Wow; talk about difficult questions! So many great and so many favorite
recordings; not necessarily both. Some are "favorites" because
of the greatness of the performance and sense of perfection. By this
standard the two that come immediately to mind area the Kleiber/Vienna
Beethoven 5. I don't think there is a musical motif that, while being very
simple and instantly recognizable, has gotten more scrutiny and been given
more attention to subtleties of phrasing and dynamics than the Fifth's
opening motif. The Kleiber recording (especially the first movement) is
probably the definitive version of this great symphony and, in my mind, one
of the very greatest recorded performances of a symphony. The opening
motif is, of course, perfect. Another is the Reiner/Chicago "Concerto
For Orchestra". This recording is a paradox for me. While this
recording has always had, for me, that sense of "this is exactly how
this music is supposed to be played", it doesn't have the sense of
excitement that, for instance, the Solti/LSO has. The Finale of the Solti has
a "by the seat of the pants" excitement and abandon that is
breath taking; but, it is the Reiner that has the logic, the sense of order and
controlled power from beginning to end that I think the composer intended.
Those were the first two that came to mind. Already, I am thinking I should
substitute others for those two; but, since it really is an impossible task, I
will stick with the first two that came to mind.
Now, the first two favorites (without asterisks) that came to mind. The
Beethoven and Bartok are music that I like and truly admire. The next two
are performances of music that I really love; music that when listened to
(almost regardless of performance) seems to shut down the tendency to
analyze. My favorite recordings of these:
Gergiev/Kirov Prokofiev "Romeo And Juliet", complete ballet.
Probably my favorite living conductor conducting music that he seems to be
able to get inside of in a way that is just thrilling. Putting aside the notion of
the universality of music, if ever there was any truth to the idea that
orchestras of the same nationality as the composer have a certain ethnic
insight into the music, this is a great example of that. Anyone who thinks
that terms like "groove" or "in the pocket" or even
"funky" apply only to other genres should listen to this;
"The Death Of Tybalt", in its own way, grooves as much as any
r&b that I have heard. The other is Klemperer/Philarmonia "Das Lied
con der Erde". While I am somewhat mixed about Mahler's music in
general, I love this music. This version has a wonderful sense of deliberate
purpose that keeps the slower than usual tempos from being cloying and
overly sentimental in contrast to the faster pace of most other versions.
Glorious music, and again, the first two that came to mind.
Maybe I am cheating by mentioning four (with a distinction) instead of two;
and, while they are all symphonic, and "Das Lied" is sometimes
described as a symphony, only one is a symphony.
