Д.Д.

I listened to a couple of discs from it (Stravinsky and Prokofiev), and man, I really am not sure if I can recommend it. These are some super fast-paced, aggressive, caffeinated versions. This might be a valid take on these works, but probably not to my liking. Will have to listen further.

Listened to Masaaki Suzuki's harpsichord version of Golgbergs on BIS website ( http://bis.se/naxos.php?aID=BIS-CD-819 ) - I think it's excellent. Will get the CD now.

Antal Dorati Conducts ... (Mercury) - 5 CD set - $21 at amazon.com

Any opinion on Gavrilov's Goldberg's? The samples sound quite Gouldian: http://www.amazon.com/Bach-Goldberg-Variationen-Johann-Sebastian/dp/B000025I53/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1311460920&sr=1-1

Thanks for pointing this one out. I thought I should wait awhile before buying another cello suite set, but the videos got me and since she's playing viola it doesn't count regarding my cello moratorium. And now that Spotify is in the US, it's on there too if one can't wait for a CD copy in the mail. Like you said, wow. Gotta get these too, sound great.

Thanks Д.Д. but pay attention: according to Brilliat Classic website, these are CDR's. You mean the reference to "CD-ROM Wallet clamshell"? I don't think this means these would be CDRs. I placed my order, should be here by the end of the week - we'll see.

I'm not a Naxos enthusiast (so shoot me... ), but Konstantin Scherbakov's Naxos recording of Shostakovich's Preludes and Fugues was excellent, so I'd expect his volume to merit hearing. Listened to samples, and liked Vol. 3 (Jeno Jando) and Vol. 5 (Benjamin Frith). These should do for now, as far a piano is concerned. Now, to harpsichord!

Legendary Russian Pianists 25-CD Brilliant box available for €11 from amazon.de Track list from the Brilliant website.

Any recommendations for the Naxos recordings (they have a running project of recording the complete set of Scarlatti sonatas - 25 CDs, each by different pianist, and it is half way through)?

David, you will probably enjoy Duo Sonare CD called "Duo Sonare plays Zappa, Debussy, Albeniz, Piazzolla" or something like this. It is a classical guitar duo, and they play excellent arrangements for two guitars. Zappa and Debussy pieces are really well done. The CD is long OOP, I got my copy from one of the musicians directly.

In general you are right but sometimes there are surprises. BTW: Also on some EMI Icon sets, the sound quality is disappointing (Alfred Cortot for example). But EMI and others sort of have the legal rights to the stuff, and possibly perhaps maybe who knows - the musicians (or their estates) might even be getting something from these reissues on majors. Or, I hope they paid the musicians at least once during the initial recording. Brilliant is legally licensing their stuff from majors (or commissioning new recordings). Membran and the likes are just leeches. I try to avoid such shit as long as there is an alternative (and normally there is). Thinking about it, I am pretty sure that Soviet musicians (such as Oistrakh, Richter, Gilels and many others) recorded by Western majors got nothing for their recordings. At least, not directly.

Just ordered the Brilliant Classics Russian Legends 100-CD box from amazon.fr market seller for EUR 54. I doubt I will ever go through the whole box, but for this price... http://www.amazon.fr...0&condition=new

Excellent! Thanks.

I got this one and gave a few CDs a spin, and can highly recommended it. Sure enough, most of the choices are trivial (and some, while obvious, don't qualify as masterpieces - Carmina Burana, really?), and the strictly chronological sequencing sometimes creates annoying juxtapositions on the same CD, but most of the works are great and the performances are excellent (Strauss' "Four Lieder", which I have never heard before sent shivers down my spine).

I highly recommend Alicia De Larrocha EMI 8-CD Icons set - very tasteful playing of Spanish repertoire. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-EMI-Recordings-Alicia-Larrocha/dp/B003D0ZNJC/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1307781337&sr=1-1

And it's even cheaper here in Europe: €8 at amazon.de

Ligeti - Works - 9CDs (Sony) - €23 at amazon.de

EMI 20th Century Masterpieces (16 CDs) for £29 at amazon.co.uk Here is the link to the EMI website with track listing: http://www.emiclassics.co.uk/release.php?id=5099921750021

You might as well get the complete Shostakovich quartets performed by the Borodin Quartet for just a bit more: €26 at amazon.de Are you familiar with this set? No. I have the complete set of Shostakovich quartets played by .. hmm... the Shostakovich Quartet (on Regis), and I am very happy with it.

Youri Egorov, Master Pianist - EMI - 7CDs - £14 at amazon.co.uk. Anybody knows Egorov? Never heard of him.

You might as well get the complete Shostakovich quartets performed by the Borodin Quartet for just a bit more: €26 at amazon.de For sure, if you're in Europe! That particular set (as well as the Beethoven Quartet's cycle, which doesn't seem cheap anywhere) is hard to find and considerably more expensive in the USA than the Fitzwilliams'...I was just watching a set that went for $125 on eBay, although a touch of "eBay madness" was likely involved. Shipping from amazon.de or amazon.co.uk to the US should not be too expensive (amazon.fr, on the other hand, seems to have crazy shipping rates - even though everything is often shipped from the same warehouse). Moreover, you will get the EU VAT deducted, which is another 15-20% off.

You might as well get the complete Shostakovich quartets performed by the Borodin Quartet for just a bit more: €26 at amazon.de

There is also an EMI Messiaen 14-CD box available at amazon.co.uk for £25 I am not that much of a Messiaen fan to go for it, though. I am always baffled by the price disparity between different amazons. The same set at amazon.com costs $71 (also not too much for a 14-CD set, to be fair) - basically, 80% more.

Me too - that's what may have kept me from buying it, since I have the VHS. Audio and video were said to be identical to the videotape available, I now recall. I also remember someone raised the question why the Zappa family didn't take care of a proper DVD edition. They don't have the rights - neither to the movie, nor to the soundtrack.

As for Tennstedt, there is another EMI box released just a couple of weeks ago: Great EMI Recordings - 14 CDs - available for €30 at amazon.fr