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fergus wrote:

bombasticDarren wrote:

That looks like an interesting one Darren.

Well, it is and it isn't really. The pieces are pleasing to the ear, and I can't fault the playing, but they are inessential pieces in my view...

That is fair enough Darren. I will be looking to build my Saint-Saens collection in the future after the purchase of my recent box set; I will concentrate on his "big" works so.

Disc 5 of this priceless anthology:

Elgar Symphony 2 with André Previn conducting. An infinitely superior reading to his Philips studio recording with the Royal Philharmonic. Obviously the Royal Concertgebouw outclasses mercilessly the Royal Philharmonic (at least since Beecham left, but maybe even then, when Eduard van Beinum was chief conductor of the Concertgebouw).

And...
Witold Lutoslawski´s Conceto for Orchestra conducted by Stanislav Skrorwaczewski. Not as popular as Bartok´s, but when played with the stunning opulence and virtuosity of the RCO it can only sound stupendous.

As I said, a priceless anthology.

The Royal Concertgebouw are such a great Orchestra....beautiful sound. I would really like to hear them live some time.

Jose Echenique wrote:

Disc 5 of this priceless anthology:

Elgar Symphony 2 with André Previn conducting. An infinitely superior reading to his Philips studio recording with the Royal Philharmonic. Obviously the Royal Concertgebouw outclasses mercilessly the Royal Philharmonic (at least since Beecham left, but maybe even then, when Eduard van Beinum was chief conductor of the Concertgebouw).

And...
Witold Lutoslawski´s Conceto for Orchestra conducted by Stanislav Skrorwaczewski. Not as popular as Bartok´s, but when played with the stunning opulence and virtuosity of the RCO it can only sound stupendous.

As I said, a priceless anthology.

I would love to get all six anthologies, some day perhaps.

The Concertgebouw boxes are definitely recommended Seán. Sound quality is generally outstanding, especially in the last 2, and there are so many outstanding performances with luminaries like Bernstein, Tennstedt, Giulini, Gardiner, Harnoncourt, etc.

I´d recommend you not to wait too long before buying them, since these releases usually disappear at very short notice.

CD 3:
Beethoven´s Pastoral with Wolfgang Sawallisch and Sibelius Symphony 4 with Paavo Berglund.
Sawallisch recorded the Pastoral with the Concertgebouw for EMI at about the same time of this live performance, but as usual the live performance is more vital and alive than the studio recording.

CD 2:
Mahler 5 with Klaus Tennstedt.
Sensational, dangerous, over-the-edge performance.

Bartok - Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta (Charles Dutoit, Orchestre symphonique de Montreal, Decca)

Jose Echenique wrote:The Concertgebouw boxes are definitely recommended Seán. Sound quality is generally outstanding, especially in the last 2, and there are so many outstanding performances with luminaries like Bernstein, Tennstedt, Giulini, Gardiner, Harnoncourt, etc.

I´d recommend you not to wait too long before buying them, since these releases usually disappear at very short notice.

Those RCO box sets have just displaced the Koopman JSB Canatata set as the first extravagent purchases I would make when I come into some real money....

;-)