Box Set Selections,
Boxed Set Selections - December 2023
December heavyweights include José Carreras's complete recitals on Philips, Bruckner cycles from Marek Janowski and Rémy Ballot (the latter recorded at the composer's resting-place in Sankt Florian), and collections celebrating the long histories of the Wiener Sängerknaben and Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden.
This collection of the Spanish-Argentine tenor's complete recital recordings for Decca includes albums of popular Italian and Spanish songs, zarzuela excerpts, love-duets with Katia Ricciarelli and Montserrat Caballé, sacred music with the Vienna Boys' Choir, and several discs of opera arias. Three bonus CDs feature highlights from Carreras's complete opera recordings, including Carmen with Agnes Baltsa and Karajan, Simon Boccanegra with Abbado, and Samson et Dalila, Werther, Tosca and Il trovatore (all with Colin Davis).
Available Format: 21 CDs
The Vienna Boys' Choir celebrates its official centenary next year - but its roots go back to July 1498, when the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I decreed that six trebles should be employed within the ranks of the newly-formed Wiener Hofmusikkapelle. This programme charting the long history of the choir includes discs devoted to the music of Joseph and Michael Haydn (both alumni of the ensemble), Mozart and Schubert, plus compilation-albums focusing on Austrian and German folksongs, Christmas, and the Strauss family.
Available Format: 21 CDs
This set is a budget reissue of the Bruckner cycle which was originally released on Pentatone between 2008 and 2013, comprising Symphonies Nos. 1-9 and the Mass in F minor. Back in 2012, Gramophone's Rob Cowan predicted that the project would 'turn out to be one of the finest recorded Bruckner cycles of the 21st century'; the following year, BBC Music Magazine described the recording of Symphony No. 2 as 'well paced, warm toned without heaviness, Romantically atmospheric and with stranger inspirations subtly highlighted'.
Available Format: 10 CDs
This cycle was recorded over a period of ten years at the annual Brucknertage festival which takes place at the monastery of Sankt Florian, where the composer held the position of organist from 1848 until 1855; Bruckner had sung at the priory as a boy chorister, and is buried beneath the organ which bears his name. The majority of the cycle is performed by the Altomonte Orchester (made up of local musicians with reinforcements from some of Austria's leading orchestras); Nos. 6 and 8 are allocated to the Upper Austrian Youth Symphony Orchestra
Available Formats: 11 CDs, MP3, FLAC
Founded by Maurice, Elector of Saxony, in 1548, the Staatskapelle Dresden has enjoyed close relationships with composers including Schütz, Lotti, Hasse, Weber, Wagner and Richard Strauss; this 10-CD collection features orchestral excerpts from operas by the latter three composers, with other highlights including Janáček's Moravian Dances (conducted by Martin Turnovsky), Elgar's Symphony No. 1 (conducted by Colin Davis), and Bartók's Dance Suite (conducted by Bernard Haitink).
Available Format: 10 CDs
This limited-edition collection of live recordings from the Copenhagen orchestra's enormously popular concerts of film-music brings together five albums: Fantasymphony – One Concert To Rule Them All, Gaming In Symphony, Murder At The Symphony, Hollywood Gala, and Divas & Diamonds. Repertoire includes excerpts from movies including Murder on the Orient Express, Psycho, Interstellar, Moulin Rouge, Braveheart, Babylon Berlin, The Godfather, and Vertigo.
Also available on vinyl.
Available Format: 5 CDs
The Philadelphia-born violinist and conductor Anshel Brusilow founded the Chamber Symphony of Philadelphia in 1966, whilst also serving as concert-master of the Philadelphia Orchestra; the orchestra was disbanded three years later due to a lack of philanthropic support. This set brings together the six recordings which the CSP made for RCA Victor in the course of its short lifespan, including Richard Yardumian's mass Come, Creator Spirit, Tchaikovsky's 'Mozartiana' Suite, Arensky's Variations on a Theme of Tchaikovsky, and Cherubini's Symphony in D.
Available Formats: 6 CDs, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Recorded on a range of superb Austrian, German and Swiss instruments, Marini's survey of Reger's complete organ works has been praised for the Italian organist's 'total technical assurance and supreme musical taste and judgement' (Choir & Organ) and his ability to imbue the music with 'fresh air, clear light and inspired lightness' (Der Neue Tag). Using authoritative new critical editions compiled by the Max Reger Institute, the recordings were made between 2011 and 2013 - a decade after Marini performed the entire body of works in the space of a single year in Italy.
Available Format: 17 CDs
Chris O'Reilly - Chief Executive
