What are your favourite Beethoven symphony recordings? I have amassed too many recordings for my own good (> 300 CDs including box sets), of which only 10%-15% get regular listening. I'll have to offload some of them at some point. Some are old re-issues such as Toscanini/Furtwangler, while most are either analogue stereo or full digital.
I've been gravitating to the old standards lately, after a "period recording" phase (Gardiner, Norrington, etc). Not sure why but Klemperer and Bernstein (the old NYPO recordings) seem to sound better as one gets older. Here are some of my favourite standbys:
Symphony 1: Solti (Chicago)
Symphony 2: Bernstein (NYPO)
Symphony 3: Rattle, also Mackerras live version
Symphony 4: Bernstein (NYPO)
Symphony 5: Kleiber
Symphony 6: Bernstein (NYPO)
Symphony 7: Klemperer (from EMI box set)
Symphony 8: Barenboim
Symphony 9: Furtwangler (Bayreuth)
Although I do have all his cycles, I do find Karajan somewhat "clinical."
I've been gravitating to the old standards lately, after a "period recording" phase (Gardiner, Norrington, etc). Not sure why but Klemperer and Bernstein (the old NYPO recordings) seem to sound better as one gets older. Here are some of my favourite standbys:
Symphony 1: Solti (Chicago)
Symphony 2: Bernstein (NYPO)
Symphony 3: Rattle, also Mackerras live version
Symphony 4: Bernstein (NYPO)
Symphony 5: Kleiber
Symphony 6: Bernstein (NYPO)
Symphony 7: Klemperer (from EMI box set)
Symphony 8: Barenboim
Symphony 9: Furtwangler (Bayreuth)
Although I do have all his cycles, I do find Karajan somewhat "clinical."
