Various Artists 111 Years of Deutsche Grammophon: 55 CD Anthology Genre:Classical Jacketed in their original cover-art, the fifty-five albums that comprise The Collector's Edition offer decade-spanning highlights of Deutsche Grammophon's master musicians interpreting masterworks. These landmark albums o... more »ffer their complete, original programs and, in some cases, additional music has been added. Thoughtfully chosen and unprecedented in scope, this 55-CD anthology of pivotal Deutsche Grammophon artists - from Claudio Abbado to Krystian Zimerman - covers centuries of music - from Monteverdi to Pärt - giving tangible testimony to our company's commitment to audio quality equal to these musicians' talents. While no collection surveying 111 years of Deutsche Grammophon can be comprehensive on (only!) fifty-five discs; as a "miniature musical reference library", The Collector's Edition is the classical-music jukebox of one's dreams - and is offered at an exceptional price.« less
Jacketed in their original cover-art, the fifty-five albums that comprise The Collector's Edition offer decade-spanning highlights of Deutsche Grammophon's master musicians interpreting masterworks. These landmark albums offer their complete, original programs and, in some cases, additional music has been added. Thoughtfully chosen and unprecedented in scope, this 55-CD anthology of pivotal Deutsche Grammophon artists - from Claudio Abbado to Krystian Zimerman - covers centuries of music - from Monteverdi to Pärt - giving tangible testimony to our company's commitment to audio quality equal to these musicians' talents. While no collection surveying 111 years of Deutsche Grammophon can be comprehensive on (only!) fifty-five discs; as a "miniature musical reference library", The Collector's Edition is the classical-music jukebox of one's dreams - and is offered at an exceptional price.
"It is inevitable that keen collectors of DGG cds will face some duplication with this set, but I was positively surprised there is indeed a lot of records I have not listened or bought before (albeit they are so easily available). Such positive personal finds are Carmignola Vivaldi, Giulini/Doningo Opera gala, Gardiner/Monteverdi, Otter/Lamenti, Pires/Chopin, Pogorelich/Scarlatti to name a few. Only complete works are selected - not highlights or single moments (except aria recitals). Most cds are by contents the same as published in various series, typically "Originals" during the last years. As an example, in Pinnock's Vivaldi recording, some later bonus concertos are added to original cd which had only " 4 seasons"- the contents here is identical to "Originals" reissue, but cover is from the first cd version. All recordings I have listened seem to be very good, some exceptional like Gardiner's Monteverdi (earliest composer of the set with Praetorius) Vespers which is so rich in dynamic contrasts it can be almost problematic for some listeners! Yet, I liked the energy of Gardiner's interpretation very much and I am very happy to have also this set of Vespers. Well-filled (mostly) 55 cds is a huge amount of music and I have not have enough time to check everything, but just like to give my first impressions. I think masterings used are same as in the earlier editions of each cd before this set.
The red/yellow packet is very compact, cds in cardboards placed like archive cards towards opener - very nicely organized in alphabetical order by performer (Abbabo-Zimerman) - so the set is a sort of tribute to 51 selected artists of the label (Fournier, Gardiner, Pires and K.Richter are double cds) rather than to composers. The thick soft leaflet in the box summarize nicely works and a shortish essay "Chronology" (in English, German and French) telling highlights of all DGG decades, with some nice photos: factories, designing DGG logo, artists etc. Finishing quality is very impressive for the price, but there is no room for music text and translations.
One cannot have everything in 55 cds, but I think there might have been more space for modern music in the set. Now everything seem to end with Stravinsky Rite - with some exception of Pärt and Corigliano pieces in Grimaud cd! I think Sinopoli (also missing artist) recording of Manzoni or Frank Martin/Fischer recording would have added up something to the set and this lastly mentioned cd is also hard to find. Positive thing is quite many recent recordings are included, from artists Dudamel, Kozena, Lang Lang,Netrebko, Quasthoff and Villazon to name a few.
There are many great, old and dear classics: Furtwängler/Schumann 4th symphony, Fournier's Bach, Chopin by Argerich and Pollini, Horowitz in Moscow, Kleiber's Beethoven, Kempff, Oistrach, Rostropovich, Richter... and a marvelous Walcha all Bach organ recital - a personal favorite. There are only a few mono recordings from 1950's, one example Verdi's Requiem by Fricsay (1953) or Haydn 88 by Furtwängler (1951) which is the earliest recording in the set.
I recommend the set warmly - for starters and collectors as well. It is huge box of great music and at least fine interpretations - from the great traditional label. I guess the separate 111 Book will give more detailed view to interesting and quite complex history of DGG, but this leaflet is a good start.
It is sometimes very annoying to list the contents of cds in review, but here it is in edited form to save space and give you at least clue to get more details elsewhere (Years usually refer to recording year).
1.CD Claudio Abbado: Brahms, Ungarische Tänze Nr. 1-21 (Wien PO/1982)
33.CD Mischa Maisky: Werke von Saint-Saens, Faure, Respighi, Dvorak, Glasunow, Tschaikowsky, Bruch, Strauss, Haydn (Orchestre de Paris, Bychkov / 1991)
34.CD Igor Markevitch: Cherubini, Anacreon-Ouvertüre / Auber, La Muette de Portici-Ouvertüre (Lamoureux Orchestra / 1958)
35.CD Paul McCreesh: Praetorius, Christmette (Lutherian Christmas Morning Mass ) (Gabrieli Consort & Players / 1993)
36.CD Marc Minkowski: Rameau, Une Symphonie imaginaire ((Suite of 20 Orchestral pieces from 11 Rameau-Operas,selected by Marc Minkowski) (Les Musiciens du Louvre / 2004)
37.CD Anne Sophie Mutter: Brahms, Konzert für Violine, Cello & Orchester op. 102; Violinkonzert op. 77 (Mutter, Meneses, Berlin PO, Karajan / 1983 / 1981)
38.CD Anna Netrebko: Opera Arias - Szenen & Arien von Mozart, Berlioz, Bellini, Donizetti, Puccini, Massenet, Gounod, Dvorak (Wien PO, GIanandrea Noseda / 2001)
40.CD Anne Sofie von Otter: Lamenti (Musica Antiqua Köln, Reinhard Goebel (1997)
41.CD Trevor Pinnock: Vivaldi, Concerti op. 8 Nr. 1-4, RV 548; Konzert für 2 Violinen RV 516 (Standage, Willcock, The English Consort / 1981)
42.& 43.CD Maria Joao Pires: Chopin, Nocturnes Nr. 1-21 (1995)
44.CD I. Pogorelich: Scarlatti, Klaviersonaten K. 1,8, 9,11,13,20,87,98,119,135,159,380,450,487,529 (1991)
45.CD Maurizio Pollini: Chopin, Etüden Nr. 1-24 (1971)
46.CD Thomas Quasthoff: Die Stimme - Arien & Duette von Lortzing, Wagner, Weber, Strauss (Quasthoff, Oelze, Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin, Thielemann / 2001)
55.CD Krystian Zimerman: Liszt, Klavierkonzerte Nr. 1 & 2; Totentanz für Klavier & Orchester (Boston SO, Ozawa / 1987)
"
Deutsche Grammophon, Baroque to Broadway
Roochak | 11/02/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This is a pretty good anthology covering just under sixty years of activity at Deutsche Grammophon. 111 years? Well, the earliest recording in this collection is Furtwaengler's 1951 Haydn G major symphony, but we get the picture. This well-designed box is a grab bag of classical bestsellers, most of them critically praised, with a generous sampling of the superstar performers du jour (Lang, Hahn, Dudamel, etc.). Unless you're a classical music novice, you'll already have several of the albums in this box. You'll also be getting a lot of music you haven't heard yet, and at a great price.
It's inevitable that a lot would be missing from DG's 55-disc survey, and in this case there's no music at all by Bruckner, Sibelius, Grieg, Prokofiev, Rossini, or Shostakovich, and Wagner is represented only by two arias from "Tannhauser." Chamber music is barely touched upon, and contemporary music, apart from a couple of piano pieces by Corigliano and Part, is ignored. What's included is the complete Monteverdi Vespers (Gardiner), the complete Chopin Nocturnes (Pires), Bach's complete cello suites (Fournier) and the B minor Mass (Karl Richter), and a fascinating package tour of everything from Scarlatti keyboard sonatas and symphonic Rameau arrangements to "West Side Story" and a string quartet version of "The Art of Fugue." Not bad for a basic music library in a box. Not bad at all.
An illustrated 140-page booklet contains a brief history of Deutsche Grammophon in English, German, and French as well as personnel and track listings for each CD, but no liner notes on the music and no song texts. I prefer to see this as a compliment to the listener.
EDIT:
I thought it would be interesting to see which classical music genres were apparently the most popular among listeners -- or at least the most heavily represented in DG's "111" box. Of the 55 discs, there are:
9 discs of solo piano
8 discs of music for chorus & orchestra (excluding the Beethoven 9th)
7 discs of symphonies
6 male vocal recitals
5 discs of violin concertos
5 discs of non-symphonic orchestral music
4 discs of piano concertos
3 female vocal recitals
2 discs of string quartets
2 discs of music for cello & orchestra
2 discs of unaccompanied cello
1 organ recital
1 Broadway musical"
A half-baked, self-important milestone
Ralph Lara | Miami Shores, FL USA | 12/28/2009
(3 out of 5 stars)
"My analysis of this set differs sharply from that of the uncritical chorus of praise that you'll find all over this page. In my opinion, this is a half-baked collection indeed, a non-cohesive, huge Whitmans' Sampler primarily promoting the label's product rather than honoring the artists in its long history (or composers for that matter - where are the pioneering recordings of Bruckner or indeed any Bruckner at all? Sibelius? Hindemith conducted by Hindemith? - and almost no Wagner whatsoever!). I don't know who selected the material or why exactly 55 CDs, but I do know that this compilation could and should have been much, much better. First of all, I must say that I find the 111 years theme rather contrived - but let it pass. What really bothers me is that the whole thing has the feel of a rush job put together by someone not up to the task, a person or committee from the marketing rather than the artistic section of the company. This could have been a great opportunity to celebrate the many musicians who have made Deutsche Grammophon one of the world's greatest labels for more than a century. Yet I am disappointed to find that so many great and significant artists are missing from the festivities. I have looked closely but I find no trace of Gil Shaham, Pinchas Zukerman, Geza Anda, Nathan Milstein, Neeme Jarvi, Tamas Vasary, Andres Segovia, Salvatore Accardo, Nicanor Zabaleta, Narciso Yepes, Agnes Baltsa, Grace Bumbry, Mirella Freni, Jessye Norman, and many other great and well-known artists who have so substantially contributed to the label. Herbert von Karajan is represented by yet another re-release of his 1962 recording of the Beethoven Ninth Symphony. A great recording indeed but so readily and constantly available as to prove a most unimaginative choice for this collection. A far better choice would have been the hard-to-find recording of Prokofiev's Fifth Symphony, easily the best recording the piece has ever had and one of DG's most stunning sonic productions ever. Or how about Karajan' last recording of Richard Strauss's Metamorphosen? He conducted the world premiere recording of the work and this last offering is absolutely incredible in its intensity and power. Nothing shows better the amazing beauty and sheen of the Berlin Philharmonic in its peak years. And speaking of great conductors, where the hell are Giuseppe Sinopoli, Andre Previn and James Levine?
I guess that the appearance of Leonard Bernstein's horrible, bombastic West Side Story mess was inevitable. I also understand that several of the celebrities du jour had to be included, such as Anna Netrebko, Gustavo Dudamel and Lang Lang. Fine, yet most of the artists that made the label famous during the crucial, developing years of the long-playing record are missing. No Rita Streich, Irmgard Seefried, Christa Ludwig, Thomas Stewart, Evelyn Lear, Hermann Prey, Hilde Gueden, Peter Schreier, Ralph Kirkpatrick, Hans Rosbaud, Wolgang Schneiderhan or Teresa Berganza, among other casualties. This shows not only carelessness but ingratitude and disrespect.
It would have been nice to have Carlo Maria Giluini's recording of Mahler's Ninth Symphony and the Boston Chamber Players's lovely album of Johann Strauss waltzes arranged by Schoenberg and Berg. That would have showed some imagination. Some of Eugen Jochum's Bruckner choral works would have been appreciated as well. Or Gundula Janowitz singing Wagner, Mozart, Schubert or Richard Strauss. At least they could have included Geza Anda's album of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21, one of the label's all-time best sellers!!!
The small booklet contains a rather shallow and insufficent overview of the company's history. Not bad but not great. I guess they want you to buy the big hard-bound (and very expensive) book.
I have complained enough, I guess. Don't get me wrong, I bought the box and I think it's all right for the purposes of a superficial anthology. And it includes several albums that I had missed through the years, at least on CD, such as Barenboim's superb Ravel. I just wish that a lot more intelligence and imagination and a lot less inflated self-congratulation had gone into creating this. The yellow label and its family of immortal artists deserve much better."
Dg big box
Joseph Reichmann | Los Angeles | 10/20/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Most serious collectors will already own many of the discs in this set. A complete disc listing can be found at the company's website at [...]. Check it out to see how many of the discs are already in your collection. Be warned that the set has no connecting thread. It is not a history of classical music. It is just a group of successful DG recordings ranging from West Side Story to ancient classical fare. In other words, there is something for everyone but no particular artist, composer, or time frame is stressed. All of the discs are high quality performances and the price of less than $3 per disc combine to earn a 5 star rating. But, be sure to check out the contents before you buy."
A Perfect Gift to Enhance the Appreciation of 'new' Classica
Grady Harp | Los Angeles, CA United States | 11/22/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Though it is not possible to 'review' a set of CDs such as this on a disc by disc basis, it IS possible to recommend this tidy collection as the perfect gift to those people with whom you are learning to share a passion for classical music. DGG has had a solid reputation for excellence throughout its 111 years of existence and the catalogue that accompanies this set discusses that history decade by decade. The contents of this set have been outlined in other reviews so repetition is unnecessary. At first glance the selections of complete CD releases from the past may seem incongruous - such as placing the 'upscale cast' (Te Kanawa, Contreras, Troyanos) in Berstein's 'West Side Story' along side classic Furtwangler and Boehm recordings - but the spectrum is filled with fine artists (Argerich, Boulez, Gilels, Netrebko, Dudamel, Villazon, Domingo, Pires, Oistrach, Fischer-Dieskau, Horowitz, Grimaud, Michelangeli, etc) and the types of music range from solo to massive orchestral works to small ensemble, and from ancient music to modern music: there really is something for everyone - and room to grow.
If there is a criticism, it is that instead of the CDs being presented in individual jewel cases, they are placed in individual envelopes, all fitting into a square box that represents the entire collection of 55 CDs. This may save space but it makes for immediate access to the recording of choice for the moment a bit problematic. But that is a small flaw in what is probably one of the best overall collections of classical music - the perfect gift for those friends who are growing into the world of fine music with you! Grady Harp, November 09"
