Review: 83 Marvelous CDs of Analogue I Musici

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The Ultimate Classical Music Guide by Dave Hurwitz

Жыл бұрын

This set contains almost all of I Musici's analogue recordings for Philips, recorded from 1955-79, and they are wonderful. Yes, 83 discs is a lot, and there's some serious duplication of popular works by the usual culprits (Bach, Vivaldi, etc), but so much of this music was new when it was recorded, and it still is. An epic set by a very great ensemble.

Пікірлер: 22

@Bucky55 19 күн бұрын

I've never really been into Boroque music but always admired, when I heard them on the radio, I Musici. I took the plunge because I thought this would be a good way to get my feet wet, and it has been a delight. Well worth it. Thanks for the recommendation. Look forward to the Digital recordings.

@marina_9236 Жыл бұрын

I LOVE your boxset reviews! Please keep ‘em coming! Gotta love classical boxsets…

@markmiller3713 Жыл бұрын

They are such a delightful, talented, classy ensemble. Before this box came out, I had a few of their recordings but not much. As soon as it became available I ordered it. I've been slowly going through it, and it is amazing! Thanks Dave, for the review.

@dmntuba Жыл бұрын

When I was in college and had to tuff day or week I would go to music library and get any I Musici recording and sit down with headphones and get lost...Great stuff👍

@maximisaev6974 Жыл бұрын

Dave: I ordered the box awhile back as soon as I saw your review for I Musici's digital Brandenburg Concertos. I've been enjoying this box on a daily basis, and once I get to the last CD, I'll start all over again. This is some of the most glowingly wonderful music I've ever had the joy to listen to. Thanks for keeping your promise to review this box. Take good care of yourself my friend and Happy Holidays!

@DavesClassicalGuide Жыл бұрын

Thank you, and Happy Holidays to you too!

@albertosampablo9278 5 ай бұрын

I MUSICI, always the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bravo, and thank you, Mr. Hurwitz !!!!!!!!!!!!!

@CortJohnson Жыл бұрын

83 cd’s Noooo!!!! Such temptation at the end of the year 🥶🥶🥶🥶

@davidaiken1061 Жыл бұрын

Thanks so much for getting around to this one, especially amid all the unpacking you've been up to. Though I find that Italian Baroque music makes a great accompaniment to domestic chores. As for I Musici, what can be said further? As one reviewer put it many years ago (and i don't have the reference after all that time), "They're not only musicians--they're magicians." Indeed. That having been said, I have come to prefer Vivaldi at least on period instruments. The HIP approach to that repertoire has greater rhythmic resilience and such infectiously lifted dance rhythms. Even though I generally prefer modern strings to period ones, and definitely vibrato to non-vibrato, I've been captivated by some of the wilder ways of doing Vivaldi that I've come across more recently. But I Musici is definitely timeless for their elegance and perfect musicianship. You can never go wrong with them in any repertoire, regardless of performance practice. By the way, I was introduced to Manfredini not by I Musici's recordings, but a fine Naxos issue that came out a couple of decades ago. I was playing that CD in the car once while driving my late mother-in-law somewhere. She was quite impressed, but thought it was Vivaldi I was playing. "Oh no," I responded, "it's Manfredinni." To which she she reponded, "Manfred WHO?" Thanks again for going through this huge collection. I have a lot of I Musici on my shelves, so I'll probably give it a skip, tempting though it is.

@DavesClassicalGuide Жыл бұрын

I hear you. I like period Vivaldi too for it's vigor, as long as (a) it's not too fast and (b) it's not too crude. I remember how exciting it was to hear Il Giardino Armonico (or whatever they're called) rip through some of the concertos, but after a while I found the the constant onslaught of "faster," "louder," "rougher" predictable and gratuitous.

@davidaiken1061 Жыл бұрын

@@DavesClassicalGuide You make an important point, Dave. Some period performances don't wear well. We must beware of first impressions that momentarily sweep us away. That goes for all recorded music. My personal test for whether a given recording is a long-term "keeper" is a simple one. How often do I play that recording? How often am I inclined to play it? I Musici's recordings remain on my shelf because I do come back to them, refreshed and exalted by their superb musicianship, irrespective of such issues as whether the dance rhythms are lively enough. While I have you on the line, do you have any interest in reviewing Erato's Michel Corboz box? Surprisingly, you can't get it from American Amazon. I oreded if from Amazon UK because I was intrigued by the repertoire (a whole lot of Monteverdi, including the complete Selve Morale), and the few recrdings of Corboz's ensembles that I have heard in the past have brought much enjoyment (no slavish aderent to HIP norms, he). There's also a new van Beinum box from Decca. Ah, the march of the big boxes goes on apace.

@DavesClassicalGuide Жыл бұрын

@@davidaiken1061 I have the Corboz and will cover it.

@davidaiken1061 Жыл бұрын

@@DavesClassicalGuide It's an interesting collection, isn't it? Performance practice is all over the map. Corboz was certainly an enterprising conductor of choral and vocal repertoire. Looking forward to your review.

@whistlerfred6579 Жыл бұрын

With the help of generous Christmas gift money, I purchased both this and the Musica Antiqua Köln box sets. It's quite a study in contrast (the MAK Brandenburgs are so fast I was afraid they would break the sound barrier), but I'm glad to have both sets!

@davewin1792 Жыл бұрын

I would love to pull the trigger on this but it's hard to have a seller package this properly. I refuse to buy anything from Amazon anymore.

@Barbirollifan Жыл бұрын

I have had far too many box sets arrive from Amazon damaged. After the second or third time, I tend to give in and just keep it if the damage is rather minor. Still, I think I'm at the point of stopping to order these things from Amazon due to their terrible job of packing them for shipment.

@davewin1792 Жыл бұрын

@@Barbirollifan Half of my collection is used. I find eBay to be the best (not perfect) but pretty good experience overall.

@dranfox Жыл бұрын

Also missing are the Vivaldi violin and trio sonatas, opp 1, 2, & 5. These were included in the earlier box of op 1-12, and were recorded, I think, in 1977. Maybe I'm wrong about the year and they were digital recordings. Or maybe the original releases weren't under I Musici's name but under the names of the individual players.

@DavesClassicalGuide Жыл бұрын

As you suggest, technically the were not I Musici recordings.

@stephenmarmer543 Жыл бұрын

Thanks to my father’s exquisite musical taste I grew up listening to Virtuosi Di Roma recordings on what used to be Angel records. Do you know what became of them or their relationship to I Musici?

@DavesClassicalGuide Жыл бұрын

I have no idea where they are now. There were many I Musici analogues at the time.

@yuzhang2755 Жыл бұрын

I really didn't get it, why all the hype around analogue. It's inferior in every way. If it's all you got for earlier recordings, that's fine. But hype it as if it's something better?! That's beyond me.