4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A recommended collection, with caveats, May 10, 2010
This review is from: Complete Classical Music Library: The Piano, Vol. 1 [Box Set] (Audio CD)
I found this collection for $8 at a local shop. Currently it can be had for around $30 via Amazon. At $8, I give it four stars. At $30, I'd be inclined to give it 3. The price is definitely a factor in my opinion of this collection, so please keep that in mind.
First, the negatives. There is no mention of performers, except for the humorous misnaming of Chopin's "Grande valse brillante" as "Eliso Bolkvadze". Bolkvadze, of course, is the performer of the piece! I spent a good deal of time inferring conductors, soloists, and orchestras from other online sources. If you care about this sort of thing, be warned.
A few tracks have annoying clicks in them. Liszt's Fantasia on Hungarian Folk songs is the worst offender, which is a pity, because the piece is nice. I'm not sure if this is an issue solely with my discs or if all pressings have the problem.
There are a couple of Debussy pieces that are decidedly not piano works. Not that I don't like La Mer, but it's kind of silly to have it in a piano collection.
So, how can this possibly rate 4 stars? Well, there are positives, too! The playing is, by and large, good. You may not have heard of the Tbilisi Symphony Orchestra, for example, but they are an able group. The same goes for the soloists.
The sound, apart from the few clicks, is also good. I've purchased some other budget collections (I'm a sucker for a {potential} good deal) that were simply unlistenable due to sound problems (e.g. sounded like it was recorded in a cave). No such problems here.
The collection is also interestingly chosen. Unless you're an avid collecter of Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Schumann, Liszt, and Debussy, you'll probably find some new pieces here. That's nice, because the world doesn't really need another "Best of Classical" collection that has the first movement of Beethoven's 5th, Pachelbel's Canon, Grieg's Morning Mood from Peer Gynt, and so on. This collection is at least original, if eclectic, in its choices.
Finally, the price. For $8, I'll take the clicks and the work in identifying performers. For $30 the choice is harder, but it's still less than $4 per disc.
If you're looking for some discs that you might want to throw into the CD player for a couple hours of good music on a Sunday afternoon, this is a worthwhile choice. It's a fine choice as an introduction to Romantic piano (and some symphonic) music.
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