Search - Mendelssohn, Tortelier, Meyer :: Mendelssohn: Musique de chambre [Box Set]

Get what you pay for

S. Jones | Schenectady | 07/31/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"First the good news: This package offers a large number of wonderful works in nice performances at a bargain price.



Now the bad news: In order to cram so much onto 5 disks, the producers do two things that many listeners will find unacceptable. (1) They split works; not only onto separate disks, but into separate cases! (The first case has 3 disks, including the start of the third quartet; the second case has 2 disks, including the finish of the third quartet. The first cases disks also split the first trio onto two disks.) (2) There is no more time (silence) given between numbers than there is between movements -- in one case there may not even be a full second. (Since Mendelssohn wrote wonderful movements but had unique ideas about assembling them -- with what other composers would call finales used in third, second, even first movements -- this can be particularly confusing.) Also the sound quality is only acceptable.



I wanted a lot of Mendelssohn chamber music for little money, and I got that with this purchase. But the problems have proved too great, and I'm now replacing these disks with ones that have better laid out. Which makes the original purchase no bargain at all."