As I was discographying DG France’s collection “Doubles”, I chanced on a Christian Ferras reference that no discography that I have seen mentions: the Brahms Violin concerto with Karajan on a budget-price collection from DG called “2 CD Compact Classique”, 413 844-2 (barcode 028941384423) paired with Beethoven’s Romanzen by David Oistrakh , Bruch’s Violin Concerto by Yong Uck Kim and Okko Kamu, Dvorak’s Violin Concerto by Edith Peinemann and Peter Maag. That set, and the “Compact Classique” collection in general, indicated no copyright year. I tentatively date it 1992 based on an adjacent issue on DG “Double”, 413 853-2, “Maurice André Chefs d’oeuvre de la trompette” (“earliest” label number I’ve found in the “Double Collection”- or rather, lowest, because label numbers may not always follow chronology of publication), which bears a copyright year of 1992. The dating appears however to be contradictory with the label number. Earlier DG releases have higher label numbers, for instance DG “Resonance” 429 513-2 which is copyrighted 1990. On the other hand, the 413 sequence (barcode 0289413XXX2Y) appears to date from 1985. See for instance Karajan’s Four Seasons with Michel Schwalbé, reissued on DG 413 836-2 (barcode 028941383624) and reviewed in The Gramophone of September 1985, or further down, Respighi’s Fountains and Pines of Rome by Karajan on 413 822-2 (028941382221), reviewed in The Gramophone of January 1985, etc.
But the set’s entry on Discogs.com shows that the two CDs comprising the twofer bear a higher label number, 435 252-2 and 435 253-2, and indeed, the 435 publications (barcode 0289435XXX2Y) date in general from 1991-1992, although that 435 sequence appears to have many gaps in its 1,000 possible releases; closest I found is 435 262 (barcode 028943526227), an Archiv CD with Christmas Concertos performed by The English Concert under Trevor Pinnock, from 1991, see Discogs.com. I am supposing then that DG-France or whoever it was that published those “Compact Classique” sets and Maurice André’s “Double” compilation circa 1991-1992 slotted into earlier label numbers that had not been used at the time.
So, all this for a minuscule new entry in my, in intent and hope, thorough-est Christian Ferras CD-discography.