Interpretations are very subjective, and all the above nominees have their devotees. Bernstein is another favorite, but the sound of his Columbia Records recordings are not so hot. Gunter Wand does the Beethoven Symphonies very well, sort of between the "romantic" version of Bruno Walter and the period "correct" ones by Gardiner and Herreweghe, both of which I have and love. Wand's recordings, on German Harmonia Mundi, are, as a bonus, pretty darn good.
"Best" Beethoven 9 Symphonies Recording, Digital
Howdy,
I'm hoping to zero in on the combination "best" of sound/recording quality and, of course, performance.
I did a search here on Agon and the last posting was in 2003, so perhaps there's a new pressing, mastering or even performance.
I've been a prog-rock, blues, grateful dead type of guy most of my life but have recently started appreciating the symphonic/classical genre. These guys, ie. Beethoven, Mozart, Bach, Vivaldi etc, were really something else, that two to three hundred years after their compositions, so many of the works are still so powerful. Remarkable.
I do most if not all my non-classical listening on a ARC Ref series tube amp set-up, with a Basis 2800 tt and Raidho C1.1s, but for classical I've gone digital with headphones. The truly awesome Stax Sr-009 electrostat headphones through a Blue Hawaii headphone tube amp running through a Schiit multibit dac, all I can say is wow. So seeking out the best recordings, because what else is there to do :)
Thanks!
I'm hoping to zero in on the combination "best" of sound/recording quality and, of course, performance.
I did a search here on Agon and the last posting was in 2003, so perhaps there's a new pressing, mastering or even performance.
I've been a prog-rock, blues, grateful dead type of guy most of my life but have recently started appreciating the symphonic/classical genre. These guys, ie. Beethoven, Mozart, Bach, Vivaldi etc, were really something else, that two to three hundred years after their compositions, so many of the works are still so powerful. Remarkable.
I do most if not all my non-classical listening on a ARC Ref series tube amp set-up, with a Basis 2800 tt and Raidho C1.1s, but for classical I've gone digital with headphones. The truly awesome Stax Sr-009 electrostat headphones through a Blue Hawaii headphone tube amp running through a Schiit multibit dac, all I can say is wow. So seeking out the best recordings, because what else is there to do :)
Thanks!
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- 13 posts total
@moryoga You didn’t say if you were looking for CD’s or downloads, but every Beethoven collector should have Carlos Kleiber’s version of Symphony no. 5. It is magnificent, one of the greatest 5th’s ever recorded. Also contains a very good Symphony no. 7. Recorded in 1975 on analogue tape by DG, it doesn’t suffer from the over-miking that became the standard for recording an orchestra. It also has plenty of concert hall ambience; it’s a real "you are there" performance. Carlos Kleiber/Vienna Philharmonic Redbook... https://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Symphonies-Nos-5-7/dp/B000001GPX There is also a new SACD version, which is said to be remastered. |
- 13 posts total