# Historical Singers



## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

Do you have any of the following and, if so, what do you think of them?


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## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

Or these.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Barbebleu said:


> Do you have any of the following and, if so, what do you think of them?
> 
> View attachment 84403
> View attachment 84404
> ...


I don't have them, however my godfather have those, I am in his last will


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## Headphone Hermit (Jan 8, 2014)

Yes

I have the 10-CD box of the Record of Singing and the 8-CD set of Chant Francais and both sets are very enjoyable to listen to. There are lots and lots of gems in these boxes and many of the singers were unfamiliar to me until I listened to these discs. I found some wonderful 'new' singing to enjoy, such as Aksel Scholtz or Zara Dolukhanova from the Record of Singing box. Some of the French box is 'an acquired taste' but again there are loads and loads of great music and great singing in here.

There was some controversy from experts about issues such as pitch, playback speed and filtering but these issues didn't spoil my enjoyment of the sets, although I would very much have liked to have had a lot more documentation about the singers (and the repertoire in some cases) as even using the internet, some of the singers remain pretty obscure


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## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

Annoyingly the Brahms and Schumann have never made it to cd. The Schubert has fortunately. I live in hope.


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## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

Headphone Hermit said:


> Yes
> 
> I have the 10-CD box of the Record of Singing and the 8-CD set of Chant Francais and both sets are very enjoyable to listen to. There are lots and lots of gems in these boxes and many of the singers were unfamiliar to me until I listened to these discs. I found some wonderful 'new' singing to enjoy, such as Aksel Scholtz or Zara Dolukhanova from the Record of Singing box. Some of the French box is 'an acquired taste' but again there are loads and loads of great music and great singing in here.
> 
> There was some controversy from experts about issues such as pitch, playback speed and filtering but these issues didn't spoil my enjoyment of the sets, although I would very much have liked to have had a lot more documentation about the singers (and the repertoire in some cases) as even using the internet, some of the singers remain pretty obscure


I agree. I discovered some fantastic singers and a lot of great music I wasn't familiar with. The Chant Francais box was particularly enlightening.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

I have the Wagner box, and it's well worth owning.

Excerpts from all the operas from *Der fliegende Hollander* onwards, arranged chronologically. What strikes me most about these old recordings is the firmness of the voices. We rarely hear Wagner sung like this these days.


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## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

GregMitchell said:


> I have the Wagner box, and it's well worth owning.
> 
> Excerpts from all the operas from *Der fliegende Hollander* onwards, arranged chronologically. What strikes me most about these old recordings is the firmness of the voices. We rarely hear Wagner sung like this these days.


I've still got my original vinyl set which has everything that the cd box has plus tracks that it doesn't. If I had the time or the inclination I would do a vinyl to digital conversion of these tracks but, as it has to take place in real time, that's not happening any time soon!


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## Figleaf (Jun 10, 2014)

I have all the Record of Singing LP sets plus the Schubert Lieder- somewhere- though sadly it's a format I can no longer play. Those were where I first heard most of the great singers. The singers on Volume 1 absolutely tower above the later ones IMO, and the artists and records are well chosen. The _ Introuvables du chant français_ I only discovered recently on this forum thanks to Headphone Hermit, but I haven't bought it yet as it seems to be quite pricy where available, and it probably duplicates quite a bit of what I already have on Malibran etc.


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## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

Figleaf said:


> I have all the Record of Singing LP sets plus the Schubert Lieder- somewhere- though sadly it's a format I can no longer play. Those were where I first heard most of the great singers. The singers on Volume 1 absolutely tower above the later ones IMO, and the artists and records are well chosen. The _ Introuvables du chant français_ I only discovered recently on this forum thanks to Headphone Hermit, but I haven't bought it yet as it seems to be quite pricy where available, and it probably duplicates quite a bit of what I already have on Malibran etc.


I discovered them only when they had discontinued vols.1 & 2. 2 is available on iTunes but as individual lps so it works out pretty pricey. I keep on checking eBay in the forlorn hope that 1&2 will appear at an affordable price.


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## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

Can I nudge this thread again please?


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## wkasimer (Jun 5, 2017)

Barbebleu said:


> Can I nudge this thread again please?


I have them all, Barbebleu. While I wouldn't give any of them up, I find the "Record of Singing" sets somewhat frustrating - one selection for most singers really isn't enough to gain an appreciation for them. The same applies, to a somewhat lesser extent, to the other sets.

If you can't find the LP's themselves for volumes 1 and 2, Michael Scott's two accompanying volumes are indispensible, even if some of his opinions are controversial.

Volume 1, in its original form, is almost impossible to find, but EMI reissued it a couple of years later, split into two smaller sets; you might be able to find those more easily. It's really a shame that Warner/EMI issued that "highlights" set, rather than making the effort to digitize and issue the whole thing.

Another LP set that's worth seeking out (or buying, if you can find it - it shows up now and then on eBay) is "Sänger auf dem Grünen Hügel", a 10 LP compendium of Wagnerian singers before 1951, issued to commemorate the centenary of the Bayreuth Festival:


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## wkasimer (Jun 5, 2017)

Also - the documentation provided on the "Best of Volumes 1-4" is woefully inadequate. Volume 3 (issued by Testament) and Volume 4 (issued by EMI) at least had brief singer biographies. Volumes 1 and 2, of course, had the Michael Scott books.


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## aussiebushman (Apr 21, 2018)

There certainly are many of the finest singers in these sets but personally, I prefer to have recordings dedicated to individual singers - or in duets or excerpts etc where there is likely to be a wider selection of their individual talents than is generally possible in mixed collections. 

Anyhow (tongue firmly in cheek) why was the incomparable Florence Foster Jenkins not featured?


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

aussiebushman said:


> There certainly are many of the finest singers in these sets but personally, I prefer to have recordings dedicated to individual singers - or in duets or excerpts etc where there is likely to be a wider selection of their individual talents than is generally possible in mixed collections.
> 
> Anyhow (tongue firmly in cheek) why was the incomparable Florence Foster Jenkins not featured?


We are going to sue them like tomorrow. :lol:


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Barbebleu said:


> Or these.
> 
> View attachment 84408
> View attachment 84409
> View attachment 84410


Those last two are for sale at Amazon.fr


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