I picked up one package today - a humungous box from a couple of years ago - the complete Igor Stravinsky conducted Columbia Records he recorded, beginning in 1940. I had one of those original jackets collection, but that was hardly complete and only included the stereo recordings. A full third of this 56-CD set (and one DVD) are his original mono recordings, which have never been available before on CD. I'm on my third CD and I am here to tell you that these original performances are simply amazing and have truly renewed my interest in hearing everything he wrote. And I don't know how they cleaned these up but the sound is unbelievable, really. This will take a few weeks to go through but go through it I shall. And all I can tell you is that this set is the bargain of the century - 56 CDs and a DVD (Stravinsky in Hollywood) for under 150 bucks - comes in a gorgeous box with a large booklet. And best of all the jackets recreate the originals - and frankly to have all those stunning mono covers is worth the price alone.
