From: lampson@software.pulse.com (Dave Lampson)
Newsgroups: rec.music.classical
Subject: Re: Vox Box
Date: 16 Oct 92 21:49:42 GMT
Article-I.D.: software.9210162149.AA00561

Reply-To: lampson@pulse.com

In Article 40078 of rec.music.classical, Aaron Brockett
(abrocke1@cc.swarthmore.edu) writes:
>
>This seems like a perfect opportunity to pose a question about the general
>quality of the performances on the Vox label. I know it's often misleading
>to attept to generalize about the output of an entire company, but if
>anyone could do so, I'd appreciate it. Given their price, I would be able
>to explore a lot of repetoire I might otherwise not be able to afford. So,
>are the performances decent? Are they worth the 4-6 dollars? Please
>enlighten me.

The general quality is very good, and usually well worth the $4-6.  I
also think they make a great starting point for newcomers, and provide
an inexpensive way for anyone to try some obscure repertoire very cheaply,
while still getting solid performances and generally good recordings.

As mentioned, much of the piano music (solo & w/ orchestra) is excellent:

     Alfred Brendel          Beethoven
     Rudolf Firkusny         Smetana, Dvorak & others
     Peter Frankl            Schubert, Schumann, Debussy & others
     Mieczyslaw Horszowski   Beethoven
     Louis Kentner           Liszt
     Walter Klein            Mozart
     Eugene List             Gottschalk & others
     Ivan Moravec            Chopin & Debussy
     Vlado Perlemuter        Ravel
     Michael Ponti           Tchaikovsky & others
     Jerome Rose             Liszt & others
     Gyorgy Sandor           Bartok
     Andras Schiff           Schumann
     Abbey Simon             Ravel, Rachmaninoff & Chopin 
     Gabriel Tacchino        Prokofiev & Saint-Saens
     Dubravka Tomsic         Bach, Mozart, Beethoven & Chopin

(I'm not all that impressed by Frank Glaser's Satie, sorry Chris)

Not to mention violinists Ruggiero Ricci, Aaron Rosand, Elmar Olivera & 
Suzanne Lautenbacher and cellists Laszlo Varga, Ofra Harnoy & Gaspar Cassad.  

I'd say that's a pretty impressive list (I'm also including releases on 
Vox Turnabout, Vox Unique & Stradivari Classics which are similarly priced
per CD and manufactured by the same company).  But why not get specific?

Here are my assessments based on the releases I've heard.  If a recording 
appears on this list, it means that I believe that most people will enjoy 
the performances and recordings.  If an asterisk (*) appears next to a 
recording, it means that I believe this release to be among the very best 
recorded performances available.  I should also note that, in general, the 
digital transfers have been excellent with very little tape hiss, even from
the older recordings, and no discernable noise suppression was employed.

Note that some of the recordings available on the single CD Vox Turnabout releases are also available on the 2 or 3 CD Vox Boxes.  I have updated
catalogs online, available via email request, for these labels:

Key:     CDX  - VoxBox   ($9-11 for 2 CDs)
         CD3X - VoxBox3  ($14-16 for 3 CDs)
         PVT  - Vox Turnabout  ($5-6 per CD)
         SCD  - Stradivari Classics  ($5-6 per CD)
         VU   - Vox Unique  ($8-10 per CD)


 Bach              Italian Concerto in F, Partita #1, Toccata       SCD6010
 Bach              24 Preludes & Fugues, Vol. I                     CDX5013
*Barber            Symphony #1 (& Gershwin)                         SCD6048
*Barber            Symphony #2, Adagio for Strings, Essay #1, etc.  SCD8012
*Bartok            Works for Piano & Orchestra (Sandor)             CDX25506
*Bartok            Works For Orchestra                              CD3X3015
 Beach             Piano Concerto, Piano Quintet                    PVT7196
 Beethoven         Complete Chamber Music for Flute                 CDX5000
*Beethoven         Piano Sonatas #1, 5, 6, 9, 10, 13, 14, 15 & 25   CDX5056
*Beethoven         Piano Sonatas #2, 3, 7, 8, 11, 12 & 24           CDX5060
*Beethoven         Piano Sonatas #16-19, 21-23 & 26                 CDX5042
*Beethoven         Piano Sonatas #27-32                             CDX5028
*Beethoven         Variations & Vignettes                           CD3X3017
 Beethoven         The Creatures of Prometheus                      PVT7112
 Chavez            The Complete Symphonies                          CDX5061
*Chopin            Complete Works for Piano & Orchestra (Simon)     CDX5002
 Chopin            Piano Music (Simon)                              VU9030-34
*Chopin            Piano Music (Moravec)                            VU9038
 Chopin            Impromptus, Nocturnes, Fantasie in F (Tomsic)    SCD6009
*Debussy           Piano Music (Moravec)                            VU9005
 Debussy           Pour le Piano, Estampes, Preludes, etc. (Tomsic) SCD6078
 Debussy           Music for Oboe & Harp: Clair de Lune, etc.       SCD6034
 Dvorak            Complete Works for Solo Instrument & Orchestra   CDX5015
*Enesco            Romanian Rhapsodies #1 & 2, Romanian Poem        SCD6038
 Faure             Piano Quartets & Quintets                        CDX5073
*Gershwin          Transcriptions of Gershwin's own Improvisations  SCD6039
 Gottschalk        Festival                                         CDX5009
*Haydn, M.         8 Symphonies (contains symphonies listed below)  CDX5020
*Haydn, M.         Symphonies #22, 30 & 41                          PVT7124
 Joachim           Violin Concerto #2 "Hungarian" (& Hubay)         PVT7195
 Lilburn           Symphony #2, Aotearoa Overture, Diversions       SCD8004
 Liszt             Annes de Pelerinage                              CD3X3004
 Liszt             Piano Concerto #1, etc.                          PVT7191
*Mendelssohn       2 Piano Trios                                    VU9021
 Mendelssohn       Symphonies #3 & 5                                PVT7128
 Mendelssohn       Symphony #4, Midsummer Night's Dream             PVT7118
 Mozart            Piano Sonatas, Vol. I                            CDX5026
 Mozart            Piano Sonatas, Vol. II                           CDX5046
 Mozart            Symphonies #35 & #36                             PVT7145
 Offenbach         Orchestral Works                                 VU9011
*Prokofiev         The Complete Concertos for Piano, Violin & Cello CD3X3000
 Prokofiev         The Film Music                                   CDX5021
*Prokofiev   <-.   Orchestral Music                                 CD3X3016
*Rachmaninoff  |   Complete Works for Piano & Orchestra             CDX5008
 Rachmaninoff  |   Symphonies #1-3                                  CDX5034
*Ravel         |   Complete Music for Solo Piano                    CDX5012
*Ravel         |   Complete Works for Orchestra, Vol. I & II        CDX5031-2
 Saint-Saens   |   Piano Concertos #3 & 5                           PVT7175
 Schubert      |   Music for Piano 4-hands                          SCD6037
*Schumann      |   Complete Works for Piano 4-Hands                 CD3X3001
 Schumann      |   Complete Works for Solo Instrument & Orchestra   CDX5027
*Schumann      |   The 4 Symphonies                                 CDX5019
*Stravinsky  <-'   Orchestral Music                                 CD3X3016
 Tchaikovsky       Complete Orchestral Music, Vol. I, II & III      CDX5004-6
 Vaughan Williams  The Lark Ascending, Concerto Accademico, etc.    SCD8011
*Vivaldi           Bassoon Concertos Vol. II                        PVT7193
 Waldteufel        Waltzes                                          VU9009


 300 Years Of Guitar Masterpieces                                   CD3X3007
 Baroque Concertos for Mandolin, Lute & Guitar                      PVT7136
 Baroque Harp                                                       PVT7171
 Chamber Music by Women Composers                                   CDX5029
 Chamber Music For Winds: Brahms, Haydn, Beethoven, Mozart          CD3X3014
 Early String Quartet in the U.S.A.                                 CDX5057
 Franz Liszt School, Vol. I                                         PVT7206
 Medieval & Renaissance Harp                                        PVT7146
 Music Of The French Baroque                                        CD3X3006
 Music for Glass Harmonica                                          VU9008
 Music for Spanish Guitar                                           PVT7135
 New World Composers From The Old World                             CDX 5071
 Operatic Piano (Ponti)                                             CDX5047
 Piano Works By Czech Composers (Firkusny)                          CDX5058
 Romantic Piano Concerto, Vol. I                                    CDX 5064
 Romantic Piano Concerto, Vol. II                                   CDX 5065
 Romantic Piano Concerto, Vol. III                                  CDX 5066
 Romantic Piano Concerto, Vol. IV                                   CDX 5067
 Romantic Piano Concerto, Vol. V                                    CDX 5068
 Romantic Piano Concerto, Vol. VI                                   CDX 5069
 Romantic Piano Concertos - Rubinstein & Thalberg                   VU9014
 Virtuoso Romantic Works for Flute & Piano                          SCD6042
 Works for Cello & Orchestra                                        PVT7203


Dave
lampson@pulse.com

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