Mozart complete works $99 at Sams Club..comments? (2 Viewers)

[Dennis Nicholls]

OK so I am a complete cheapskate....

The local Sams Club is selling a complete set of the works of Wolfgang Mozart - on 170 CD's - for the reasonable price of $99.



It's the "Brilliant Classics" set as found here on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Wolfgang-Amade...e=UTF8&s=music

From what the reviewers at Amazon have commented, this is at the very least worth the purchase price. Some OK discs: some outstanding discs.

Does anyone here have this set? Would you wish to steer me away before I unload such a princely sum?

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

Here's the list of performers from www.brilliantclassics.com :

SYMPHONIES (new)
Mozart Akademie, Jaap ter Linden

PIANO CONCERTOS
Derek Han, piano; Philharmonia Orchestra, Paul Freeman
Zoltán Kocsis, Deszö Ranki, András Schiff, pianos;
Hungarian State Orchestra under Janos Ferencsik
Pieter-Jan Belder, harpsichord; Musica Amphion

VIOLIN CONCERTOS
Emmy Verhey, violin;
Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra, Eduardo Marturet

CONCERTOS FOR WIND INSTRUMENTS
Harmen de Boer, clarinet
Bart Schneemann, oboe
Ronald Karten, bassoon
Pieter-Lukas Graf, flute
Herman Jeurissen, horn;
Nieuw Sinfonietta Amsterdam, Lev Markiz
Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, Roy Goodman
English Chamber Orchestra, Raymond Leppard

SERENADES & DIVERTIMENTI FOR ORCHESTRA
Symphonie-Orchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Sir Colin Davis
Amati Chamber Orchestra
Camerata Bern
Wiener Akademie, Martin Haselböck
Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra, János Rolla
Neues Bachisches Collegium Musicum, Burkhardt Glaetzner

SERENADES & DIVERTIMENTI FOR WINDS (new)
Rotterdam Philharmonic Wind Ensemble, Henk de Graaf

DANCES, MARCHES, MINUETS (new)
Zilina Chamber Orchestra

MASSES
Edith Wiens, Bernarda Fink, Werner Hollweg, Thomas Hampson;
Wiener Akademie, Martin Haselböck
Arleen Auger, Kriszta Laki, Werner Hollweg, Claes Ansjö;
Berliner Domkapelle, Roland Bader
Mária Zadori, Paul Esswood, Laszlo Polgar; Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra, Iván Fischer

SACRED CHORAL WORKS (new)
Nordic Chamber Choir; Mannheim Chamber Orchestra, Nicol Matt

CONCERT ARIAS
Christiane Oelze; Kammerorchester C.P.E. Bach, Hartmut Haenchen
Sylvia Geszty; Staatskapelle Dresden, Otmar Suitner

STRING QUINTETS
Orlando Quartet with Nobuko Imai, viola

STRING QUARTETS
Franz Schubert Quartet
Sonare Quartet

CHAMBER MUSIC FOR WINDS, STRINGS & PIANO
Elizabeth Walfisch, Jaap ter Linden, Bart van Oort
Karl Leister, clarinet; Brandis Quartet
Klára Würtz, piano; Rotterdam Wind Players
Marc Grauwels, flute; Brussels Virtuosi
Lothar Koch, oboe
Gerd Seifert, horn

ORGAN WORKS, CHURCH SONATAS
Martin Haselböck, Domorgel zu Brixen; Ensemble Parnassia

WORKS FOR PIANO 4-HANDS (new)
Bart van Oort, Ursula Dütschler, fortepiano

VIOLIN SONATAS
Salvatore Accardo, violin; Bruno Canino, piano
Remy Baudet, violin; Pieter-Jan Belder, harpsichord

VARIATIONS FOR PIANO (new)
Bart van Oort, Pieter-Jan Belder, fortepiano

PIANO SONATAS (new)
Klára Würtz

SONGS (new)
Claron McFadden, Bas Ramselaar
Bart van Oort, fortepiano

OPERA (new)
IL SOGNO DI SCIPIONE: Claron McFadden, Claudia Patacca, Francine van der Heyden, Terence Mierau, Francois Soons, Marcel Reijans; Capella Amsterdam, Daniel Reuss;
Musica ad Rhenum, Jed Wentz

ZAIDE: Sandrine Piau a.o., Gregor Frenkel Frank, verteller;
Radio Chamber Orchestra, Ton Koopman

MITRIDATE: Marcel Reijans, Johannette Zomer, Young-Hee Kim a.o.; Musica ad Rhenum, Jed Wentz

LE NOZZE DI FIGARO: Werner van Mechelen, Huub Claessens, Monika Groop, Christiane Oelze a.o.;
La Petite Bande, Sigiswald Kuijken

COSI FAN TUTTE: Markus Schäfer, Nancy Argenta, a.o.; La Petite Bande Orchestra & Chorus, Sigiswald Kuijken

LUCIO SILLA: Anthony Rolfe-Johnson, Lella Cuberli, Ann Murray, Britt-Marie, Christine Barbaux, Ad van Baasbank; Orchestra et choeurs du Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, Sylvain Cambreling

DER SCHAUSPIELDIREKTOR: Sylvia Geszty, Rosemarie Rönisch, Peter Schreier, Christian Polster; Kammerorchester Berlin, Helmut Koch

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

Hmmm...

Looks like you don't get Don Giovanni or The Magic Flute.

EDIT

OK you get all the opera....

www.classicstoday.com/review.asp?ReviewNum=9513


I know Mackerras. I know Telarc. These should be great performances.

 

[Garrett Lundy]

$99! I've bid multiple times on Ebay for a set (They just recently started selling in America) but was always outbid in the $200 range.

$99 is a steal for that set!

Do they have the complete Bach also? I may need to buy a Sam's club card!

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

Hey just buy it at Amazon US for $139.

But heck, I'm cheaper than that....

 

[Philip Hamm]

Wow 170 CDs. I can't even wrap my mind around the thought of it. I can barely get through my complete symphonies and complete piano concertos!

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

Well I drove back to Sam's Club and put down my $99.

This is some set. I'm starting off on the 40th Symphony...only to find this set includes TWO versions: with and without clarinets! I've never listened to a great Mozart symphony played in a small ensemble with "original" instruments before. It's a shock let me tell you. I'll have to get used to it.

Here's another review of the symphony cycle included in the Brilliant Classics set: http://www.musicweb.uk.net/classrev/..._Brilliant.htm . The reviewer compares this set favorably to the Pinnock version on DGG.

 

[Aaron Silverman]

Zowie!

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

This set for me was a perfect example of timing.

I spent my summer off in law school back in 1994 selling off my large classical LP collection and turntable. Replacing these LPs with digital copies took a back seat when I finished law school, started working again, and started buying way too many DVD's.

Recently I noticed that I had plenty of the three B's, Vaughan Williams, and several other composers, but only a couple of Mozart discs. I started reading reviews and ordered a couple, but finding this set mooted my search. At least the Boskovsky serenades and Brendel piano concertos won't go to waste!

 

[Cees Alons]

There's also a Complete Works of Bach. Both are certainly to be found on the German Amazon site.
I hesitated about the Mozart set, but I bought the Bach set last month. I haven't been able to listen to all CDs yet.

(Well, I had a two-weeks vacation too, just back.)


Cees

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

Hey Cees, as I posted over at test, have you had a chance to attend a concert of the Mozart Akademie Amsterdam conducted by Jaap Ter Linden? He seems to know his stuff. They must be your local "original instruments" orchestra.

2001 has it for Euro 85. http://www.zweitausendeins.de/suche/...rt%20brilliant I guess that's the same price as Amazon.de, although some of the Amazon.de "partners" have it for as little as Euro 61.

 

[Cees Alons]

Just once, a few years ago.
He's excellent, of course and the (sort of) minimalist sound is something you have to get used to at first. They played some nice pieces of different componists (including Mozart and Bach), to help the audience adapt to the sound.

Here and here is some information about him from a Dutch source, in English.


Cees

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

Cees,

Vacation?

I thought you were retired. Isn't every day a vacation for us retired guys?

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

The piano concerti are performed by pianist Han with the Philharmonia Orchestra. The Philharmonia is very good whereas Han is competent. He doesn't sound inspired at all.

I'm listening to the string quintets performed by the Orlando Quartet augmented by violist Nobuko Imai. This is really good stuff. The recording was licensed from Naxos/BIS in order to complete the "complete" works. IIRC my LP copy of the K. 516 was the definative version with the Budapest Quartet augmented by Walter Trempler on Vanguard Records. This new recording stands besides this classic recording, and for only 58 cents per disk.

EDIT My memory was faulty. The LP version I sold off a decade ago was the Griller Quartet/Primrose recording on Vanguard. www.classicstoday.com/review.asp?ReviewNum=7620

 

[Ben_Williams]

I just picked up the Complete Mozart Symphonies with Jaap Ter Linden from acoustic sounds:

http://store.acousticsounds.com/brow...&section=music

This is the 11 disc SACD version... quite a deal at $89. I should be receiving it by Friday... any opinions on these recordings?

 

[Cees Alons]

Well, I meant my wife's vacation. I myself am back to my daily vacation now.


Ben,

Those must be the same recordings that are in the Complete Set (which are not SACD). You will be pleasantly surprised, I think. Beware that the sound of the old instruments may take a few minutes to get your ears adjusted to.


Cees

 

[Ben_Williams]

I've been a fan of Christopher Hogwood and the Academy of Ancient Music for quite some time. So, if this is anything like what Hogwood puts out, then I should really enjoy it.

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

Gee, for $99 I bought a redbook copy of the same performances...and they threw in all the rest of Mozart's music for free!

I saw the link to the Sack-Dee verson of the Ter Linden set. This really puts you to a quandry about quality vs. quantity. But having said this, the redbook CD version still has very good sound quality. I'm wondering what MC SACD brings to the table here.

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

I'm listening to the Serenata Notturna in D major, K. 239, right now. This shows how weird this set is.... it's performed by the Orchestra of the Bavarian Radio, conducted by Colin Davis.

This set has the symphonies performed by a small period ensemble, and a divertimento performed by a full-up modern symphony orchestra!

 

[Mike Frezon]

I saw a few copies of this same set (Brilliant Classics) at my local BJs Wholesale Club tonight for $99.

Would have loved to pull the trigger. If I think about it long enough, I'm sure I'll be able to convince myself that that much music at that price...I can't afford NOT to snatch it up!

Any further thoughts now that you've had the set awhile, Dennis?