A Classic, February 13, 2012

Why should I even be surprised by such a comprehensive collection of concerto recordings from the greatest flutist of our time? Only because I already own a couple dozen of Sir James' recordings and was only expecting a few pieces in this compilation to be recordings I don't have on individual release, and also because (I thought) perhaps some of the older recordings may not be of the best quality given the ridiculously low price. But surprised I was indeed. Turns out there were 6 full discs of material here that I did not have in full. And the older recordings from the late 70's and early 80's are priceless. Even though I already own most of the RCA red seal reissues from the early 90's forward there's much here that hasn't been released again for quite some time. The Devienne, Arnold, Ibert... to name a few, plus complete editions of standards like JSBach and Vivaldi that have only been reissued in part over the last couple decades. To my surprise also are some recordings from...

This collection is something you will keep in your collection forever. Even though the reviews said it was ll discs, I could hardly believe it. Any one of the discs would be worth the price. This collection has some of the best music ever written, by one of the best flutists alive today. It is hard to get through all the discs, simply because each one is so good, I kept listening to it over and over! Fantastic!