer, Schwarzkopf, Et Al
Chopin: 14 Waltzes, Barcarolle, Etc / Dinu Lipatti
Fauré: Requiem / Cluytens, De Los Angeles, Fischer-dieskau
Grieg: Peer Gynt, Symphonic Dance No 2, Etc / Beecham, Rpo
Mahler: Das Lied Von Der Erde /Klemperer, Ludwig, Wunderlich
Mahler: Symphony No 5 / Barbirolli, New Philharmonia
Strauss: Four Last Songs, Etc / Szell, Schwarzkopf, Et A

On a good number of these I have a second (or third, etc...) recording of the work in question... but in a good many instances the EMI GRC selection is almost without rival:
Callas' Tosca, the Beethoven Triple Concerto, Strauss' Fledermaus, Perlman's Paganini, Brain's Mozart Horn Concertos, Strauss' Rosenkavalier, Strauss' Four Last Songs with Schwarzkopf and Szell. EMI was particularly blessed with some marvelous vocalists: Callas, Schwarzkopf, Fischer-Dieskau, as well as some magnificent conductors and orchestras. I think that only a few other labels come close to being as well-represented in my collection. I probably have even more by DG. Phillips, London, Decca, Harmonia Mundi and Naxos may be the other largest.


----------



## jjfan

Only 2 so far. =) 

- Dinu Lipatti - Bach, Mozart, Scarlatti, Schubert
- Itzhak Perlman - Beethoven Violin Concerto


----------



## opus67

stlukesguild2 said:


> Actually I have quite a few of these:.


That's almost the whole collection! 

I do notice that you don't have the Brahms symphony cycle with Klemperer. Do you have another version of the symphonies?


----------



## Rondo

I believe I only have 2. One is the Fischer-Dieskau/Schwarzkopf recording of Mahler's Des Knaben Wunderhorn and the other is Szell's recording of Beethoven's Triple Concerto in C and Double Concerto in a minor.


----------



## StlukesguildOhio

I do notice that you don't have the Brahms symphony cycle with Klemperer. Do you have another version of the symphonies?

I actually have the Klemperer recording of the first on EMI... but not on EMI's GRC label. I also have Karajan, Walter and Abado. I have Solti's second, Karajan's third and fourth as well as well as Kleiber's fourth.


----------



## Vaneyes

GRC also known as GROC, the EMI series Great Recordings of the Century, now defunct. It had a good run from 1998 to 2008. As with all series, some good, some bad. 

As the dust and culling settled, my keepers are few in number.

Mahler 9 - Barbirolli
Delius - Beecham
Holst, Britten - Previn, Rattle
Dutilleux, Lutoslawski - Rostropovich, Baudo, Lutoslawski
Schumann, R. Strauss - Rostropovich, Bernstein, Karajan
Ravel, Rachmaninov - Michelangeli


----------



## Blancrocher

I continue to marvel at your ruthlessness, Vaneyes.


----------



## moody

ChamberNut said:


> They should call it Great _Performance_ of the 20th Century. The Casals performance is great, the sound is lousy.


The sound wouldn't be that wonderful as they were recorded from 1936-1939, but they are most certainly great recordings.


----------



## moody

Vaneyes said:


> GRC also known as GROC, the EMI series Great Recordings of the Century, now defunct. It had a good run from 1998 to 2008. As with all series, some good, some bad.
> 
> As the dust and culling settled, my keepers are few in number.
> 
> Mahler 9 - Barbirolli
> Delius - Beecham
> Holst, Britten - Previn, Rattle
> Dutilleux, Lutoslawski - Rostropovich, Baudo, Lutoslawski
> Schumann, R. Strauss - Rostropovich, Bernstein, Karajan
> Ravel, Rachmaninov - Michelangeli


The original GROC's were issued from 1958 in stiff dark blue sleeves with large booklets, record numbers were prefixed COLH. They were all GREAT performances,unfortunately the CD GROC contain a number of run of the mill performances that are certainly not great.


----------



## Ukko

moody said:


> The original GROC's were issued from 1958 in stiff dark blue sleeves with large booklets, record numbers were prefixed COLH. They were all GREAT performances,unfortunately the CD GROC contain a number of run of the mill performances that are certainly not great.


Probably due to multiple changings of the guard. Not everyone has refined tastes like we do,_ moody_. EMI probably gave the selection job to a cleat. (That's the cleat - slick dichotomy I'm referring to - have to explain these things for the whippersnappers.)


----------



## moody

Ukko said:


> Probably due to multiple changings of the guard. Not everyone has refined tastes like we do,_ moody_. EMI probably gave the selection job to a cleat. (That's the cleat - slick dichotomy I'm referring to - have to explain these things for the whippersnappers.)


I know,I know, standards just go down and down !


----------



## Svelte Silhouette

Vaneyes said:


> As with all series, some good, some bad. As the dust and culling settled, my keepers are few in number.


My wife would love you as I just continue adding to my 'burgeoning' collection and keep even the poor recordings/performances later additions have 'bettered' or earlier versions have proven 'better than'. One day I'll die and my collection's inheritor(s) will likely send the lot to a 'charity shop' where hopefully it will just do a different kind of good BUT for more folks.

Your ethos is a good one since if you only have one or two versions of whatever that must make the choice easier 'come listening time'. If only I could be ruthless BUT I struggle even when it comes to allowing the gardener, who has just skinheaded a mid-70's hairstyled bush in one of my gardens, to prune back my trees and bushes.


----------



## Itullian

The opera issues are excellent.


----------



## DavidA

Itullian said:


> The opera issues are excellent.


Like the Karajan Falstaff?


----------



## DavidA

Itullian said:


> The opera issues are excellent.


Or the Karajan Rosenkavelier, Guilini DG, Karajan Trovatore with Callas, Karajan Salome.


----------

