Music : The Complete EMI Recordings 1946-1984, Vol. 1: Orchestral [Box Set]

Rating: - Foolish execution of an ambitious project
EMI has been releasing a great many ambitious box sets lately, some devoted to specific composers with as many as 30 CDs, but this dwarfs them all, and I'm just talking about volume one, the orchestral collection. Was i glad to see it done? Certainly! Do I heartily wish that a little more care had gone into the planning and execution? Heartily! The idea is a fine one, assembling all of Karajan's official EMI orchestral recordings in one package, and remastering many of them once again. But the execution is amateurish -- the paltry booklet giving the tracklist for each CD has no index, so if you are, say, only interested at a particular moment in hearing Karajan's interpretations of Johann Strauss II or Liszt, or even Bruckner (or any other composer, for that matter), get ready to turn a lot of pages and make lots of notes of disc numbers. Second, given that this is a 2008 release, the CDs aren't even title readout encoded (or whatever they call the function that displays the title of the piece as you play it, along with running time etc.), which is now pretty much standard. And finally -- and I'm wondering if anyone else has run into this problem -- a third of the CDs among the first dozen in the box that I got would not boot-up/scan/play properly in my player; some were perfect, but four of the first twelve cycled and cycled and spun a while but would not play (though they did work fine on my Mac and in my all-region DVD player, but that's not what I bought them for); I had two other box sets on my listening shelf the same evening, from Universal, both Europe and Japan, and every one of those discs played perfectly. Maybe at a retail price point of under $3 a disc it's too much to expect that this kind of box is much more than an ornament for an apartment -- "a set for people who don't listen to CDs" is how the best classical retailer I know in New York describes it. Oh, and the sound on what I've heard is fine, with the early Vienna recordings a marked improvement over some prior issues. But the producers of this set still have a long way to go to fulfill its promise and potential.

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Rating: - More Praise
I can only echo the extravagant praise of my fellow Amazon.com reviewers. This box, which contains literally everything Karajan recorded for EMI in Vienna, London and Berlin from the 1940's through the early '80's, and its companion volume, which features all of Karajan's opera/vocal recordings for this label, provide a unique opportunity to hear, enjoy and assess the developing career of a great artist. Karajan was arguably the most important conductor since Furtwängler and Toscanini, and we are fortunate that he made so many recordings on various labels. The EMI recordings, many of them from relatively early in his career, are arguably his finest from an interpretive point of view. It is quite instructive to compare the leaner and more incisive sound Karajan elicited from his ensembles in the earlier phase of his career, with the more bloated textures he created with the BPO (and, to a lesser extent, from the VPO) during his later period. Though no admirer of von Karajan would want to be without his greatest efforts for DG, the early EMI recordings convey an elemental vigor and cogency that are only fitfully recaptured in his DG recordings. Interestingly, many of the later EMI recordings included here (such as the Sibelius symphonies from the late stereo/early digital era) are superior both sonically and interpretively to his DG recordings from the same period, further confirming my hunch that Karajan did his best work for EMI.

Of course any anthology of this kind will have its ups and downs, both from an interpretive and a sonic point of view. So, for instance the heady excitement of his early Mozart recordings with the VPO is somewhat dulled by indifferent monaural recordings. Nor is Karajan's first Beethoven cycle with the Philharmonia as perceptive as his classic 1963 cycle with the BPO for DG, superbly played though it is. But one should not make too much of these comparisons in light of the consistently high standard of excellence found in this 88-CD set, to say nothing of its status as one of the most extraordinary bargains ever offered by a major label (less than two dollars per CD from many sellers on this website). Certainly there are many great performances here, including at least four which in my estimation have never been surpassed: a monaural Vaughan Williams "Tallis Fantasia" and Britten "Frank Bridge Variations" with the Philharmonia, a Bruckner Seventh with the BPO from 1971 and an early digital Sibelius Sixth, also with the BPO. Some of the early VPO performances are particularly incandescent (Beethoven's Fifth and Ninth, for instance).

In addition to symphonic repertoire this box also contains numerous overtures and lighter fare, all done to a turn. Concertante works abound, featuring such estimable soloists as Dennis Brain (in his famous account of the Mozart Horn Concerti), Dinu Lipatti (in Mozart's Concerto no. 21), Alexis Weissenberg (in the complete Beethoven Piano Concertos), Oistrakh Richter and Rostropovich (in the Beethoven "Triple Concerto"), James Galway (in the first Mozart flute concerto), etc. But of course it would be impossible to list everything of merit in this set. I have owned at one time or another, in various formats, about half of these recordings. I am gradually making my way through those with which I am unfamiliar, and am finding that my appreciation of Karajan is enhanced with virtually every new acquaintance. I am also impressed by the quality of the digital transfers of material which I had previously heard only on LP (or in previous CD incarnations). I'm not certain whether EMI has gone to the trouble of securing new remasterings in every case, but the sound seems better focused overall, with minimal tape hiss and a better sense of space around the instruments than before. Of course, nothing much can be done to improve the dry string timbres in some of the earliest mono recordings.

In sum, then, this collection is unmissable-- whether you are a Karajan fan or a listener interested in the history of conducting and twentieth-century orchestral performance practice. Since the range of repertoire is extraordinarily broad--from Vivaldi to Bartók-- this box could also serve as something like a comprehensive introduction to the standard repertoire for a beginner in classical music. Purchase it as a gift for a music student, or donate one to your local public or college library.

And while you're at it, don't forget to order the companion box containing dozens of operas ranging from Mozart to Strauss, plus a number of choral masterpieces (Bach Mass in B Minor, Beethoven Missa Solemnis, Haydn's Seasons, Brahms's German Requiem). You can obtain both boxes for less than it will probably cost you to keep your SUV on the road for a month. Walk, ride a bicycle or carpool--and then save the money for this extraordinary opportunity before it fades from view.

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Rating: - Wonderful Issue
Although it will take me weeks to finish listening to this set, I am very glad that EMI issued this set at such a low price. Many of these recordings are legendary, others are von Karajan's first recordings of symphonies that he would record again and again. While I have his complete Bruckner, Beethoven and Brahms on DG, in is interesting to hear his earlier thoughts--and they are often splendid.
I am not bothered by the mono recordings; they were produced by Walter Legge and are warmer than many a digital recording that I have purchased. Legge was initially opposed to stereo and lavished they same detail on his mono productions as on his later, stereo recordings.
What I have enjoyed most so far are some of the discs which were unavailable in the US, and some of the discs that I may not have considered had they been full price. But at $1.50 a disc, this set allows me to explore discs that I would not normally acquire. Given the overall quality of the conducting, recordings and the Philharmonia Orchestra, it is the CD bargain of the decade.

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Rating: - rehearsal extracts
The complete set also included Karajan rehearsal extracts for
Bartók Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta (CD24 mono)
Mozart Symphony No.39 (CD63 stereo)
Mozart Symphony No.40, 41 (CD64 stereo)
The last two have been released before.

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Rating: - 1 of 2 of the most important boxed sets ever released
Most people considering this set are probably already familiar with Karajan's work and probably already own quite a few of his EMI recordings. Therefore, there really is no need for me to get into depth with regards to the quality of the conductor's work or the recordings. As previous reviewers have stated, it is at a bare minimum, satisfactory; in most cases excellent.

There was a complaint about the monaural discs, but of course, one must remember that stereo was not a consumer product until the mid-1950s. Does the fact that a work was recorded in mono reduce its validity and importance? Does the fact that Casablanca was filmed in black and white reduce its validity and importance? Obviously, the answer is no.

The real issue here is is it worth spending the money for this set, especially if you already have many of these recordings in the standard jewel case editions? The answer is a resounding yes! Depending on the number of jewel cases you already own, think of the amount of shelf space you will save with this box set. It measures a mere 10 1/2 inches in length, while containing a whopping 88 discs. Donate your old ones to a library, give them to friends, or sell them as "new and used" on Amazon.

There are a couple problems with the packaging however. The first being, the discs are packaged in cardboard sleeves, which in turn are in a box, which in turn is slip-cased. You must be very careful when removing the slipcase because if the CDs are not facing up, they can and will fall out into a confusing mess.

The second problem is more problematic: The cardbord sleeves only list the "theme" of the disc (i.e. Disc One: Strauss Waltzes). Even though this set is at a bargain price, one would think that EMI could have given a complete track listing on each sleeve. Yes, there is a booklet that does, but having to refer to it every time you put on a disc is not very convenient.

In summary, albeit the couple of packaging issues, this set is very much worth the money (at the time of this writing, $2/disc). It is so very complete and saves so much shelf space. Obviously, Karajan's works during this time period are invaluable.

The second of the two best boxed set ever released is Volume 2, the complete EMI/Karajan operas and vocals recordings.