[log in to unmask] challenged:

>I throw down the gauntlet and invite you to share your top 5 bargains
>(these must be generally available and not just special sale items).

1) Beethoven Symphonies Nos. 5 & 7 (Carlos Kleiber/Wiener Philharmoniker)
      Deutsche Grammophon

2) Shostakovich String Quartets Nos. 2, 3, 7, 8 & 12 (Borodin String Quartet)
       Virgin Classics

3) Nielsen--The Symphonies (both 2-CD volumes)
      (Herbert Blomstedt/San Francisco Symphony)
       Decca

4) Sibelius--The Symphonies (both 2-CD volumes)
      (Sir Colin Davis/Boston Symphony Orchestra)
      Philips Classics

5) Shostakovich 24 Preludes and Fugues opus 87 (Tatiana Nikolaeva)
      Melodiya

I'm not positive what the cut-off is between mid-price and bargain, so I
may have inadvertantly slipped a few not-quite-bargains in here, but on the
other hand, Kleiber's Fifth and Seventh would seem to be to be a bargain
even at full price.

And while we're on the subject, does anyone have an opinion on the
Decca collection of Rachmaninoff's 24 Preludes as performed by Vladimir
Ashkenazy? Why aren't there more recordings of these works? I've heard
wonderful things about Alexis Weissenberg's version, but it doesn't seem
to be available in the States.  Any others that are recommended?

Scott Peterson
[log in to unmask]