# Membran's complete Furtwangler set.................................



## Itullian

Thinking about purchasing this amazing set.
Anyone have it?
Any opinions on it?
Thanks


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## joen_cph

Thought about it too, but I´ve collected perhaps 35-40 CD´s time of the content through the years (if one includes the complete 1950 Ring in the counting) & so far I´ve meant that there has to be a limit ... Besides, some of the opera, vocal and Baroque performances (constituting a good part of the set and not always getting good reviews) don´t interest me that much. Have seen it down to around $ 100 at times, though, which makes it a very good bargain if one doesn´t have much by him.
Track list: http://www.membran-online.de/product_info.php?products_id=3912&XTCsid=cd9jcvvn36j03a5thc3v9mkbl2
amazon reviews: http://www.amazon.com/Wilhelm-Furtwängler-Das-Vermächtnis-Legacy/product-reviews/B004JC16LC


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## Pip

Itullian said:


> Thinking about purchasing this amazing set.
> Anyone have it?
> Any opinions on it?
> Thanks


For anyone wanting an introduction to Furwängler, then this is hard to resist. There are well over 100 CDs at the lowest knock down price imaginable.

As for content - First - IT IS NOT COMPLETE.
There are a great many operatic omissions. EG no complete Fidelio from Salzburg 1948 and 50(only highlights) and the live 1953 Theater an der Wien in Vienna which is so superior to the commercial HMV recording.
No Don Giovanni from Salzburg 1950 with Gobbi and the 1949 Zauberflöte is also not there.
There are an enormous number of missing dublicates of the orchestral works.

However , as I said, this is a marvellous way of getting into the bulk of his legacy without spending a huge amount of money.
Amazon are selling it for around 80 Dollars , 79 pounds or 88 euros. which for 109 discs is a steal.

I have been collecting Furtwängler for over 50 years and I hate to think how much money I have paid out (if I added it all together) . I wish something like this had been available when I was a young man.
Anyone wanting to go into this must dispel all thoughts of modern emaciated HIP performances.
You are about to enter the world of the greatest conductor of all time. (IM not so HO)
You are also about to encounter some of the greatest singers and their performing style will be a shock to many. The performance tradition of european orchestras and opera houses from the 30s to the mid 50s is a completely different world than what we have today.
This is the tradition that began to develop with the formation of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in the 1880s and was handed down from Von Bülow to Nikisch to Furtwängler. The Vienna Philharmonic has a longer tradition, being also the nucleus of first the old Hofoper and then the Staatsoper, and their traditions handed down from Nicolai to Schalk and Mahler and on to Furtwängler. There is a great deal to be said for performing traditions that were then the accepted norms.
Furtwängler's deeply personal vision is a revelation for those with the ears to hear it.
This is not for the modern die-hard HIP listener. 
They should actually put a disclaimer on the box. "Only open minded music lovers should buy this"

The sound quality is variable as most of the items have been "hiked" from other companies LPs or CDs.
In no case have they had access to any original master tapes.
There are too many discs to make individual assessments but anyone buying this will not be disappointed.

This set has now been given the official seal of approval - It was presented as a gift from Chancellor Angela Merkel, on behalf of the German government to the new pope Francis on a recent state visit to the Vatican.


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## moody

joen_cph said:


> Thought about it too, but I´ve collected perhaps 35-40 CD´s time of the content through the years (if one includes the complete 1950 Ring in the counting) & so far I´ve meant that there has to be a limit ... Besides, some of the opera, vocal and Baroque performances (constituting a good part of the set and not always getting good reviews) don´t interest me that much. Have seen it down to around $ 100 at times, though, which makes it a very good bargain if one doesn´t have much by him.
> Track list: http://www.membran-online.de/product_info.php?products_id=3912&XTCsid=cd9jcvvn36j03a5thc3v9mkbl2
> amazon reviews: http://www.amazon.com/Wilhelm-Furtwängler-Das-Vermächtnis-Legacy/product-reviews/B004JC16LC


This is the problem with the monster issues,look at the nonsense with Mercury, I need a number of them but already have many.
I'm certainly not going to buy them all over again so that I may get the ones I need.


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## ptr

moody said:


> This is the problem with the monster issues,look at the nonsense with Mercury, I need a number of them but already have many.
> I'm certainly not going to buy them all over again so that I may get the ones I need.


I was thinking the same, but then I decided to recycle all the "old" discs I had that was duplicated the monster box-sets, and it paid for about half of the boxes and I won about 6 feet of shelf-space.. a Win-Win deal for me! 
Have not considered the WF box, but will have to give it a real think about!

/ptr


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## Rangstrom

If I didn't have 80+% of the set I'd probably pull the trigger. It looks like a good introduction to an amazing artist. A couple of caveats: WF can throw in a few clunkers (I'm not a fan of the old school Bach and I've never warmed up to his Tchaikovsky 6, for example). The sound can be bad--the Lohengrin excerpts, featuring the incomparable Völker--are hard to listen to. Finally, as has been noted, the set is incomplete. 

My biggest concern is that the set probably does not reflect improved sound of the latest remasterings. The recent M&A Bruckner and Brahms sets and the Audite RIAS set are almost mandatory additions.


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## realdealblues

I'm going to buy it here sometime this year. I admit I don't have a large Furtwangler collection yet on CD. I only have the EMI Beethoven Box Set & the Furtwangler Conducts Beethoven Box Set from M&A for his Wartime Recordings. I also have the DG Double with Bruckner's 7th & 9th, but that's pretty much it. I've listened to others online (Youtube, etc) but I'd like to hear all the other recordings I'm missing out on.


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## bigshot

I have the Furtwangler box. It is a phenominal deal. The sound quality in many cases is better than other releases, particularly the EMI stuff. It's not intended to be complete... it's one recording of everything Furtie recorded. The choices of the individual recordings is very good. They obviously had a knowledgeable Furtwanglerian helping them put the box together. No reason to hesitate on this one.

Membran's Meister Konzerte box is another must have. Incredible selection of performances with great sound.

Now I just wish there was a Stokowski mono box as comprehensive as the Toscanini and Furtwangler boxes.


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