The Classical Collection

[untamed_personality]

My fellow Beethovenians (at least, the British ones), does anybody remember this publication? It started in about 1992, and featured a different composer every fortnight. Each issue presented you with a magazine (about the particular composer that fortnight) and a CD, with the emphasis on at least one complete work rather than snippets. The first composer featured was Tchaikovsky and it was advertised at length. Only £2.99!

The reason I ask is because it was this publication that introduced me to the world of classical music! After Tchaikovsky, Mozart and Chopin came the one I'd been waiting for: Beethoven. My Dad had listened to the symphonies in the past, so I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. The Fifth and Sixth Symphonies on that disc changed my life forever. The weird thing is it was the Pastoral that really grabbed me, especially the storm and shepherd's hymn.

Looking back at it now, there were some interesting interpretations on those discs (I collected around sixty in the end; various composers were given several issues!). The artists and orchestras were relative unknowns, but there were some real gems. This version of the Pastoral is still the one I play the most. All the performances were on modern instruments.

I thought you'd be interested in the timings of the movements:

Allegro ma non troppo 10:28
Andante molto mosso 13:21
Allegro 2:54
Allegro 3:50
Allegretto 10:35

The opening allegro observes the exposition repeat and is the best interpretation I've ever heard of this piece. The 'by the brook' movement is obviously too slow, but it generates a real serenity and beauty. The trio of the 'country folk' piece is only observed once, but the movement as a whole has real bounce. The storm is sensational and the allegretto, despite being on the slow side, is certainly hymnal: I was in tears the first time I heard it. I knew nothing would ever be the same again!

Anyway, I just thought I'd share the circumstances of my conversion with you all, sorry to bore you! Do any of you remember 'The Classical Collection'? If the goal of this excercise was to introduce CM to the masses, as it were, it certainly had the desired effect on me. I was a long-haired heavy metal lout up until that point

Cheers,

Daz

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Seizing fate by the throat...

[Peter]

I do remember the collection (I thought it was longer ago than 1992!)and I still have many of the cds of the various composers - without checking I don't recall any of the symphonies being on the Beethoven, I think I have the Emperor Concerto and Moonlight sonatas. Perhaps they did another Beethoven disc?

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'Man know thyself'

[JA Gardiner]

Originally posted by Peter:
I do remember the collection (I thought it was longer ago than 1992!)and I still have many of the cds of the various composers - without checking I don't recall any of the symphonies being on the Beethoven, I think I have the Emperor Concerto and Moonlight sonatas. Perhaps they did another Beethoven disc?

You might be thinking of the Great Composers part work that was rather earlier. It had the two discs you mentioned plus an absolutely atrocious 5th conducted by Klemperer of all people! More like Klumperer given the pace and phrasing! Some of the other recordings weren't too bad though. The Emperor had Brendel conducted by Mehta and the sonatas were played by Walter Klien. As an overview it was OK and the magazines were'nt bad. At the time (BN - before Naxos) classical CD's were extremely expensive so it did allow me to get a lot of music at a time when money was short - but it has taken a while for me to feel comfortable spending enough money to get really good recordings (and sometimes more than one!)to replace or supplement these early buys. So maybe it wasn't such a good thing......

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Beethoven the Man!

[This message has been edited by JA Gardiner (edited 08-09-2005).]

[untamed_personality]

Originally posted by Peter:
I do remember the collection (I thought it was longer ago than 1992!)and I still have many of the cds of the various composers - without checking I don't recall any of the symphonies being on the Beethoven, I think I have the Emperor Concerto and Moonlight sonatas. Perhaps they did another Beethoven disc?

Peter, the next Beethoven disc was about twenty issues later and had the C#minor sonata, the 'Emperor' Concerto, Fur Elise (natch) and the Egmont overture. I do think JAG might have a point, as there were no 'names' on these discs. Looking back, though, it was a worthwhile excercise: within a year I'd heard many great works (with variable performances!), from many different composers, and all for a veritable pittance. If I remember rightly, the £2.99 was originally a special price for the first issue, but it never went up!

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Seizing fate by the throat...

[This message has been edited by untamed_personality (edited 08-10-2005).]

[Peter]

Originally posted by untamed_personality:
Peter, the next Beethoven disc was about twenty issues later and had the C#minor sonata, the 'Emperor' Concerto, Fur Elise (natch) and the Egmont overture. I do think JAG might have a point, as there were no 'names' on these discs. Looking back, though, it was a worthwhile excercise: within a year I'd heard many great works (with variable performances!), from many different composers, and all for a veritable pittance. If I remember rightly, the £2.99 was originally a special price for the first issue, but it never went up!

Yes well that is the one I have and as you say no performers are listed - still it was good value for the time! I also have the Maestro series of composer videos which are highly entertaining.

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'Man know thyself'

[jdidlock]

A similar part-work was "The Great Composers" which was first issued as either lps or cassettes then later as cassettes or CDs. In those days (the 1980s) I has a long daily commute by train and bought the cassettes to play on a walkman to ease the journey - how I loved them! The series was in fact reissues of early stereo recordings from DGG and Philips and fairly bristled with "names" and excellent performances. I gave eventually the whole set (52 items) away to a local football team to sell in a boot sale! Probably went for pence!

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The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves and wiser people so full of doubts. Bertrand Russell

[heidi]

Originally posted by untamed_personality:
My fellow Beethovenians (at least, the British ones), does anybody remember this publication? It started in about 1992, and featured a different composer every fortnight. Each issue presented you with a magazine (about the particular composer that fortnight) and a CD, with the emphasis on at least one complete work rather than snippets. The first composer featured was Tchaikovsky and it was advertised at length. Only £2.99!

The reason I ask is because it was this publication that introduced me to the world of classical music! After Tchaikovsky, Mozart and Chopin came the one I'd been waiting for: Beethoven. My Dad had listened to the symphonies in the past, so I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. The Fifth and Sixth Symphonies on that disc changed my life forever. The weird thing is it was the Pastoral that really grabbed me, especially the storm and shepherd's hymn.

Looking back at it now, there were some interesting interpretations on those discs (I collected around sixty in the end; various composers were given several issues!). The artists and orchestras were relative unknowns, but there were some real gems. This version of the Pastoral is still the one I play the most. All the performances were on modern instruments.

I thought you'd be interested in the timings of the movements:

Allegro ma non troppo 10:28
Andante molto mosso 13:21
Allegro 2:54
Allegro 3:50
Allegretto 10:35

The opening allegro observes the exposition repeat and is the best interpretation I've ever heard of this piece. The 'by the brook' movement is obviously too slow, but it generates a real serenity and beauty. The trio of the 'country folk' piece is only observed once, but the movement as a whole has real bounce. The storm is sensational and the allegretto, despite being on the slow side, is certainly hymnal: I was in tears the first time I heard it. I knew nothing would ever be the same again!

Anyway, I just thought I'd share the circumstances of my conversion with you all, sorry to bore you! Do any of you remember 'The Classical Collection'? If the goal of this excercise was to introduce CM to the masses, as it were, it certainly had the desired effect on me. I was a long-haired heavy metal lout up until that point

Cheers,

Daz

I'm not sure this is what you are talking about but it is very similar. I have three magazines called "TuTTi" (I have no idea what it means) but these are very nice issues that came with a CD. I have the Mozart, Tchaikovsky and Beethoven issues. The Beetoven issue must have come out around 1995 since it has Gary Oldman from the "Immortal Beloved" film (1994) on the cover. I remember ordering these out of a obscure book club magazine called "Dedulus Books". The CD's do have a mix of works from each composer but no artists. I would like to find more of these magazines too since my issues are numbered 1, 3 & 5 I know there are a few more out there.