Your favorite recordings of Beethoven's 9th symphony

[Que]

2. Walter 1955 (WP)
This dates from the reopening of the Wiener Staatsoper, and is - to my ears - one of Walter's best recordings. It seems perfectly judged and very balanced. It is just very good. It also has Gottlob Frick in the bass part, which - for me - is a draw. I would say that, if you want a very intelligent and sensitive approach to the 9th, Walter would be hard to beat - only Furtwängler does it, in my book.

I don't know DarkAngel's thoughts on this, but I, for one, like that 1957 Klemperer/Philharmonia 9th mostly because: a) it's Klemperer, b) it's live Klemperer, and c) it's Klemperer in a good mood.

In other words, it has almost every strength of Klemp's interpretative style, with almost none of its occasional weaknesses: it's forceful without sounding stodgy, if you will.

I know both recordings, and though they are very good and special, neither of them is ultimately destined for my Pantheon of LvB 9ths.
Words of praise are always more welcomed than words of criticism, but here it goes...



I agree with PSmitsh08: this is the best Walter 9th I've heard and I give it full marks for the right conception and for being a very inspired performance. It has a "Mahlerian" feel to it.
But the execution falls short of making this a star 9th. The orchestral playing is uneasy, particularly the in the 1st mvt. Transitions are rough and Walter occasionally lets tension slip. Unfortunately the tenor (Majku) sounds if is about to drop dead at any moment, which contributes to an also otherwise vocally unbalanced (choir) last mvt.  Still this is an special performance.
Still, Kletzki's approach is quite similar in concept to Walter's and trumps this recording as a performance easily.




I also like this one very much, it's live and foremost: lively Klemperer. As Renfield said: no stodginess or "granite" Klemp here. It's remarkably mellow and lyrical, combined with Klempererian vitality. Still I feel there are some drawbacks. This recording has in-your-face (and I mean IN it) winds (brass) and timpani. It is said that that is how an actual Klemperer performance sounded like, that he preferred this balance. I have my doubts wether the recording process doesn't enhance this effect. Whatever the reasons (was is hearing still good?) it sounds absolutely ridiculous! IMO it makes the orchestral sound off balance. Another drawback is the orchestra which doesn't sound like the Philharmonia I know of Klemperer's studio recordings or the FW '54. Here it sounds as a stereotypical British orchestra: sticky, creamy and not transparant, bland. The singing is superb: singers and orchestra alike. It's a rare privilege to hear Hans Hotter, the best I've heard.
I'm keeping this recording because of it's lively and lyrical character and superb singing - the best I've heard by Klemperer. But IMO Klemperer could have done better with another orchestra: I have my eye on a live '56 recording by Klemperer with the Concertgebouw Orchestra.

Q

[Great Gable]

My favourite recording, to date, is the '51 Furtwangler. He slows the tempo down a little in the first three movements and I love the way the music has a chance to really breathe.

I have two other Furtwangler's -
19/4/1942 (poor recording, mono, bootleg production - and like an onrushing train crash),
03/2/1952 (something in between the other two but still Furtwangler).
Also:
Kripps (on vinyl, so long since forgotten)
Katsaris (Liszt's transcription - almost as Herculean an effort as the original)
Klemperer (29/7/1951 - lovely pacing - a real favourite)
Karajan (mid 70's version) and finally...
Toscanini (On Naxos with the Choral Fantasia - in the post)

I am looking for the '54 Furtwangler Lucerne which I expect will give the '51 a run for it's money.

Whilst on the subject of versions. I see here a few people have quite a few but on another forum one guy named 37 different versions, around half of whcih were part of complete cycles! Can anyone top that?

[Mark]

Whilst on the subject of versions. I see here a few people have quite a few but on another forum one guy named 37 different versions, around half of whcih were part of complete cycles! Can anyone top that?

Guy who used to post here (jwinter) has, I think, 50+ complete cycles.

[Great Gable]

Strewth - how well can you really know most of them?

[Mark]

Strewth - how well can you really know most of them?

I can't.

But I think he knew his Beethoven pretty well.

[Great Gable]

No - I meant how well can you (as in can one) know - not YOU. So you think was intimate with them? I bet he didn't listen to anything much else then

[Renfield]

Whilst on the subject of versions. I see here a few people have quite a few but on another forum one guy named 37 different versions, around half of whcih were part of complete cycles! Can anyone top that?

Well, I count 22 different Beethoven 9ths in my collection:

The 5 Karajan ones issued during his lifetime.
The 3 Furtwangler ones discussed in this thread.
The 2 Toscanini ones, from his 1939 and 1950's cycles.
The 2 Bernstein DG ones.
The live Klemperer/Philharmonia one.
The Vanska/Minnesota Symphony Orchestra.
The Abbado/BPO (on DG) one.
The Szell/Cleveland Orchestra one.
The Wand/North German Radio Symphony Orchestra one.
The Kletzki/Czech Philharmonic Orchestra one.
The Haitink/LSO one.
The Celibidache/Munich Philharmonic one.
The Gardiner/ORR one.
The Zinman/Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich one.


If I had the two Mackerras cycles, the Norrington cycle and the Barenboim/Staatskapelle Berlin cycle, that's four more.

Potentially add Klemperer's studio 9th, Dohnanyi's 9th, a couple of Walter 9ths, Weingartner's 9th, which I am actually considering, as am I the Walter(s) and Dohnanyi, plus (say) Lenny's earlier account, maybe one of the Jochum 9ths, the Solti 9th ("why not?"), and an Asahina 9th (again, "why not?"), and that's 35.

Well, you can add Abbado's earlier 9th and the other Jochum not counted above, and 37 is matched. Throw in either of Masur's 9ths, and you have 38 at-least-better-than-average 9ths. In other words (and my point is), it's not that difficult.


In fact, I'm not even any sort of Beethoven 9th lore-monster(!) myself, yet I could - and did- give you at least 38 separate 9ths of "good-ish" to excellent quality off the top of my head. Imagine if someone who really knew his Beethoven were to start counting!

Finally, concerning the feasibility of listening to, and keeping track of, 37 separate 9ths, I can tell you that I have no problem being acquainted with my own near-two-dozen, while adding a "mere" dozen more shouldn't be excruciatingly difficult to cope with, either.

And I don't only listen to Beethoven's 9th, nor do I think myself alone in not doing so.

[Great Gable]

I had bought most of my classical CDs over 10 years ago. I am just having a resurgence and it had never occurred to me until now that I could have, and enjoy, multiple copies of different pieces.

[Don]

Strewth - how well can you really know most of them?

I can't speak for Beethoven 9ths, but I have over 100 Goldbergs and know each intimately.  All you gotta do is listen.

[karlhenning]

That's a marvel, Don.

[orbital]

i have 2 only (or perhaps 3, but I could never find the Klemperer that I am sure I bought at some point  )

between the two (Furt's wartime and Masur's) I don't think the choice is really tough

[Mark]

No - I meant how well can you (as in can one) know - not YOU. So you think was intimate with them? I bet he didn't listen to anything much else then

I know, I know. I was jesting.

As Don said, all you gotta do is listen.

[Renfield]

I can't speak for Beethoven 9ths, but I have over 100 Goldbergs and know each intimately.  All you gotta do is listen.

My point precisely, though expressed with far greater concision. Thank you.

(And apologies if my slightly "moody" post above was seen by anyone as expressing something other than "all you gotta do is listen", which was what I meant. )


Incidentally, Don, though I am aware of your nigh-legendary collection, 100 Goldbergs! That is impressive, sir. *tips hat*

[Mark]

That is impressive, sir. *tips hat*

More people should tip their hats. We need a smiley for that ...

[karlhenning]

Is there no more room in this world for terpsichorean fruit?

[Don]

My point precisely, though expressed with far greater concision. Thank you.

(And apologies if my slightly "moody" post above was seen by anyone as expressing something other than "all you gotta do is listen", which was what I meant. )


Incidentally, Don, though I am aware of your nigh-legendary collection, 100 Goldbergs! That is impressive, sir. *tips hat*

It took quite a few years to collect all those Goldbergs, and at least 20 of them were "gifts" from other record collectors.

[Renfield]

It took quite a few years to collect all those Goldbergs, and at least 20 of them were "gifts" from other record collectors.

Still most impressive, in my humble opinion.


(By the power of Google, Mark! Though the credit for the inspiration goes to Mr Henning and his fruit, ironically of the genus "Musa", and thus most fittingly terpsichorian! )

[Lethevich]

More people should tip their hats. We need a smiley for that ...

You have a choice...

[sidoze]

definitely the 24 hour 9th

http://www.park.nl/park_cms/public/index.php?thisarticle=118

[Renfield]

You have a choice...

And there you have it: emoticons galore!