Schubert's Unfinished Symphony.

[vandermolen]

That's the one I meant. I hope you like it....

Great - thank you. It was under £2.00 on Amazon UK. Sounds like a wonderful bargain.

I just bought the Kleiber too (£3.00 second hand). It will be interesting to compare them - both DGG recordings.

[Jo498]

Yes it is Goethe in Italy (otherwise the picture would be complete nonsense because there is no Goethe connection to either symphony).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goethe_in_the_Roman_Campagna

I beg to differ wrt the earlier Harnoncourt/Wiener Symphoniker. This is one of the few recordings by that conductor I found extremely disappointing. It's sluggish and "grey in grey" with hardly any contrast between the two movements, a really leaden performance. I assume that this was done on purpose but it does not work for me. (It was reissued several times and can be found dirt cheap, so there is not much risk in trying for oneself, though.)

[vandermolen]

Yes it is Goethe in Italy (otherwise the picture would be complete nonsense because there is no Goethe connection to either symphony).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goethe_in_the_Roman_Campagna

I beg to differ wrt the earlier Harnoncourt/Wiener Symphoniker. This is one of the few recordings by that conductor I found extremely disappointing. It's sluggish and "grey in grey" with hardly any contrast between the two movements, a really leaden performance. I assume that this was done on purpose but it does not work for me. (It was reissued several times and can be found dirt cheap, so there is not much risk in trying for oneself, though.)

Thanks - I just ordered the Kleiber version as well as the Sinopoli.

[Leo K.]

I really love this one:

[asin]B00000E8PI[/asin]
(not the same as the one in his later Schubert cycle.)

This is my favorite, nice to see another likes it too. Aces!

[Cato]

Another vote for the Toscanini: it is too bad that stereo was not available to him, but we still have a great, great performance despite the monaural sound.

The same goes for his Beethoven, and not to be forgotten, a Tchaikovsky Manfred Symphony that is also amazing!

[Turner]

What recordings do people own?

I have no favourite, but consider the Marriner set to be mainly for completists though:

- Mengelberg,CtGeb 1942 & 1939 (?)
- Abendroth,Leipzig (1950)
- Scherchen,Wiener StatsOper
- Szell,ClevelandSO
- Harnoncourt/CtGebouw
- Mravinsky,LeningradPO (1978)
- C.Kleiber,VPO (1979)
- Marriner,AcStM

[Marc]

What recordings do people own?

I have no favourite, but consider the Marriner set to be mainly for completists though:

- Mengelberg,CtGeb 1942 & 1939 (?)
- Abendroth,Leipzig (1950)
- Scherchen,Wiener StatsOper
- Szell,ClevelandSO
- Harnoncourt/CtGebouw
- Mravinsky,LeningradPO (1978)
- C.Kleiber,VPO (1979)
- Marriner,AcStM

My personal favourite is Mackerras/Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment: fresh, dynamic and dramatic!
Van Immerseel's Schubert (the entire cycle) is very good, too.

Both on period instruments, btw.

[Jo498]

My personal favourite is Mackerras/Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment: fresh, dynamic and dramatic!

This is the "completed version" on Virgin, right?

[Que]

My personal favourite is Mackerras/Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment: fresh, dynamic and dramatic!
Van Immerseel's Schubert (the entire cycle) is very good, too.

Both on period instruments, btw.

+1 

[vandermolen]

Tanks very much for all the helpful responses (and they are all helpful). I didn't expect so many.

[Wanderer]

I haven't done comparative listenings in a long time (and this is a work I think I've hardly ever encountered a truly awful rendition of); that said, some versions I keep returning to are:

VPO/Kleiber
SD/Sinopoli
Philharmonia/Sinopoli
Concertgebouw/Harnoncourt

[Leo K.]

Here's a list of what I have in my collection. Like I mentioned above, my favorite is Harnoncourt/Vienna Phil. 1984 (Teldec). What I listen for is how well I hear the trombones in the recording. I also enjoy the Brian Newbold completion immensely.

Abbado/Lucerne Festival Orch. 8.23.2013 (broadcast recording)
Abbado/Chamber Orch. of Europe (DG)
Asahina/Osaka Phil. Orch. (Kapelle)(with Scherzo fragment played)
Barenboim/Berlin Phil. (Sony label)
Bernstein/ New York Phil (Columbia)
Bohm/Berlin Phil. (DG)
Boult/Philharmonia Orch. 7.30.64 (BBC Legends)
Giulini/Berlin Phil. (DG label)
Goberman, Max/Vienna New Symphony (1962 Odyssey LP) (with Scherzo fragment played)
Harnoncourt/Royal Concertgebouw Orc. (Warner)
Harnoncourt/Vienna Phil. 1984 (Teldec)
Horenstein/BBC Symphony (BBC Legends)
Jochum/Boston Symphony Orch. 1973 (DG)
Karajan/Berlin Phil.(DG)
Kleiber/Vienna Phil. (DG)
Klemperer/Philharmonia Orch. (EMI)
Klemperer/Bavarian Symp. (live 1966) (EMI)
Klemperer/Vienna Phil. 6.16.1968 (Testament)
Knappertsbusch/Berlin Phil. 1.28.1950 (Audite)
Knappertsbusch/Berlin Phil. 1.30.1950 (Audite)
Mackerras/Orch. of Age of Enlightenment (Veritas) (Newbold completion)
Lehmann, Fritz/Berlin Phil. (Decca LP)
Marriner/Academy of St. Martin (Philips) (Newbold completion)
Mengelberg/Royal Concertgebouw Orch. (Pearl)
Munchinger/Vienna Phil. (Decca LP)
Nott/Bamburg Symp. Orch. (Tudor)
Felix Prohaska/Vienna State Opera Orch. (Bach Guild download)
Sanderling/BBC Northern Symp. Orch. (BBC Legends)
Sawallisch/Staatskapelle Dresden (Philips)
Sinopoli/Staatskapelle Dresden (DG)
Tennstedt/London Phil. 1984 (TDK)
van Immerseel/Anima Eterna Orch. (Zig Zag)
Wand/Kolner Rundfunk... (RCA)
Zinman/Tonhalle Orch. (RCA)

[Heck148]

What I listen for is how well I hear the trombones in the recording.

Then Toscanini/NBC is your ticket - AT really featured the trombones in his Schubert recordings - 8 and 9....really prominent.

[Marc]

This is the "completed version" on Virgin, right?

Yep.

But it doesn't matter to me that Schubert didn't finish this one.
I love it already as a 2 movement piece.

[Drasko]

Sinopoli/Philharmonia and C.Kleiber/VPO are really solid first choice recommendations.

Other than those I like late Bohm/VPO, any of the Mravinsky recordings and Scherchen/VSOO.

- Scherchen,Wiener StatsOper

In which form do you have it, LP? I'm not sure if it ever was released on CD. All I have is some not so great LP transfer, there's better sounding youtube clip.

[Turner]

Sinopoli/Philharmonia and C.Kleiber/VPO are really solid first choice recommendations.

Other than those I like late Bohm/VPO, any of the Mravinsky recordings and Scherchen/VSOO.

In which form do you have it, LP? I'm not sure if it ever was released on CD. All I have is some not so great LP transfer, there's better sounding youtube clip.

It´s an old Supraphon mono LP, no. DV 5030, possibly from 1965, coupled with some Rosamunde excerpts conducted by Jean Meylan.
It´s quite rare, I think; youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fm9vKoBz9Os
His Schubert 5+6 aren´t that interesting, as far as I remember, but the 8th is better.

[Sergeant Rock]

What recordings do people own?

WAND/KÖLNER RSO
SOLTI/VIENNA PHIL
SINOPOLI/PHILHARMONIA
SINOPOLI/STAATSKAPELLE DRESDEN
KLEMPERER/PHILHARMONIA
ABENDROTH/RSO LEIPZIG
KLEIBER/VIENNA PHIL
BERNSTEIN/CONCERTGEBOUW
SZELL/CLEVELAND
GIULINI/CHICAGO
GOODMAN/HANOVER BAND
HARNONCOURT/CONCERTGEBOUW
IMMERSEEL/ANIMA ETERNA
DAVIS/STAATSKAPELLE DRESDEN
BLOMSTEDT/STAATSKAPELLE DRESDEN
MAAZEL/SOBR
ABBADO/COE

[Drasko]

It´s an old Supraphon mono LP, no. DV 5030, possibly from 1965, coupled with some Rosamunde excerpts conducted by Jean Meylan.
It´s quite rare, I think; youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fm9vKoBz9Os
His Schubert 5+6 aren´t that interesting, as far as I remember, but the 8th is better.

Great, thanks for the info!

Supraphon LPs (even old ones) are quite numerous in used bins here where I live. I'll keep my eye out for it.

[Jo498]

About 20, I could have overlooked one; it is an absurd number considering that I never really collected the piece on purpose...

E.Kleiber/Berlin
Furtwängler/Berlin (and another one from Vienna with an editing error missing part of the second movement)
Mengelberg
Abendroth/Leipzig
Schuricht/Vienna
Maazel/Berlin
Munch/Boston
Szell/Cleveland
Klemperer/Philharmonia
Fischer-Dieskau/Philharmonia
C. Kleiber/Vienna
Giulini/Chicago
Davis/Dresden
Harnoncourt/Concertgebouw
Keitel/Putbus

HIP:
Brüggen
Weil
Mackerras
Spering

I also had but got rid of: Harnoncourt/Wiener Symphoniker, Karajan/Berlin, Sawallisch/Concertgebouw

[MishaK]

There's also a wonderful Schuricht/VPO stereo recording in the Decca Schuricht box.

And here's a video with Barenboim/Staatskapelle Berlin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNiy4WN31Js

Here's Solti with Chicago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-p58OSYhG0

Eschenbach with Frankfurt RSO:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBPwpX3VDZE