I'd expect nothing less from Philips!
Mete Ibanoglu | Ankara, Turkey | 02/24/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I just received my 12th and 15th boxes of the complete edition and since there are virtually no reviews concerning these boxes, I'd write some words for future reference for those who wish to know a bit more before buying these.
Appearence : The CDs come in a handsome box which has a matte surface. The CDs are held in individual paper sleeves. Behind each sleeve is written the pieces inside and the total playing time. The CDs themselves are works of beauty. They are simple yet so elegant with the black background and the yellow/orange Mozart signature. Lookwise, these are beautiful things. (Some may think what the hell has to do with the music but I am quite obsessive about the looks of my CDs :)
Performance : As is written in the title, I'd expect nothing less from Philips. Like DG and Decca, they are extremely careful who they work with. If you are in doubt whether you should buy a composition from these labels or others, let me assure you that you just cannot go wrong with these companies. EMI and some others are of course other leading companies but (I repeat) DG, Decca and Philips are the kings of the classical music. (Decca may be the queen, I always have the image of a female when I think of the name :)
Some may argue that better performances can be bought seperately and I quite agree with that. You can buy better performances individually but finding all the pieces in their most beautiful performances can be quite a daunting and expensive thing to do. Instead you could go with this box and get one of the best performances of these (though not the best) pieces and not pay a staggering amount and waste a lot of time.
That is all I can say really. I don't think anyone can regret buying these boxes and they are of course collectable. They are sure to be the jewel of your classical music collection."