# HMV boxed set 19th century masterpieces



## Mr Dull (Mar 14, 2009)

I have the 20th century masterpieces boxed set and like it so when I saw this set and looked at the track listing http://www.emiclassics.co.uk/release.php?id=5099969831720 which seemed an interesting mix I decided to get it.

This is not just a set of CDs with a selection of pieces someone decided are master works but a themed set. The CDs are in chronological order which allows you to follow the changes from the classical style to the romantic. Nationalism also appears during the century. You also get the first hints new styles appearing at the end of the century. The set also has a theme based upon the rise of the virtuoso player. You can find some topics covered by individual discs others threaded through the set or both. The set also often has deliberate contrasts in the music on the disks. For instance CD 8 which has music by Berwald, Chopin and Schumann finishes with the Radetzky march. CD 10 has Liszt's Mephisto waltz followed by four pieces by Gottschalk. In both cases music by virtuoso pianists but it would difficult to find a bigger contrast in the styles. All of this makes for an interesting listening experience.

The set does have its faults however. It has excerpts rather than whole pieces in some cases. This is partly due to the inclusion of opera but some instrumental pieces are also extracts. In the case of operas the overture (which this set has several) plus an illustrative song/aria or two would have been better rather than part of an act. Another puzzle is why a symphony by a minor composer is included in a set of masterpieces. The symphony by Arriaga is included and after listening to it a couple of times it doesn't seem anything other than average to me. I would much rather they had included Widors organ symphony No5 of Sibelius Lemminkainen suite in full instead.

Despite its faults this is a good set to have and has been a good reintroduction to the romantic period for me. Thanks to this set I have 'found' Sphor's double quartet in D minor and Gottschalk. I have also heard some Wolf lieder that makes me want to listen to them again. It has also extended my knowledge and appreciation of Berwalds music. For some one who is not a fan of the romantic period it has been a surprisingly enjoyable experience.


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