EDWARD ELGAR — The Collector's Edition · The Masterpieces · The Greatest Artists (2007) 30xCD BOX-SET | WV (image+.cue), lossless

If you love the music of Edward Elgar, England's most characteristically English composer, you probably already have heard many of the recordings in EMI's 30-disc set of nearly all his music. Certainly most Elgar fans will have heard John Barbirolli's deeply moving accounts of the two symphonies and The Dream of Gerontius, Janet Baker's sweeping reading of Sea Pictures, and Jacqueline du Pré's soaring performance of the Cello Concerto. Those who have heard Boult's delicate The Sanguine Fan and incidental music from Grania and Diarmid, or Neville Marriner's tender Carissima and Salut d'amour are probably rarer, and those who have heard the elegiac chamber music performed by the Music Group of London and the heroic piano music played by John Ogdon are much rarer still. For those who love Elgar, the less frequently recorded works are probably the most eagerly sought after, and with uniformly excellent performances and superb sound, plus an amazingly low price, this set will be irresistible. James Leonard
EDWARD ELGAR (1857-1934)
Tracklist :
Credits :
Symphonies Concertos Overtures - Sir John Barbirolli
The Dream of Gerontius - Sir John Barbirolli
The Kingdom The Apostles - Sir Adrian Boult
Choral Music - Sir Charles Groves · Richard Hickox
Orchestral Songs - Janet Baker · Robert Tear
Incidental Music - Vernon Handley
Bonus CD - Elgar conducts Elgar

MAURICE RAVEL : The Complete Works (2020) 21CD | MONO | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

CD1-5 Piano Woks and Transcriptions for Piano, Piano Four Hands, Transcriptions by Ravel.  
 CD6-7 Chamber Music
CD8-11 Orchestral Works
   CD12 Orchestrations by Ravel of Other Composers
CD13-15 Songs
CD15-17 Choral Works, Opera and Lyric Works
CD17-21 Bonus and Historic Recordings
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ARTHUR RUBINSTEIN - The Chopin Recordings (2010) 5xCD BOX-SET / MONO / RM / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Even though RCA's outstanding recordings from the 1960s of Arthur Rubinstein playing Chopin are the most recommended versions for their exquisite interpretations and superior sound quality, some still turn to his recordings from the 1920s and '30s, which in many cases have the edge for passion and physical strength. Yet it is only fair to point out the limitations of this box set from EMI, which presents the concertos, nocturnes, waltzes, mazurkas, and polonaises in clean, digitally remastered audio, but has a closed-in, boxy quality that some listeners will find difficult to tolerate. Fortunately, these vintage recordings of Rubinstein performing at the peak of his powers have little distracting surface noise, and anyone who has had experience with historical recordings will find them quite attractive for the preservation of the piano's natural luster and for the lack of distortion. Once one accepts the compressed sound as a necessary condition, it's easy to see why Rubinstein's admirers champion these legendary performances, for his expressions are mature but still fresh and energetic, and his brilliance and bravado come across clearly, despite the age of the recordings. This set will be best appreciated by fans and specialists in the repertoire, but others will derive some benefits by giving it a fair hearing. by Blair Sanderson  

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