Yes, the Solti is justly famous. Besides the Decca original, there was a very high quality LP reissue by Mobile Fidelity many years ago, if you can find it. And there is a currently available LP reissue (about which I have no particular knowledge) by Decca itself, which is available here: http://store.acousticsounds.com/browse_detail.cfm?Title_ID=10274 Regards, -- Al |
Ferenc Fricsay/Berlin in the late 1950's is one that I come back to often. Good balance of passion and spirituality. Playing and singing in top rank. Sound very natural. I have Solti (both from Chicago)/Karajan(60's and 80's)/Furtwangler (WW 2, Bayreuth, Lucerne)/Bohm/Klemperer/Reiner/Toscanini/Barenboim/Norrington and a few others I can't remember off the top of my head. Fricsay is a keeper. |
There must be something i'm missing here because I do not see anything about the Haitink that elevates it above the level of an also-ran. I bought the set based on reviews, and honestly I don't get it. The performance isn't particularly dynamic, the orchestra sound as if they all drink decaf coffee with soy milk, and the reading just isn't convincing. I like the Furtwangler from 1942 the best, but that is too uncomfortable to listen to on a hi-res system or even a low-res system because it would make you too depressed. A good modern version is the Abbado/Berlin Phil recording. The sound is as good as RBCD gets, and I have never heard the BPO sound as frenzied under Karajan as under Abbado. For a more stately version go for the Klemperer, the 1960's sound holds up surprisingly well even now. |
