# Have you ever paid a lot of money for a cd/dvd recording?



## JSBach85 (Feb 18, 2017)

I am about purchasing an opera, the price sums up to 56 € including shipping. It's the most expensive recording I have purchased. Have you ever paid such amount of money for a single recording?


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## Klassik (Mar 14, 2017)

Nope, never spent that much even on a boxset. I might spend that much on a boxset if it had a lot of what I want, but otherwise it would be hard to justify it. I certainly would not pay that much for a single CD!


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

JSBach85 said:


> I am about purchasing an opera, the price sums up to 56 € including shipping. It's the most expensive recording I have purchased. Have you ever paid such amount of money for a single recording?


Yes I did, more than once.
I like collecting box sets, like Mercury / Decca/ RCA.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

About 100 euro for the Solti Wagner Ring box, back in the early 90s.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Too many times, indeed.


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese (Jan 8, 2013)

Only if it is black round with grooves and a hole in the middle


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## gHeadphone (Mar 30, 2015)

Loads of times. The most on a DVD was the 40 Euro on the Schubert DVD The Trout - The Greatest Love and the Greatest Sorrow.

It only felt like a lot before i bought it, once i had it i forgot.

I spend quite a bit on music and books but i consider it an investment.


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## Meyerbeer Smith (Mar 25, 2016)

JSBach85 said:


> I am about purchasing an opera, the price sums up to 56 € including shipping. It's the most expensive recording I have purchased. Have you ever paid such amount of money for a single recording?


Which opera?

I paid upwards of $100 each for Meyerbeer's _Prophète_ (with Gedda and Horne) and _Huguenots_ (Bonynge) a decade ago [*], and about that much last year for a CD of Saint-Saëns's _Henry VIII_ (a recording so rare it's not listed on Ebay). Some of the rarer Massenets cost a bit, too, and the Opera Rara CDs sold for hefty prices here.

* - And I hope I didn't pay that much for the Martina Franca _Robert le Diable_.


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## JSBach85 (Feb 18, 2017)

SimonTemplar said:


> Which opera?0


This one:










The reason is because this collection "Ou Le Musicien de Soleil" is limited and some of the recordings hard to find. This one is the hardest to find in CD version.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

JSBach85 said:


> I am about purchasing an opera, the price sums up to 56 € including shipping. It's the most expensive recording I have purchased. Have you ever paid such amount of money for a single recording?


I once paid $40 USD shipped for an opera (2 disk). Turned out to have a bad track and I got a 50% refund and paid $1 for a digital download of the bad track. Other than that I probably have not paid over $25 USD shipped for a single 2 disk opera.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

JSBach85 said:


> This one:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Be sure to search the death out of it. I have found lower priced sets sometimes by changing search parameters or searching from Google. Are you buying used, new or either?

Bookbutler.com has helped me find cheap sets before, but they have been having technical difficulties lately.

I see it on US Amazon for $32 used. First listing here ships from Germany. I would think you could order it and they should ship to you. I find that some listings on Amazon.co.uk will ship to the US and have gotten good deals that way, so hopefully it works for you from the US Amazon. It is the same password you have for Amazon for any of the country Amazon sites.


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## Guest (Apr 27, 2017)

$150 for an out of print SACD of E.Power Biggs. (Bach Toccatas and Fugues) I later sold it for $135.


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## Xaltotun (Sep 3, 2010)

Many times... I support the local classical music shop and almost never buy online, so the prices reflect that.


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## Klassik (Mar 14, 2017)

Xaltotun said:


> Many times... I support the local classical music shop and almost never buy online, so the prices reflect that.


I'm just curious, but how much more does your local shop charge compared to the popular online stores?

While I don't always shop at the local classical music store (I would more frequently if they moved to a more convenient location preferably outside of hipster town), I do shop at some of the local bookstores that also sell CDs.


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## Xaltotun (Sep 3, 2010)

Klassik said:


> I'm just curious, but how much more does your local shop charge compared to the popular online stores?
> 
> While I don't always shop at the local classical music store (I would more frequently if they moved to a more convenient location preferably outside of hipster town), I do shop at some of the local bookstores that also sell CDs.


I don't actually know online prices very well, but I suspect they're less! Some examples: Bruckner complete symphonies/Karajan 90 euros, Haydn 9 piano trios (2 SACD's)/Beaux arts/Pentatone 40+ euros.


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## Klassik (Mar 14, 2017)

Xaltotun said:


> I don't actually know online prices very well, but I suspect they're less! Some examples: Bruckner complete symphonies/Karajan 90 euros


Yikes, Barnes & Noble's online store in the US has that for less than $35 with coupons frequently available to get it for even less than that . But, anyway, it's good that you're supporting your local classical store. I suppose the service and classical discussion are worth the price.


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## Xaltotun (Sep 3, 2010)

Klassik said:


> Yikes, Barnes & Noble's online store in the US has that for less than $35 with coupons frequently available to get it for even less than that . But, anyway, it's good that you're supporting your local classical store. I suppose the service and classical discussion is worth the price.


Indeed! I also like to surprise them with my kids, whom I usually have with me. It was a priceless look on their faces when my boy, being two or three, went to the CD shelves and started yelling loudly things like FATHER! HERE'S DAS RHEINGOLD! AND LOHENGRIN, TOO!


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## chill782002 (Jan 12, 2017)

I bought a copy of this a few years back before the release of this East German radio broadcast on another label approved by the Richter estate (which this Music & Arts release was not, hence its withdrawal). It was not cheap.


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## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

I paid $75 for an ECM CD of Michael Mantler, called The Hapless Child, based on stories by Edward Gorey and featuring the voice of Robert Wyatt.


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## JSBach85 (Feb 18, 2017)

Florestan said:


> Be sure to search the death out of it. I have found lower priced sets sometimes by changing search parameters or searching from Google. Are you buying used, new or either?
> 
> Bookbutler.com has helped me find cheap sets before, but they have been having technical difficulties lately.
> 
> I see it on US Amazon for $32 used. First listing here ships from Germany. I would think you could order it and they should ship to you. I find that some listings on Amazon.co.uk will ship to the US and have gotten good deals that way, so hopefully it works for you from the US Amazon. It is the same password you have for Amazon for any of the country Amazon sites.


Didn't know about that. have you ever bought used operas? Are reliable?


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

JSBach85 said:


> Didn't know about that. have you ever bought used operas? Are reliable?


I have done well with used CDs and most of what I buy is used. On occasion they are not as described and you can get a refund and they have to pay the shipping to return it. I usually contact the seller under the other category because if you click return it starts the wheels in motion and sometimes the seller will make a great deal for you. I got full refund on two Mahler symphony sets because they listed as Like New and it was more on the order of Good.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Florestan said:


> Be sure to search the death out of it. I have found lower priced sets sometimes by changing search parameters or searching from Google. Are you buying used, new or either?
> 
> Bookbutler.com has helped me find cheap sets before, but they have been having technical difficulties lately.
> 
> I see it on US Amazon for $32 used. First listing here ships from Germany. I would think you could order it and they should ship to you. I find that some listings on Amazon.co.uk will ship to the US and have gotten good deals that way, so hopefully it works for you from the US Amazon. It is the same password you have for Amazon for any of the country Amazon sites.


It's a great site, delete your cookies, helping me all the time.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

These days I tend to err on the side of parsimony especially as there are so many bargains to be had but in my earlier pre-internet collecting days I was more prepared to stump up relatively bigger money when necessary.

I think the most I spent on a box was about £50 for Steve Reich's 10-disc _Works 65-95_ on Nonesuch which I bought when a member of Britannia's mail order company back in the late 90s.

The most I paid for a two-disc set was the eye-watering £25-99 for Birtwistle's opera _Punch and Judy_ on Etcetera which the long-gone Oakshott Records store in Worcester had to order in for me.

As regards a single disc I can't recall an instance when I paid what I considered to be over the odds at the time, so probably no more than about £15 which was a standard full price back in the day (which might explain why I bought many Naxos discs for a fiver each instead).


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