# Boxless Musicians - notable artists who still don't have complete recordings box-sets



## Ras

As I was looking at a "Daniel Barenboim Complete Solo Recordings on Deutsche Gramophone" box set on amazon it occurred to me that by now there are probably more musicians who have released such box sets in recent years than musicians who haven't.

One notable exception is the great Hungarian pianist *Andras Schiff*. While there are box-sets with his Mozart, Bach, Schubert (and maybe more?) there still isn't a complete box of all his recordings on one or more labels.

Are there other boxless musicians?

And yes... I mean ALL musicians: pianists, violinists, singers, conductors, orchestras, chamber ensembles, composers... and so on and so forth….


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## jegreenwood

How many Early Music groups have box sets?


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## Ras

jegreenwood said:


> How many Early Music groups have box sets?



I think none - Early music is vastly overlooked by listeners and labels - and by me too!


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## Triplets

Musica Antiqua Koln would be a great place to start


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## Ras

Triplets said:


> Musica Antiqua Koln would be a great place to start


Thanks - I have pretty much everything Baroque and love most of it. But before the Baroque era a lot of music sounds "samey" to me - just this sort of static sound.

I do have a bunch of cds with instrumental pre-baroque music, but the challenge for me is to get into the vocal music from the Renaissance and Medievel period.

I have Musica Antiqua Koln's Dowland cd from Vanguard and a few more recordings of his "Lachrymae or Seven Tears" which is a favorite piece of mine.









+I have the complete Dowland box from Decca:









And two other complete cycles of Dowland's lute music.

My problem with vocal music is a general one though - I much prefer instrumental music from any period to vocal music - 
This makes it challenging with pre-baroque music for me because the majority of the music from the earliest music preserved is vocal/choral.

This is my favorite Gabrieli cd:









If you can recommend something like that Gabrieli cd I would love to hear it.


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## jegreenwood

Ras said:


> I think none - Early music is vastly overlooked by listeners and labels - and by me too!


I have a 15 disc set by the Huelgas Ensemble. And the Tallis Scholars issued three 4 disc sets covering their history. (I have two of them. The other was OOP when I looked.) Neither is complete.

As for Schiff - has ECM ever issued a box set? For Schiff or Gidon Kremer? For Keith Jarrett even? (And Sun Bear doesn't count.)


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## Ras

jegreenwood said:


> I have a 15 disc set by the Huelgas Ensemble. And the Tallis Scholars issued three 4 disc sets covering their history. (I have two of them. The other was OOP when I looked.) Neither is complete.
> 
> As for Schiff - has ECM ever issued a box set? For Schiff or Gidon Kremer? For Keith Jarrett even?


*Well, ECM did release a box with Schiff's Beethoven recordings - this one:*









*But I was thinking of Decca releasing a career spanning set with his Schubert, Bach, Mozart and what else he recorded for Decca. *

*The other Ecm artists you mentioned haven't released any box sets as far as I know - at least not on ECM*.


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## Rmathuln

I would like to see DG issue a box with all of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra recordings.

A Decca of all recordings by Christoph von Dohnanyi is another.

How long will it take DG to gather all of their Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau lieder recordings into one set? A multi Blu-Ray only set like the recent Richter Bach Cantatas would suit that purpose nicely.

Harnoncourt's complete Teldec legacy?


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## Rmathuln

Rmathuln said:


> I would like to see DG issue a box with all of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra recordings.
> 
> A Decca of all recordings by Christoph von Dohnanyi is another.
> 
> How long will it take DG to gather all of their Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau lieder recordings into one set? A multi Blu-Ray only set like the recent Richter Bach Cantatas would suit that purpose nicely.
> 
> Harnoncourt's complete Teldec legacy?


Oh, and I forgot to repeat a big shout of disgust that Universal has never issued the complete Grumiaux set internationally. Only very expensively in Japan, and two times at that!


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## Guest

I'd like to see a complete Barbirolli Edition. There was an ICON box, but it was a narrow selection of his recordings. What I'd really like to see is some of his most important recordings remastered for such a set. For his important Vaughan Williams, Elgar recordings we only have masters done around 1988, when they weren't too good at it.


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## Ras

Baron Scarpia said:


> I'd like to see a complete Barbirolli Edition. There was an ICON box, but it was a narrow selection of his recordings. What I'd really like to see is some of his most important recordings remastered for such a set. For his important Vaughan Williams, Elgar recordings we only have masters done around 1988, when they weren't too good at it.


I only have Barbirolli's Brahms - The Symphonies and the piano concertos with Barenboim on Emi - I love all of it - some of my favorite Brahms recordings.


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## Josquin13

I agree, it would be nice to see a big Barbirolli box set.

Among early music groups, the recordings of the Gabrieli Consort, led by Paul McCreesh would make an attractive box set, in addition to MAK. But there are so many other early music groups that deserve box sets--I could make a long list.

Rmathuln--There is a comprehensive 25 CD & DVD Fischer-Dieskau DG set, but it's a limited edition: https://www.amazon.de/Voice-Century...7564&sr=8-18&keywords=Fischer-Dieskau+box+set

Ras--Andras Schiff is particularly difficult to do a 'complete' box set for, on account of the many record labels that he has recorded for over the course of his career--beginning with Hungaroton in his native Hungary, then Denon in Japan, Decca in England (even L'Oiseau Lyre), Teldec in Hamburg, and in recent years, ECM in Munich. In other words, it would be most unlikely that a single record label, even Universal, could acquire the rights to all the various recordings from the different stages of Schiff's career, and put them into a box set. Although the various labels could do so individually, of course. Teldec attempted to do so, at one point, for Schiff's "solo piano" recordings for their label, but the set didn't represent his complete Teldec recordings, as the chamber & concerto recordings weren't included (which would have made a terrific box set!): https://www.amazon.com/Solo-Piano-M...&sr=1-1&keywords=andras+schiff+teldec+box+set

I expect it's the same problem for other artists too, who like Schiff have recorded for many different labels over the course of their careers.

Here are some additional musicians, conductors, composers, & ensembles that I think deserve box sets:

1. Arleen Auger--soprano--A box set would have to pool together Auger's various recordings on the Hanssler, CBS/Sony, Decca, L'Oiseau lyre, Hyperion, Virgin, EMI, Telarc, and Delos labels. I expect she's the most recorded soprano in history without a box set.

2. Roland Pontinen--pianist--maybe not right now, but eventually... I'd personally like to see a box set devoted to Pontinen's remarkable Chopin playing, if he'd only record more of it! He's too fine a Chopin pianist, not to have at least given us a complete set of 21 Nocturnes & 24 Preludes...

3. Arthur Grumiaux--violinist, including all his chamber music recordings (with Clara Haskil, the Grumiaux Trio, Claudio Arrau, Walter Klein, etc.). As Rmathuln has pointed out, the Japanese have done so, but I agree that set should have been released outside of Japan.

4. Jean Martinon--conductor. Granted, there are Martinon sets from Erato & Eloquence, but EMI needs to expertly remaster all of Martinon's recordings for their label and box them. For example, they've not bothered to remaster Martinon's legendary Ravel recordings since their first CD release in 1980s--so it's long, long overdue. The Japanese have done so, but frustratingly, they only released Martinon's Ravel on single layer SACD, and that only briefly. (Martinon was a fine composer too.)

5. Deszo Ranki--pianist. And while they're at it, they should do a big box set for pianist Zoltan Kocsis, as well.

6. Alicia de Larrocha--pianist--I'd like to see a more comprehensive box set than what has already been done--one that combined all of her Decca and RCA recordings. But I'd settle for an 'original jackets' box of all her Decca recordings, including her early years (which Eloquence has been releasing, gradually).

7. Dubravka Tomsic--pianist. They could start by signing her to a major label. I'd say Tomsic is the most woefully neglected great musician on the planet. Her fans are left to track down her various recordings on numerous cheap labels, via out of the way discount bins (that is, before Amazon), while DG continues to sign lesser, younger pianists. It's shameful. Artur Rubinstein didn't describe Tomsic as a "perfect" pianist for nothing. https://www.amazon.com/Bach-Italian...F8&qid=1537808481&sr=1-6&keywords=tomsic+bach

8. Josquin Desprez--composer. It's astonishing that there has never been a single CD or LP box set release of any of Josquin's music, ever--neither his motets, masses, or chansons (let alone all together). Yet he is one of the giants in the history of music. How many more sets of Brahms Symphonies do we really need in the catalogue? Although I would imagine that when the Tallis Scholars finish their ongoing cycle of Josquin's Masses, Hyperion will eventually box it, possibly...

9. Guillaume Dufay--composer. Granted the Davies brothers did give us a beautiful box set of Dufay's complete chansons on L'Oiseau Lyre, but no group or label has ever done a box of Dufay's complete motets or masses. That's incredible for one of the giants in music history. (& I could say the same thing about Guillaume de Machaut & Orlando Lassus as well, etc..)

10. Josef Suk--violinist--like Grumiaux, one of the great violinists of the 20th century--who was also very active in chamber music (with the Suk Trio, etc.), and yet no box set!!! Not even from the Japanese. It would also be nice to see Suk's Denon/Supraphon/EMI recordings expertly remastered too (for a change--as I once heard Suk in recital, and his tone wasn't ugly, far from it).

11. Smetana Quartet--a legendary string quartet.

12. Jacques Fevrier--pianist.

13. Monique Haas--pianist. Granted, Erato did release a box set of all of her late 1960s Debussy & Ravel recordings on their label, but Haas deserves a more comprehensive box, even if just of her brilliant early to middle years.

14. Tatiana Nikolayeva--pianist.

15. Dmitri Bashkirov--pianist.

16. Elisso Wirssaladze (or Virsaladze)--pianist.

17. Oleg Kagan--violinist.

18. Salvatore Accardo--violinist. Granted, there have been a couple of smaller Accardo box sets, but nothing comprehensive yet.

19. Reine Gianoli--pianist. I'd settle for just a reissue of Gianoli's complete Schumann cycle (on Accord), but why not add her Ravel, Debussy, etc.

20. Maria Tipo--pianist.

21. Ivan Moravec--pianist. Nonesuch, EMI, Hanssler, Connoisseur, VAI, and Supraphon need to all get together. I'd settle for just a box set of Moravec's 'out of print' Nonesuch recordings (some of which have never made it to CD).

22. Thomas Binkley--early music pioneer. It's hard to believe that there's never been a box set of the complete recordings of Binkley's ensemble, Studio der Frühen Musik.

23. Nelson Freire--pianist--maybe not right now, but at some point, I'd like to see an all-inclusive Freire box set. I'd settle for just an EMI box set, since not all of Freire's early EMI recordings have made it to CD.

24. Chilingirian Quartet--now that they've retired, why not a big box set?

25. The Hilliard Ensemble--pioneering early music ensemble. Yes, there have been several boxes, but none of the EMI/Virgin recordings were remastered. I'd like to see a deluxe, all-inclusive Hilliard Ensemble box set, with everything remastered, including all the recordings they made over the span of their long career (maybe even including those they made with other ensembles, such as the Davies brothers, etc.). The Hilliards deserve it.

26. Halina Czerny-Stefanska--at the very least, a record label could do a box set of Czerny-Stefanska's remarkable Chopin. After all, she's descended from Carl Czerny, and plays like it.

27. Vagn Holmboe--composer. It would be great if BIS would one day box their entire Holmboe series.

28. Joonas Kokkonen--composer--ditto for BIS's Kokkonen series too, if they ever finish it.

29. Michel Block--another fine, neglected pianist, who deserves a box set.


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## Guest

Josquin13 said:


> 4. Jean Martinon--conductor. Granted, there are Martinon sets from Erato & Eloquence, but EMI needs to expertly remaster all of Martinon's recordings for their label and box them. For example, they've not bothered to remaster Martinon's legendary Ravel recordings since their first CD release in 1980s--so it's long, long overdue. The Japanese have done so, but frustratingly, they only released Martinon's Ravel on single layer SACD, and that only briefly. (Martinon was a fine composer too.)


Agree with this. I noted with interest that Martinon's recordings were featured in Warner's complete Debussy. Do you know if those were remastered? The original 1980's masters were so bad as to be unlistenable, to me.


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## Becca

Would someone kindly explain the logic of these big boxes, other than for the OCD collector (and as a cheap and easy way for the record companies to make money off the back catalog)? I just can't see the point in them as given the size of these boxes and the types of collectors who buy them, it seems that they are probably duplicating a lot of repertoire and, probably, getting things that they have no interest in.


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## Josquin13

Baron Scarpia writes, "I noted with interest that Martinon's recordings were featured in Warner's complete Debussy. Do you know if those were remastered? The original 1980's masters were so bad as to be unlistenable, to me."

I don't recall that they were, but I'm not 100% certain of this, as I don't own the Warner set. However, it's possible, if it's recent enough, since Martinon's Debussy has fared better than his Ravel, in regards to recent remasters (unfortunately I prefer his Ravel)--that is, since the original 1980s digital remasters that you mention (which weren't too bad on LP, but didn't translate well to the earliest CDs). In the 2000s, Martinon's Debussy was released on remastered Japanese CDs, & then, in recent years, on Japanese hybrid SACDs (which are the ones I'd most recommend). However, Japanese issues don't stay in print for long (and can get super pricey once they've gone OOP), so I'll have to check to see if they're still available at a reasonable price. Hang on...

Okay, here's a link to the hybrid SACD Debussy set (& unfortunately it looks like $86 is a good price, nowadays):

https://www.amazon.com/Martinon-lOR...7815472&sr=1-1&keywords=martinon+debussy+sacd

Here's a link to the Japanese CD release of the same:

https://www.amazon.co.jp/ドビュッシー-管弦楽..._rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=FM0N505X1EN5DTSSHH8T

I see that Erato has also recently released the following CD set--I wonder if they use the same remaster sources as the Japanese issues?:

https://www.amazon.com/Debussy-Orch...5512&sr=1-10&keywords=martinon+debussy+import

In Japan, I see the Erato release is on UHQCD:

https://www.amazon.co.jp/ドビュッシー-管弦楽..._rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=6A5590JQNMYA5SSW39T1

I've also just seen that Martinon's single layer SACD Ravel box is selling for only $861.03 on Amazon, "used", not even "like new": https://www.amazon.com/Ravel-Orches...&qid=1537815233&sr=1-2&keywords=martinon+sacd. Why would they only release these new remasters to such a niche market? I wonder if there's been a long term problem with the CD rights, or is EMI just lazy and cheap?


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## Guest

Becca said:


> Would someone kindly explain the logic of these big boxes, other than for the OCD collector (and as a cheap and easy way for the record companies to make money off the back catalog)? I just can't see the point in them as given the size of these boxes and the types of collectors who buy them, it seems that they are probably duplicating a lot of repertoire and, probably, getting things that they have no interest in.


There are two logics, for the vendor and for the buyer.

For the vendor, they make money.

For the buyer, I can only describe my own logic. These boxes can provide access to a trove of material not otherwise available. I recently got the complete Cluytens box. I already had the most well known recordings, such as the stereo recordings of Beethoven Symphonies, Debussy and Ravel Orchestral music. But I have enjoyed dipping into the huge trove or recordings going back to the late 1940's, revealing a style of performance by French orchestras that does not exist anymore. I knew his Ravel "Pavane," from the 60's, but I didn't know his prior recording, dating back to 1952, which sounded completely different than any other recording of the piece that I have heard. I consider it money well spent, even if I don't care to listen to every single disc.


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## Ras

Becca said:


> Would someone kindly explain the logic of these big boxes, other than for the OCD collector (and as a cheap and easy way for the record companies to make money off the back catalog)? I just can't see the point in them as given the size of these boxes and the types of collectors who buy them, it seems that they are probably duplicating a lot of repertoire and, probably, getting things that they have no interest in.


I stack them up trying to reach the moon!

Actually I rarely buy big boxes myself. I try not to buy cds at all in fact and just rely on Spotify. So I only buy cds that I can't find on Spotify or music that I find is so good that I have to own it just in case it is being removed from Spotify (this sometimes happens!).


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## Josquin13

Becca said:


> Would someone kindly explain the logic of these big boxes, other than for the OCD collector (and as a cheap and easy way for the record companies to make money off the back catalog)? I just can't see the point in them as given the size of these boxes and the types of collectors who buy them, it seems that they are probably duplicating a lot of repertoire and, probably, getting things that they have no interest in.


Becca,

You hit the nail on the head--it's a cheap and easy way for the record companies to "make money off their back catalogs" without having to incur the added expense of remastering--as is usually the case, except when they issue new, previously unreleased material (often a small percentage of the overall box), along with the older recordings. For those that missed these older recordings the first or second time around, the boxes can represent a terrific bargain, and are a great way to build a collection quickly, especially for 'completists'. However, for those that didn't miss the older recordings the first time around, the boxes often represent a ton of duplicating, as you point out, and personally, I don't bother with them--unless they've been extensively remastered, which rarely happens, at least with the bargain sets. In other words, if you want the latest 'state of the art' remasters, usually you have to pay for them.

An exceptional to the rule, for me, has been the excellent French EMI series of box sets devoted to the complete recordings of pianists Samson François, György Cziffra, Marcelle Meyer, Yves Nat, etc., which offer substantially better remasters than EMI had managed before. Those sets were definitely worth duplicating recordings from, even though they've since gone out of print & become pricey and hard to find:

https://www.amazon.com/Samson-Franç...9558&sr=1-1&keywords=samson+francois+complete
https://www.amazon.com/Ses-Enregist...19598&sr=1-2&keywords=marcelle+meyer+complete
https://www.amazon.com/Georges-Czif...sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=gyorgy+cziffra+complete
https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Pia...=1537819650&sr=1-2&keywords=yves+nat+complete

The same is true for Claudio Arrau's Philips recordings, which were likewise given superior remasters by the Heritage label a few years ago. But of course you have to be a big fan of these musicians to want their 'complete' recordings in new & improved sound.


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## DavidA

Becca said:


> Would someone kindly explain the logic of these big boxes, other than for the OCD collector (and as a cheap and easy way for the record companies to make money off the back catalog)? I just can't see the point in them as given the size of these boxes and the types of collectors who buy them, it seems that they are probably duplicating a lot of repertoire and, probably, getting things that they have no interest in.


I think it's a great way to get to know artists at a relatively cheap price. I must confess I have just ordered the complete Kubelik box which was about half the list price.


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## hustlefan

Decca: Ashkenazy as soloist, chamber musician, and conductor, Schiff, Solti non-Chicago
Hanssler: Fey Haydn symphonies
Warner: Harnoncourt, Norrington, Haitink, Fischer-Dieskau, Rostropovich as conductor, Barenboim, Gieseking, Kremer
Naxos: Brion Sousa
DG: Beethoven complete edition, Gardiner, Fischer-Dieskau, Kempff, Barenboim as conductor
Bis: Beethoven non-piano sonatas Brautigam
Decca/Philips: Jochum, Colin Davis, Haitink, Uchida
Sony: Juilliard quartet, Ormandy, Leinsdorf, Stern


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## Guest

hustlefan said:


> Decca: Ashkenazy as soloist, chamber musician, and conductor, Schiff, Solti non-Chicago
> Hanssler: Fey Haydn symphonies
> Warner: Harnoncourt, Norrington, Haitink, Fischer-Dieskau, Rostropovich as conductor, Barenboim, Gieseking, Kremer
> Naxos: Brion Sousa
> DG: Beethoven complete edition, Gardiner, Fischer-Dieskau, Kempff, Barenboim as conductor
> Bis: Beethoven non-piano sonatas Brautigam
> Decca/Philips: Jochum, Colin Davis, Haitink, Uchida
> Sony: Juilliard quartet, Ormandy, Leinsdorf, Stern


The Warner Rostropovich Box contains all recordings, including those in which he is conductor, I believe.

Some of those boxes would be huge (Solti, Harnoncourt Warner, Haitink, Ashkenazy) There seems to be a suite spot for getting a box - big discography, but not too big.


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## hustlefan

Baron Scarpia said:


> The Warner Rostropovich Box contains all recordings, including those in which he is conductor, I believe.


I have the DG and Warner Rostropovich boxes and the DG includes his recordings as conductor but the Warner unfortunately does not.


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## Guest

hustlefan said:


> I have the DG and Warner Rostropovich boxes and the DG includes his recordings as conductor but the Warner unfortunately does not.


You're quite right. To emphasize my cluelessness, I had convinced myself not to get that Warner box because I already had his recordings as conductor (Shostakovich and Prokofiev symphonies). Duh!


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## wkasimer

Becca said:


> Would someone kindly explain the logic of these big boxes, other than for the OCD collector (and as a cheap and easy way for the record companies to make money off the back catalog)? I just can't see the point in them as given the size of these boxes and the types of collectors who buy them, it seems that they are probably duplicating a lot of repertoire and, probably, getting things that they have no interest in.


The sets that fit that latter description are the ones that I skip. I buy some of the big boxes; my criteria are 1) an artist I've heard and admire 2) playing mostly music I actually like 3) in recordings that I don't already own 4) at a price that's less than $2 per CD. I need at least three of these to pull the trigger.

I have to confess that I occasionally regret not buying some of these sets. I particularly regret not buying the Monteux set on BMG.


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## Rmathuln

Baron Scarpia said:


> The Warner Rostropovich Box contains all recordings, including those in which he is conductor, I believe.
> 
> Some of those boxes would be huge (Solti, Harnoncourt Warner, Haitink, Ashkenazy) There seems to be a suite spot for getting a box - big discography, but not too big.


Nobody has mentioned Marriner, whose output trails only Karajan.
THAT would be truly a huge box.


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## realdealblues

Pretty much all I am interested in buying is the big box sets from Conductors or Performers (occasionally labels) that I really love. My only other classical purchases are usually from living performers that I enjoy (like Perahia or Schiff) who still release new material occasionally or works/composers I'm not familiar with.

Most of the ones I want have already been mentioned. The ones I want most right now are:

Arthur Grumiaux (Complete Decca Recordings)
Eugene Ormandy (Complete CBS/Columbia/Sony recordings)
Wilhelm Kempff (Complete Mono, Stereo, Solo, Concerto & Chamber recordings all in one box)
Vladimir Ashkenazy (Complete Decca Chamber & Solo Piano recordings)
Georg Solti (Complete Decca Recordings Outside Chicago)
Karl Bohm (Complete DG/Decca Non-Opera Recordings)

There are some others like Colin Davis, Neville Marriner & Bernard Haitink on Philips/Decca whom all have enough stuff I like that I would probably buy complete recording sets from. Other guys are too spread across various labels like Kurt Sanderling is one I'd like to have a complete recordings from, but he recorded for just about everyone and so all his stuff in one box will never happen.


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## joen_cph

Some other interesting pianists, often recorded by less circulated companies and probably not available in complete editions, include

Samuil Feinberg, 
Erwin Nyiregyhazi, 
Egon Petri, 
Vladimir Sofronitsky (he recorded at least about 50 LPs), 
Frantisek Maxian,
Jean Doyen,
Reinbert de Leeuw,
Herbert Henck,
Volker Banfield,
Anton Kuerti,
Edward Kilenyi,
Adolf Drescher,
Malcolm Frager,
Raymond Trouard,
Sergei Serebryakov,
Igor Zhukov,
Andrei Gavrilov,
Vladimir Krainev,
Konstantin Igumnov,
Yakov Fliere,
Eric Heidsieck
Stanislaw Neuhaus,
Heinrich Neuhaus,
Frederic Lamond,
Bruce Hungerford,
Beveridge Webster,

etc.


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## Larkenfield

I think if one is older and already has an extensive library, these box sets and possible duplicates may not be worth the trouble (unless seriously remastered as an improvement and not as a disaster). On the other hand, if one is a younger listener, student, or musician, these affordable box sets can be of tremendous value... I no longer happen to buy box sets because it started to feel like an obligation rather than a pleasure to go through an entire large set that I paid for, even of those I liked!... For those who grew up with and like Eugene Ormandy, I would recommend the 10-CD Sony (Columbia) Original Jacket Edition with the Philidelphia Orchestra and their warm, colorful, and distinctive recordings. He reminded me of a conductor without ego where the music always came first... If there were a box set of pianist Julius Katchen's recordings that he did for London Records, I might consider that but only if it was all-inclusive and more than his Brahms or piano concerto performances... I thought he was tremendous with Beethoven, Bach, Schumann, and could convincingly play virtually anything or anyone. Died tragically from cancer.


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## jegreenwood

I mentioned in another thread that I recently broke my vow not to buy mega-boxes and bought the new Szell box, as his recordings were so vital to my introduction to classical. This despite the fact I already had many of his recordings. 

I've bought several smaller boxes over the past few years - in each case because I did not have much by the artist.


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## Guest

It just came to me, the box I would get without hesitation, even before Barbirolli. 

Markevitch Deutsche Grammophon recordings. Actually Markevitich/Lamoureux would satisfy me. Especially if they included the Philips recordings.


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## elgar's ghost

One pianist I've always admired and who had a long and distinguished career was Peter Katin, but there's been no round-up of his recordings so far - maybe there are copyright issues as he recorded for different labels, of which at least two are now defunct.


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## Rmathuln

Baron Scarpia said:


> It just came to me, the box I would get without hesitation, even before Barbirolli.
> 
> Markevitch Deutsche Grammophon recordings. Actually Markevitich/Lamoureux would satisfy me. Especially if they included the Philips recordings.


I too would buy that without hesitation.

A Warner cpomplete Marie-Claire Alain box might be nice, especially i in cbc luded allmof the 1950s recordings for Le Discophile Française.


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## Guest

elgars ghost said:


> One pianist I've always admired and who had a long and distinguished career was Peter Katin, but there's been no round-up of his recordings so far - maybe there are copyright issues as he recorded for different labels, of which at least two are now defunct.


Which are defunct?

If his recordings are spread over numerous labels, perhaps none of them have a big enough chunk to make a compelling collection. But that wouldn't otherwise prevent them from releasing what they have.


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## elgar's ghost

Olympia definitely is, and I though Unicorn-Kanchana was as well - maybe U-K still exists as a business entity, but they no longer make recordings. My point was that pulling together all of Katin's recordings from whoever he recorded with into one single collection wouldn't, alas, be feasible.


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## Guest

elgars ghost said:


> Olympia definitely is, and I though Unicorn-Kanchana was as well - maybe U-K still exists as a business entity, but they no longer make recordings. My point was that pulling together all of Katin's recordings from whoever he recorded with into one single collection wouldn't, alas, be feasible.


I think just the opposite might be true. If the various labels he recorded for were still operating they would have access to their own catalogs. But an operating label that has some Katin recordings, such as EMI/Warner, might more easily license material from the defunct labels.


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## elgar's ghost

Well, here's hoping.


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## Josquin13

Lark--There is a large 35 CD box set of Julius Katchen's Complete Decca recordings, which includes some previously unpublished material (Katchen recordings of the Franck Prelude, choral et fugue, and Brahms Clarinet Sonatas 1 & 2 with Thea King): https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Dec...523531&sr=1-1&keywords=julius+katchen+box+set. I don't know if anything's been remastered though.

I've thought of four conductors that I'd very much like to see box sets for (in addition to Igor Markevitch, who's already been mentioned): (1) Jean Fournet--including all his late Denon records, (2) Ernest Bour--who is one of the finest Ravel, Debussy, Roussel, Honegger, & Stravinsky conductors I know (& gave world premieres of many contemporary works--by Ligeti, Rihm, Holmboe, Ferneyhough, Stockhausen, etc.), (3) Frederick Charles Adler (or F. Charles Adler)--who was a protege of Gustav Mahler's, & did world premiere recordings of a number of the symphonies, along with recordings of Bruckner symphonies, and what else, I wonder?, and (4) Manuel Rosenthal, who was Maurice Ravel's third and final student, and who made one of the finest recordings of Ravel's ballet, Daphnis et Chloe I've heard (see link below).






















I'd also buy a newly remastered box set of the complete recordings of French-American pianist & composer Nöel Lee. Or, how about a big box set devoted to Nadia Boulanger and her students?, which included Lee, and so many other excellent musicians.


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## Larkenfield

Josquin, Thank you for the information on Julius Katchen. Very much appreciated.


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## Ras

*RACHMANINOFF: Collection. Melodiya 33cds + Vinyl LP*









A new set with old recordings - There is also complete sets on Decca and Brilliant… maybe more labels...:
This new one from Melodiya is very expensive:
https://www.mdt.co.uk/rachmaninoff-collection-melodiya-33cds-vinyl-lp.html

Performers:

Irina Arkhipova, Vladimir Atlantov, Boris Berezovsky, Feodor Chaliapin, Zara Dolukhanova, Victor Eresko, Vladimir Fedoseyev, Alexander Gauk, Hibla Gerzmava, Emil Gilels, Alexander Goldenweiser, Nikolai Golovanov, Vladimir Horowitz, Evgeny Kissin, Dmitri Kitaenko, Sviatoslav Knushevitsky, Leonid Kogan, Kirill Kondrashin, Ivan Kozlovsky, Vladimir Krainev, Nikolai Lugansky, Alexey Lundin, Yury Martynov, Dmitry Masleev, Yuri Mazurok, Vladimir Minin, Evgeny Nesterenko, Lev Oborin, Elena Obraztsova, Nadezhda Obukhova, David Oistrakh, Nikolai Petrov, Alexander Pirogov, Sergei Prokofiev, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Sviatoslav Richter, Mstislav Rostropovich, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Alexander Rudin, Daniil Shafran, Grigory Sokolov, Alexander Sveshnikov, Evgeny Svetlanov, Yuri Temirkanov, Boris Tevlin, Alexander Yurlov and others

The label's promotion:
>>>The Tower of Babel of performances and recordings of Sergei Rachmaninoff's music pleases the ear of the music lover today as it has done throughout the 20th century. In that Tower one can easily distinguish the voices of Rachmaninoff's music's 'native speakers' - performers who spoke Rachmaninoff's language, breathed the same air and enjoyed the same autumnal landscapes in childhood. In fact, it is the Tower of its own: looking through the list of Rachmaninoff's works and the names of Russian and Soviet performers in the Rachmaninoff Collection offered by the legendary label Melodiya on the composer's 145th anniversary, one can assume just that. To a great surprise of the scholars and amateurs, such a collection has never been assembled previously.

The 'Russian idiom' (if we are to continue with the metaphor) has never been presented in such a massive and powerful way, reaching the 'critical mass' that may lead to important conclusions about the Russian musical style and interpretation in general. The list contains the names of great singers from the generation of Soviet classics such as Irina Arkhipova, Ivan Kozlovsky, Georgy Nelepp, Elena Obraztsova, Mark Reisen, to the most current internationally renowned stars such as Hibla Gerzmava. One can find a smorgasbord of chamber music performed by the exceptional ensembles and individuals such as David Oistrakh, Leonid Kogan, Mstislav Rostropovich, Gidon Kremer and Daniil Shafran. An unusual component in the collection is the recordings of Rachmaninoff's Russian Orthodox church music - something that was carefully shoved under the rug in Soviet times. The operas are represented by the best that the country could give - and here, for sure, the native Russian diction raises the level of performance to the classical height. And, of course, the poetics of the piano, in which Sergei Rachmaninoff expressed himself in the most unencumbered way, is represented in the Collection by the names that do not need promotion: Sviatoslav Richter, Emil Gilels, Grigory Sokolov, Vladimir Krainev, Alexei Nasedkin, Pavel Serebryakov - the list goes on until it reaches the latest acquisition on the Montparnasse of piano, Dmitry Masleev.

For the connoisseurs, the Collection offers rare examples, many of them previously unreleased by Melodiya, together with those delicious brand-name tube-mic recordings that carry an unrivaled human quality and a tint of nostalgia.<<<


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## Merl

Baron Scarpia said:


> It just came to me, the box I would get without hesitation, even before Barbirolli.
> 
> Markevitch Deutsche Grammophon recordings. Actually Markevitich/Lamoureux would satisfy me. Especially if they included the Philips recordings.


Totally agree. Markevitch's Beethoven is top-draw. The 5th and the 8th are to die for.


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## JohnD

I'd like to see a multi-CD set of harpsichordist Isolde Ahlgrimm's recordings. She is said to have been the first harpsichordist to record all of Bach's works for that instrument. Harpsichordist Peter Wachorn has written extensively about Ahlgrimm. And, in fact, Decca Eloquence has been preparing a set of Ahlgrimm's Philips recording, but they are hesitant to release it because they believe that sales would be minimal.

Here's some info on Alhgrimm:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isolde_Ahlgrimm


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