Rafael Kubelik - The Complete Recordings On Deutsche Grammophon

Fantastic set! Right off the bat, two of the finest recorded symphonic cycles are included in this box - the Dvorak and Mahler. The Schumann is right up there too, as is the Beethoven. Then, moving past those sets that it is likely most collectors have, there is a wealth of Czech works, some well known, others rarely performed live in this country. Love it, love it! So many old favorites, plus so much new music (for me), all under the baton of one of the great conductors of the 20th Century. It is a testament to Kubelik that a good number of these recordings were in my grandfather's LP collection, so an added bonus is reveling in the original artwork which brings back such fond memories.

the box set is excellent. the remastering of the recordings is great. the liner notes are cool. the track listing is excellent

Rafael Kubelik was one of the greatest conductors of the 20th century. This collection of his complete recordings for Deutsche Grammophon is a must have. His Dvorak, Mahler and Beethoven symphony cycles are first rate and belong in everyone's collection.

regrettably, the album cover dedicated to Schenberg's music, containing the piano concerto and the violin concerto do not correspond to the original cover, as promised !!!

The set contains the first stereo recording of the Mahler symphonies.

Great collection of an underappreciated conductor...one of the greats

I have always liked Rafael Kubelik's conducting style, but was primarily familiar with his work for Mercury Living Presence. This lovely boxed set gathers all of the 60s and 70s recordings he made for "big yellow"--Deutsche Grammophon. Kubelik was reported to be a very gentle and kind man who built friendly relationships with his orchestras, and it is easy to imagine that from these recordings. Some conductors have a very personal stamp that they put on the music; Kubelik, rather, just seems to allow the music to flow through, gently shaping and coaxing it, but never imposing a jarring "vision" onto it. His recordings simply sound beautiful, and flow with a gracefulness that many other conductors were unable to achieve. As usual, the tonmeisters at DG did a fantastic job on these analog recordings, which sound clear, full, and fresh. Nice documentations, original front covers, and a DVD of performances, rehearsals and a documentary. What more could you possibly want? Also note that unlike many hodge podge boxed sets, Kubelik's contains several "mini-boxed sets" within it--entire cycles by Beethoven, Dvorak, Mahler, and Schumann, along with many other important works such as Smetana's Ma Vlast and a few operas as well. It's a bargain and a beautiful set of recordings that you can enjoy for years.

Overall, a very good collection, however, although Kubelik is truly a great conductor, I had the fortune of playing with him twice with the New York Philharmonic, the Bavarian Rundfunk Orchestra sometimes leaves a lot to be desired, particularly with the Mahler recordings. Too bad Kubelik didn't record more with the better orchestras, like Berlin, Vienna, Etc.