# Massenet edition anyone?



## Sonata (Aug 7, 2010)

This boxed set has been on my radar as an eventual purchase. I was curious if anyone had it and if so,me hat their impressions of the set were. I see that there are very good editions of Thais, Manon, and Esclarlamonde....and five other opera and other music besides.


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## Figleaf (Jun 10, 2014)

Is it this one?

http://www.deccaclassics.com/gb/cat/4783963

I hadn't heard of it before. It's great value for the number of CDs included, but with French opera in particular I would want to pick and choose among recordings. For example the Sills/ Gedda/ Souzay Manon is the sort of thing you would want to find in a box set, but it's available free on Youtube, whereas other operas (e.g. the Carreras/ Von Stade Werther, which I haven't heard) may not be the most idiomatic recordings available- and now that CDs of complete operas are often so cheap, you could probably assemble a better collection yourself. The other thing is that it isn't Massenet's complete works, as 'The Massenet Edition' might imply, so it's no shortcut to possessing on record everything Massenet ever wrote- you would still have to do the legwork and look for recordings of operas and songs not included here. So probably it falls between two stools- it's not a collection of the best recordings, and it's not a complete edition. I personally would rather maximize shelf space by only buying the individual opera recordings I really want to hear.


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## Sonata (Aug 7, 2010)

Very good thoughts on the matter, figleaf. I appreciate the consideration


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