The Art of Wilhelm Furtwängler

[bigshot]

I've gotten things from Amazon that were shipped from Europe. Shipping price is the same as for US, and they arrived fine.

[Lilas Pastia]

Everything was shipped in one piece, intact and in very good shape . Actually, not much harm can be done to carton sleeves, right? There's not a shred of plastic in that box, so nothing broke. The whole thing is elegantly packaged and contains individual 4-11 cds smaller boxes. Very neat.

Although detailed disc contents are given on an accompanying cd-rom, no timings are given . I kid you not: in this day and age, not a single track timing is given for these 107 discs  . Maybe it' Membran's way to tell us that Furtwängler's art is timeless?  .

So far I've listened to 3 discs and will duly report.

[George]

Can a kind soul please direct me to the best Bruckner recordings by Furtwangler (for each of the symphonies that he recorded) including the best CD transfers for each performance?

Thanks!

[trung224]

 That is my opinion:
Bruckner 4:
[asin]B00006B1NT[/asin]
   Furtwängler has three Bruckner 4 recording. I have not heard the 1941. But the performance in Munich 1951 with VPO is very soulful and better than the official live 1951 in Stuttgart (DG)

Bruckner 5:
[asin]B004U9M8X4[/asin]
   This Bruckner 5 is great, daemonic but spiritual. The Testament transfer is much superior to the DG transfer.

Bruckner 6:

Furtwängler left only last three movement on record, which has the same quality and character with his other wartime performance. The best transfer on CD is Melodyia, couple with The Beethoven 5

Bruckner 7:
[asin]B000006DE7[/asin]
   Furtwängler left three complete symphony 7, the first from 1949 on EMI, the others are live concert in Cairo and Rome from 1951. To me, the 1949 is far more dramatic and involved than the others.

Bruckner 8:
[asin]B0040T7COE[/asin] :the 1942 performance
 
:the 1954 performance
[asin]B0029LJ9IM[/asin]   : the 15.03.1949 performance
    For me, all three of Furtwängler's Bruckner 8 is great, in different way. My favorite is 1944 performance and the Music Concept remastered is very good

Bruckner 9:
  Furtwängler left only one outstanding Bruckner 9. But the official transfer on DG isn't good

The best transfer on Bruckner 5,7,8, 9 I have heard is on Pristine Classical (in format FLAC 24bit ). The Pristine' Bruckner 4 is the Stuttgart, which has far better sound than the live Munich, but the performance is somewhat inferior

[George]

Thanks, trung!

[liuzerus87]

The lazy man's way of getting Furtwängler's Bruckner is the M&A set:
[asin]B0012XIGZU[/asin]

This includes:

• Bruckner 4 - the 1951 WPO
• Bruckner 5 - the 1942 (one of the Amazon reviews claims this is from 1949, but I don't think such a recording exists)
• Bruckner 6
• Bruckner 7 - the 1951 Cairo
• Bruckner 8 - the 1944
• Bruckner 9

To me, the remastering may not be the very best available today, but it's definitely adequate.

[Lilas Pastia]

I started listening to the 107-disc set of 'complete' Furtwängler recorded performances. Actually it's not that complete.

Disc 99 contains stuff not associated with Furtwängler at all:
Cherubini: Anacreon Overture, WP 11.01.1951
Johann Strauss Jr.: Kaiserwalzer, WP 24.01.1950
Josef Strauss: Pizzicato Polka, same provenance
Johann Strauss Jr.: Die Fledermaus, Overture, BP 1937
Rossini:La Gazza ladra, BP 1930 and Il Barbiere di Seviglia, BP 1935

Very surprising, this. Furtwängler show a great sense of humour. Things go very slowly in the introductions to the overtures, but when the allegros kick in, sparks fly indeed! Great finesse and superb rythmic snap. Recorded sound varies substantially. The 1930s performances from Berlin sound distinctly old, but the definition is reasonable.

Disc 96 and 97 also feature very unusual repertoire: Berlioz' Fausts Verdamnis, from the lucerne Festival (26.08.1950). It's the first time I hear The Damnation of Faust in German. Soloists are Tenor Frans Vroons, bass Hans Hotter and soprano Elisabeth Schwarzkopf. OK, this doesn't beat or even compare with the great recorded versions - not that there are many, mind you. Monteux, Munch, Markevitch and Davis are unchallenged. And yet Furtwängler brings great beauty and mystery to the desolate scenes  where Berlioz uses divisi strings to magical effect. These occur mostly in Part I.

As the action progresses though the soloists and chorus tend to take centre space and here things are not all successful. The great Hans Hotter has the timbre for Faust, but his innate nobility vies with the character of Mephistopheles. Too much Padre Guardiano, no enough Mephisto. No bite, no snarl, no triumph in the Pandaemonium finale. I should be frightened. Hotter makes it sound like he's doing Faust a favour by letting him in.

Schwarzkopf's voice is strikingly light for Marguerite (Gretchen here). This rôle is often undertaken by mezzos or sopranos with a warm mid-range. I'll have to re-listen to her parts. Whereas Hotter struck me as vocally right but dramatically ineffective, Schwarzkopf sounded vocally ineffective, but dramatically ok. It was striking to hear her lines echo those of Schubert's lied Gretchen am Spinnrade:"Meine ruh ist hin, meine herze is schwer" in this german translation of Marguerite's great Scène - which of course is actually Goethes's original.

Dutch tenor Frans Vroons takes the prize for one of the most beautiful, elegant and powerful renditions of Faust I've heard. This is a role normally undertaken by lyric tenors with heft and endurance, like Gedda, Vanzo or Verreau. It's a  difficult role vocally, not italianate really, almost wagnerian or meyerbeerian in scope. It relies heavily on forceful declamation much of the time. Vroons meets all the requirements for a superb Faust: he's vocally elegant yet tireless (this is a live recording), his enunciation of the text always clear, his tones always generous.

The various choruses are undercharacterized. Whether they are portraying peasants, students, soldiers or daemons they sound like a bunch of swiss bankers all the same. The orchestra is good. The fantastic final scene is bland and undercharacterized. IMHO Berlioz caught the mood of Goethe's legend perfectly. Furtwängler just waits for the daemons to go away and then waxes lyrical on Gretchen's ascent to heaven. A blah ending  .

Disc 100. Modern stuff. I won't detail the performances, as I don't know the repertoire: Ernst Pepping's symphony no. 2 and HEINZ Schubert's Hymnisches Concerto for soprano, tenor, organ and orchestra. Both recordings feature the BP in wartime performances (1942-43). I have another recording of the Pepping symphony, but haven't heard it yet. I liked what I heard and can attest that the work is worthy of modern performances or recordings. The CPO disc has a performance from some 50 years later, and to the best of my knowledge it hasn't been recorded in-between. This Furtwängler rendition sounds very committed.

The Heinz Schubert work is at once bizarre and quite fascinating. It's mostly a symphony with organ obbligato. Voices come in towards the end and only sing the lines of a Sanctus. The orchestral-organ writing is quite fascinating, engrossing really. I don't really understand the function of the final alleluias. I note that Schubert died in 1945 and that there is a You Tube clip of this 1942 Furtwängler performance with Erna Berger and Walther Ludwig. I suppose it was some kind of event back then. Wikipedia mentions that he was an early member of the Nazi Party, while continuing to champion works that were not in favour with the new masters of Germany. Apparently Furtwängler's influence prevented him from getting in trouble, but by 1945 the Party had lost patience with him. Forcibly drafted in the Volksturm in Febr. 1945, he died in the Oder Battle. Stormy circumstances indeed. Whatever the context, the music still fascinates. It reminds me a bit of Copland's tortured Organ Symphony without that work's horror movie grand-guignol gestures.

Disc 48 features two famous performances: FRANZ Schubert's symphonies 8 and 9, both performed byt the BP in late '51, early '52. For some reason I had never managed to listen to the Schubert 9, one of Furtwängler's most hallowed performances. It reminds me very much of Karl Böhm's own BP recording from 1963, both in conducting and orchestral playing. But there are sizable differences. The recording is infinitely better in the 1963 recording, and the BP acquit themselves substantially better too, esp. the winds and brass. Furtwängler clearly has the measure of the score and presents a masterful conception of it. It is all that Schubert's 9th ought to be: proud, forceful, dramatic, songful and smiling. Böhm has all that too. The difference between them is Furtwängler's greater spontaneity and Böhm's incredible sense of the classical structure. The performance of th orchestra though doesn't compare. The coda of I and esp. of IV made me think the 1952 Berlin brass were substantially inferior to their later counterparts. Sometimes they sound like, well, they sound like they're simply not there. Where is the excitement, the thrill of those climactic schubertian orchestral buildups if the sound wells up all right, but the brass simply disappear from the picture ? Anyhow, I still count this a success, but not a legend.

The Unfinished, recorded 2 months later, sounds immensely dramatic, the epitome of the "it was a dark and stormy night" narrative. This is an arresting, attention-grabbing, melodramatic yet pure account of the work. Definitely belongs up there with Böhm WP, Jochum COA and Neumann CzPO versions. A gripping, soulful, honest and heart-on-sleeve interpretation.

This promises to be a very rewarding foray.

[purephase]

I see on Membran's site that the Beethoven 9 from April 1942 is listed but not the more famous and widely available one from March.  Does anyone know if this is just a misprint or if it's actually the April performance?  I can't imagine why they'd include the April performance since the sounds quality on the only existing release of it on Archipel isn't the greatest.

[George]

Unfortunately with the decay of the magnetic tapes much of this quality was lost. My conclusion is that taking the recordings from sources that were taken from the original tapes when they were still in good condition - Melodiya LP's or early tape copies - delivers the best result. The original tapes, later copies or umptieth generation copies (copies from copies), used by DG and M&A for example, fall short. Though Tahra also used the original tapes (I have that set) and really made the most of it - a result I could have lived with were it not for the better options available on Opus Kura and Melodiya. The problem is that the Bruckner 9th hasn't surfaced yet... My hopes are on Opus Kura.
Q

Hey Q,

Have you compared any of the SWF issues (found here) to the Melodiya or Opus Kura issues of the same Bruckner recordings? Also, does SWF do their own transfer or do they license from other labels?

[Drasko]

I started listening to the 107-disc set of 'complete' Furtwängler recorded performances. Actually it's not that complete.

Does the box include the 1950 premiere of Vier Letzte Lieder with Flagstad? If it does what's the sound like? I quite like their Im Abendrot, one would think with her huge voice and Furtwangler at the podium it would be slow and portentous rendition but it's actually flowing and pretty swift, closer in general feel to likes of Della Casa/Bohm (long time favorite) than let's say Norman. 

[Lilas Pastia]

I see on Membran's site that the Beethoven 9 from April 1942 is listed but not the more famous and widely available one from March.  Does anyone know if this is just a misprint or if it's actually the April performance?  I can't imagine why they'd include the April performance since the sounds quality on the only existing release of it on Archipel isn't the greatest.

That April 1942 performance is represented only by the first movement. Another 9th, from May 1953 (WP) is represented by the Scherzo. The only complete performance is the 'even more famous' Bayreuth Festival from 1951.

[Lilas Pastia]

Does the box include the 1950 premiere of Vier Letzte Lieder with Flagstad? If it does what's the sound like? I quite like their Im Abendrot, one would think with her huge voice and Furtwangler at the podium it would be slow and portentous rendition but it's actually flowing and pretty swift, closer in general feel to likes of Della Casa/Bohm (long time favorite) than let's say Norman.

Yes, the 1950 Flagstad performance is included. I haven't listened to it yet, and only heard it once, long time ago, so I won't be able to tell you if it's better souding than other incarnations. But, BY POPULAR REQUEST , I'll make this the next listening experience from that set.

Sneak preview: this is on disc 59, an all-vocal, Strauss and Mahler disc that also features 4 not-last songs with tenor Peter Anders and the definitely über-famous DFD interpretation of the Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen released by EMI in 1952. AFAIK this has not been out of the catalogue in the past 60 years.

Stay tuned for more 

[Drasko]

Yes, the 1950 Flagstad performance is included. I haven't listened to it yet, and only heard it once, long time ago, so I won't be able to tell you if it's better souding than other incarnations. But, BY POPULAR REQUEST , I'll make this the next listening experience from that set.

Sneak preview: this is on disc 59, an all-vocal, Strauss and Mahler disc that also features 4 not-last songs with tenor Peter Anders and the definitely über-famous DFD interpretation of the Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen released by EMI in 1952. AFAIK this has not been out of the catalogue in the past 60 years.

Stay tuned for more 

Tuned

To best of my knowledge only prior official release is on Testament, and pretty rough sounding going by the reviews. It's an air-check, not studio recording (final bars of Im Abendroth are even missing).

[Coopmv]

Everything was shipped in one piece, intact and in very good shape . Actually, not much harm can be done to carton sleeves, right? There's not a shred of plastic in that box, so nothing broke. The whole thing is elegantly packaged and contains individual 4-11 cds smaller boxes. Very neat.

Although detailed disc contents are given on an accompanying cd-rom, no timings are given . I kid you not: in this day and age, not a single track timing is given for these 107 discs  . Maybe it' Membran's way to tell us that Furtwängler's art is timeless?  .

So far I've listened to 3 discs and will duly report.

I still see this Lego block of Furtwangler offered by a MP seller named "Germany" for $79.99 on Amazon US with the standard $2.98 Amazon shipping.

[Lilas Pastia]

That's the one. I bought it from that supplier. I can't figure how they can ship for that price.

The Flagstad 4 Letze Lieder is VERY rough sounding. Lots of vinyl surface swish. Pitch fluctuation at the beginning. Much tolerance is needed. Flagstad was in excellent voice and she is reasonably well recorded. I couldn't give it my undivided attention because of the sound.

Peter Anders shouts in a stentorian way. Can't say I listened to anything Furtwängler did there, this was clearly Anders' show. I didn't like these songs.

The Mahler of DFD is a known quantity. A studio recording in excellent sound. Fischer-Dieskau at the time had a voice to die for. This is a classic recording. Furtwängler as accompanist is excellent.

[Coopmv]

That's the one. I bought it from that supplier. I can't figure how they can ship for that price.

The Flagstad 4 Letze Lieder is VERY rough sounding. Lots of vinyl surface swish. Pitch fluctuation at the beginning. Much tolerance is needed. Flagstad was in excellent voice and she is reasonably well recorded. I couldn't give it my undivided attention because of the sound.

Peter Anders shouts in a stentorian way. Can't say I listened to anything Furtwängler did there, this was clearly Anders' show. I didn't like these songs.

The Mahler of DFD is a known quantity. A studio recording in excellent sound. Fischer-Dieskau at the time had a voice to die for. This is a classic recording. Furtwängler as accompanist is excellent.

I honestly do not see how that Amazon US seller "Germany" makes any money by charging $2.98 shipping for such a weighty box going trans-Atlantic and charges $80 (much lower price than anyone else) for the box itself.  Of course if he got the box for less than $50, he will still make some money ...     

[Reverend Bong]

Hot News!

Reissue of the Melodiya reissue of the 1942 9th Symphony:



If you've been trying to find this CD, and failing, like me, here is the news.  Presto classical have just told me that it is being reissued.  However, just to keep all the discographers on their toes, it is going to have a different barcode, EAN and catalogue number.  Stock has not arrived in the west from Russia yet, but I will pass on any more news as I hear it.

Bongler

[Reverend Bong]

I have a question about Furtwangler's recordings of Beethoven's 1st Symphony.  I've had the 1952 Vienna recording recommended but there appear to have been three made.  Does anyone have a recommendation about which to seek out first?

24,27,28th Nov. 1952, Musikvereinssaal  (studio recording)
   Released as EMI CDC 7 47409 2 / CDH 7 63033 2 / CHS 7 63606 2 / CDH 5 67490 2 / CHS 5 67496 2
       Toshiba CE28 5571 / TOCE-8438 / TOCE-3002 / TOCE 11006 / TOCE 3719 / TOCE 9508~12 / TOCE 14043 / TOCE 55975
       Grand Slam GS 2026
       SonyBMG 88697 38624 2
       Otaken TKC318
     
29th Nov. 1952, Großer Saal, Musikverein, Wien  (live)
   Released as  Andante 4988
     Archipel APRCD 0122
     Virtuoso 269.7162
     Delta DCCA-0055
       
30th Nov. 1952, Großer Saal, Musikverein, Wien (Archive from Sendergruppe Rotweissrot)
   Released as  Music & Arts CD-711 / CD-1117
     Tahra FURT 1076~77 / WF-1001
     Nota Blu 93.5131-1
     Fonit Cetra CDE 1013

[George]

I have a question about Furtwangler's recordings of Beethoven's 1st Symphony.  I've had the 1952 Vienna recording recommended but there appear to have been three made.  Does anyone have a recommendation about which to seek out first?

24,27,28th Nov. 1952, Musikvereinssaal  (studio recording)
   Released as EMI CDC 7 47409 2 / CDH 7 63033 2 / CHS 7 63606 2 / CDH 5 67490 2 / CHS 5 67496 2
       Toshiba CE28 5571 / TOCE-8438 / TOCE-3002 / TOCE 11006 / TOCE 3719 / TOCE 9508~12 / TOCE 14043 / TOCE 55975
       Grand Slam GS 2026
       SonyBMG 88697 38624 2
       Otaken TKC318
     
29th Nov. 1952, Großer Saal, Musikverein, Wien  (live)
   Released as  Andante 4988
     Archipel APRCD 0122
     Virtuoso 269.7162
     Delta DCCA-0055
       
30th Nov. 1952, Großer Saal, Musikverein, Wien (Archive from Sendergruppe Rotweissrot)
   Released as  Music & Arts CD-711 / CD-1117
     Tahra FURT 1076~77 / WF-1001
     Nota Blu 93.5131-1
     Fonit Cetra CDE 1013

According to the Furtwangler Society:

1952, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (Tahra) is the one to have.

http://www.furtwangler.org/

[Reverend Bong]

If you want to know which Furtwangler Beethoven performances are considered the finest, and which LP or CD issues contain them, this is for you.

This is a new post, and not attached to the end of one of the existing Furtwangler threads, since it is an attempt to distill the essential information they contain.  I have tried to create a reference list that summarises information from many sources.  I have spent several days reading all the many pages of discussion here and at Gramophone, and cross-referencing with the online Furtwangler discographies (which are often extremely detailed but quite uncritical), and the Furtwangler Society's essential list of recommended performances.

This list has only been possible because, interestingly enough, there is widespread agreement online about which performances stand out, and it matches the SWF list.  For each symphony, the performances are ranked in order of perceived merit, with the ones considered finest of all first.  I am not trying to be controversial - as I say there is general agreement about this, but I should add that in many cases the differences are essentially ones of interpretation rather than performance and as such a matter of personal taste - there is no way for example to rank #9 1942 Berlin vs 1954 Lucerne.  Both are essential.  I would therefore recommend that anyone who loves Beethoven or Furtwangler should really own all the top two or three recommendations for every work.  However, if in any case you have not heard the first ranked one, you should make an effort to do so.

I have included both LP and CD issues, assuming there are others like me who prefer analogue vinyl and will take the time to search for it.  The discography is nowhere near complete, however.  It does not include the dozens of Toshiba CD issues that are rarely seen now, or the many pirated digital reissues.  There are also, for example, lots of different EMI LP issues in different countries, and I haven't listed every serial number - indeed there are probably no totally comprehensive online discographies - I found three records in my own collection not listed in any of them.  If you want to know all the Japanese or Argentinian releases, there are other places to look online (see acknowledgements at the end).

Some quick notes about the relative merits of the more easily available CDs is in order (note that the releases are in no particular order in my listings):

1) There is widespread agreement that the Tahra and SWF releases stand out and will never disappoint.  If you join the SWF you can buy all their CDs directly from them.

2) The Melodiya 2007 reissues were done to a very high standard from early sources and have been widely acclaimed - as they effectively supersede the earlier Melodiya CDs those have not been listed.

3) The recent (2012) Audite set of postwar Berlin RIAS recordings was remastered from the original analogue tapes, which turned out to be in beautiful condition, and for the performances covered it is probably the best version that has ever been for sale.

4) The Pristine Classical issues are available as 24bit downloads as well as CDs.  His website outlines his workflow, which is to digitise the best LPs or 78s he can find, match the frequency / level curve to a modern recording of the same work and clean up the noise as much as possible.  However note that these are controversial: his 'XR remastering' claims to restore 'ambient stereo' to old mono recordings - it has been warmly praised by some on this forum, but other people have told me they found it unconvincing on repeated listening. You can read about it in detail, and buy downloads, from Mr Rose's website at http://www.pristineclassical.com/.  A google search will bring up discussion online for and against these issues.

5)  The gigantic box set called 'The Legacy' issued by Membran in 2011 contains pretty much everything.  This has received fairly positive reviews, it seems that while not in the very top rank it is pretty good, and in particular noise reduction is in many cases less obvious than in the EMI releases.  The best thing I can do is direct you to owners' reviews on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Legacy-107CD-Wilhelm-Furtwangler/dp/B004JC16LC/


And so, here is the list:
-------------------------------------------------------------
Symphony n°1
   1952 (30 Nov) Großer Saal Vienna, Vienna Philharmonic

      LP:    Cetra FE 33
         German Furtwängler Society F669.056-7(2 set)

      CD:   Music & Arts CD-711; CD-1117(2 set)
         Tahra FURT 1076-7(2 set); WF-1001(40 set)
         
      not to be confused with:
         24/27/28 Nov studio (released on EMI and others)
         29 Nov live (released on various minor labels)
         
   1954 (30 Mar) Stuttgart, Süddeutscher Rundfunk Orchestra

      LP:   Discocorp RR511
         French Furtwängler Society SWF 8301-2
         Nippon Columbia OZ7578

      CD:   Fr. Furt. Soc. SWF 931
         Mediaphon JA 75.100

-------------------------------------------------------------
Symphony n°2
   1948 (3 Oct) Royal Albert Hall London, Vienna Philharmonic 
        (no preference implied, no other recording exists)
      LP:    EMI 3C 053-03635; 2C 051 03649; 1C 149 53542-53549M
         Toshiba WF 60002
         OE OLAC 0049; OLAC 0090(8 set)

      CD:   Music and Arts CD 942(5 set)
         EMI CDH 7 63192 2 ; CHS 7 63606 2(5 set); CDH 5 67491 2; CHS 5 67496 2(5 set);
            5 74173 2 (5 set)
         Pristine Classics PASC 355 (available as high-res download)

-------------------------------------------------------------
Symphony n°3
   1944 (c. 20 Dec) Musikvereinsaal Vienna, Vienna Philharmonic

      LP:   Urania C 7095
         Unicorn UNI 104
         Intercord INT 120, 921
         Turnabout THS 65020; TV 4343
         Melodiya D 06443-44; M10 06443 009
         EMI 2C 051 63332; 3C 153 53810~16 M(7 set)
         Toshiba WF 60043

      CD:   Melodiya MEL 1001106 (2007 transfer from very early sources)
         Tahra FURT 1031; FURT 1034-9(6 set); FURT 1060-2(3 set);
                 WF-1001(40 set); TAH 4003
         Music and Arts CD 814; CD 942 (5 set); CD 4049(4 set)
         Russian CD RCD 25001
      (several editions eg original Melodiya and Turnabout incorrectly cite BPO)
      
      SACD: Tahra FURT 2008

      
   1952 (8 Dec) Titania Palast Berlin, Berlin Philharmonic

      LP:   Cetra LO 530; K20C-13   
         Seven seas K17C-9417

      CD:   Audite RIAS set (2012 remaster from RIAS master tape)   
         Tahra FURT 1008-11(4 set); FURT 1008-9(2 set); FURT 1054-7(4 set);
            FURT 1067-70(4 set); FURT 2002-4(3 set); TAH 4007
         Music and Arts CD 869(2 set)
         Pristine Classics PASC 095  (available as high-res download)
         German Furtwängler Society MMS 9010 (misdated)
         Rodolphe RPC 32522-24; RPV 32801
         Seven Seas K35Y-42; KICC-90831(13 set)

-------------------------------------------------------------   
Symphony n°4
   1943 (27/30 Jun) Philharmonie Berlin, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
      
      LP:   EMI 3C 153 53810-53816M
         Toshiba WF 60044; WF 70003
         Melodiya D 09083-09084; M10 49725
         Olympic OL 8120; 8124
         French Furtwängler Society SWF 8801-3

      CD:  Melodiya MEL 1001112 (2007 transfer from very early sources)
         Russian RCD 25010
         Music and Arts CD 824; CD 4049(4 set)
         French Furtwängler Society SWF 011R; SWF 011-3(3 set)
         Pristine Classics PASC 267 (available as high-res download)
         Opus Kura OPK 7002; OPK 7017
      
      SACD: Dreamlife DLCA 7006

   1952 (1-3 Dec) Musikvereinsaal Vienna, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

      LP:    HMV ALP 1059; MFP 2072
         Victor LHMV 1059
         Electrola E 90059; WALP 1059; SME 91412
         Pathé FALP 116; FALP 30032; FALP 30124; UVT 3124
         EMI 2C 153 52540-52551; 1C 027 00806M; 1C 149 53432-53439M

      CD: EMI CDC 7 47409 2; CDH 7 63192 2; CHS 7 63606 2(5 set); CDH 5 67491 2;
            CHS 5 67496 2(5 set); 5 74173 2(5 set)

   1953 (4 Sep) Deutsches Museum Munich, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

      LP :   JVC RCL 3333
         Cetra FE 49

      CD:   French Furtwängler Society SWF 892; SWF 011-3(3 set)
         Tahra FURT 1090-3(4 set)
         Music and Arts CD 792; CD 942(5 set)

-------------------------------------------------------------
Symphony n°5
   1943 (30 June) Berlin, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
      'an extremely tense interpretation, the essence of Furtwängler's conducting' -SWF

      LP:   EMI 3C 153 53810-16M(6 set)
         Melodiya D 05800-01; M10 05800 009
         Unicorn UNI 106
         Ariston ARCL 13029
         French Furtwängler Society SWF 7002
         Turnabout TV 4353;  TV 4361; TV 34478
         Russian Disc R 10 00205
         Nippon Columbia DXM 157
         DG 427 773-1; RG 2140 (12 set)

      CD:   Melodiya MEL 1001110 (2007 transfer from very early sources)
         Russian RCD 25011
         Music & Arts CD 824 / CD 4049(4 set)
         Tahra TAH 272; FURT 1032-3; FURT 1034-9; WF-1001(40 set);
            TAH 4004; TAH 4018,
         Opus Kura OPK 7001(JP)
         Pristine Classics PASC 271 (available as high-res download)
         Altus ALT155 (transferred from Urania LP by laser pickup)

      SACD:  Dreamlife DLCA 7006

   1947 (25 May) Titania Palast Berlin, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
      'similar to the wartime performance, but better recorded' -GMG

      LP:   Cetra FE 32

      CD:    SWF 011-3 (3 set)
         Tahra FURT 2002-4(3 set)
         Audite RIAS set

   1954 (23 May) Titania Palast Berlin, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
      Very different: overall timings are slower, but the tempos within movements are more varied,
      which is one of the great things about Furtwangler in general. Powerful, grand; great sound.

      LP:   German Furtwängler Society F669.310-11(2 set)

      CD:   Audite RIAS set
         Tahra 1032-3

-------------------------------------------------------------
Symphony n°6
   1943 (22-23rd Dec) Musikvereinssaal, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

      LP:   EMI ED 2906661T
         Toshiba WF 60078
         Turnabout TV 4408 [misdated as 1944]

      CD:   SWF 101
         Preiser PRCD 90199
         Music and Arts CD 954(4 set)
         Toshiba TOCE 6056

   1952 (24-25 Nov, 1 Dec) Musikvereinsaal, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
      'One of the slowest 1st movements ever, but it works beautifully. The finale is still on the quick side, but it soars, where the earlier live versions sound too hectic.' -GMG

      LP:   HMV ALP 1041; 100 8071
         Victor LHMV 1066
         Electrola E 90040; WALP 1041; SME 90040; SMVP 8038; 1C 027 00807
         Pathé FALP 288; FALP 30038; UVT 3038

      CD:   EMI CDC 7 47121 2;  CDH 7 63034 2; CHS 7 63606 2(5 set); CDH 5 67493 2;
            CHS 5 67496 2(5 set)
         Pristine Classics PASC 359 (available as high-res download)

   1944 (20-22nd Mar) Staatsoper, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

      LP:    Melodiya D 02777-78; M10 02777 004
         French Furtwängler Society SWF 7104(R)
         Discocorp RR 412

      CD:    Melodiya MEL 1001102 (2007 transfer from very early sources -gives date as 19 Mar)
         Tahra FURT 1004-7(4 set); FURT 1034-9(6 set); WF-1001(40 set); TAH 4005
         Music and Arts CD 824; CD 2001; CD 942(5 set); CD 4049(4 set)
         French Furtwängler Society SWF 901
         American Furtwängler Society WFSA 2001
         Russian RCD 25003 (gives date as 19 Mar)
         Opus Kura OPK 7001

      SACD:  Dreamlife DLCA 7009
   
   1954 (23 May) Titania Palast Berlin, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

      LP:   Cetra FE 32
         German Furtwängler Society F669.310~11(2 set)

      CD:    Audite RIAS Set (2012 remaster from RIAS master tape)

-------------------------------------------------------------
Symphony n°7
   1943 (31 Oct-3 Nov) Philharmonie Berlin, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
      'the greatest Seventh in the history of records' -WFS

      LP:   Melodiya D 027779-80; M10 49727
         EMI 3C 153 53810-16M(7 set)
         Unicorn WFS 8
         Turnabout TV 34509
         French Furtwängler Society SWF 7105
         Olympic OL 8120; OL 8129
         Intercord INT 120.924
         Toshiba WF 60047; WF 7006
         DG 427 773-1; RG 2140(12 set)

      CD:   Melodiya MEL 1001104 (2007 new transfer from very early sources)
         Music and Arts CD 824; CD 4049(4 set)
         Opus Kura OPK 7002
         Russian RCD 25004
         French Furtwängler Society SWF 941
         Pristine Classics PASC 267 (available as high-res download)

   1950 (18-19 Jan) Musikvereinsaal, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

      LP:   Victor LHMV 10008
         EMI Electrola E 90016; WALP 527; SME 90016; SMVP 8048; 1C 027 00809
         EMI 2C 051 03089; 3C 053 00809  both misdated as 25-30th Jan
         Pathé FALP 115; FALP 30031; UVT 3031
         Angel 6018

      CD:   EMI CDH 769803 2; CHS 763606 2(5 set); CDH 567492 2; CHS 567496 2(5 set); CDH 5 86200 2
         Tahra FURT 1084-7(4 set)
         Grand Slam GS-2007 (transferred from FALP 115 1st press)
         Opus Kura OPK 2068 (from 78s)

   1953 (14 Apr) Titania Palast Berlin, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

      LP:    German Furtwängler Society F666.624~25(2 set)
         Discocorp RR 476
         Cetra FE 4
         Japan WFS 2-3

      CD:   DG 415 666-2; 427 401-2; 474 030-2(6 set); DG Japan POCG 9506
         Music and Arts CD 942(5 set)
         Tahra FURT 2002(3 set)
         German WF Soc TMK 014128

-------------------------------------------------------------
Symphony n°8
   1953 (14 Apr) Titania Palast Berlin, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

      LP:   German Furtwängler Society F666.624-5(2 set)
         Discocorp RR 413
         Cetra FE 4
         Japan WFS 2-3
         Nippon Columbia OZ 7585
         Cetra FE 48

      CD:   DG 415 666-2; 427 401-2; 477 006-2(6 set)
         Music and Arts CD 942(5 set)
         Tahra FURT 2002-4(3 set)
         Pristine Classics PASC 359 (available as high-res download)

-------------------------------------------------------------
Symphony n°9
   1942 (22-24 March) Philharmonie Berlin, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
      (Briem, Höngen, Anders, Watzke)
      an astonishingly intense, almost apocalyptic interpretation.

      LP:   Melodiya D 010851-010854; M10 10851 009
         Unicorn UNI 100-101
         Nic DXM 105-106
         Turnabout TV 4346-7; TV 4353-4
         French Furtwängler Society SWF 7003-7004
         EMI 3C 153 53810-53816M
         Toshiba WF 60045-6(2 set)

      CD:   Melodiya MEL 1001114 (2007 transfer from very early sources) -to be reissued imminently with new number
         Music and Arts CD 653;  CD 4049(4 set); CD 4653
         French Furtwängler Society SWF 891
         Tahra FURT 1004-7(4 set); FURT 1034-9 (6 set); WF-1001(40 set); TAH 4006             
         Russian Compact Disc RCD 25006
         Archipel ARPCD 0002
         Opus Kura OPK 7003
         Pristine Classics PASC 250 (available as high-res download)

      which is similar to:
         19 Apr 1942 (eve of Hitler's 53rd birthday) BPO with Berger, Pitzinger, Rosvaenge,
         Watzke, released on Archipel ARPCD 0270.

   1954 (22 August) Lucerne Festival, Philharmonia Orchestra, Lucerne
      (Schwarzkopf, Cavelti, Haefliger, Edelman)
      a beautiful, inward-looking, almost spiritual version, gorgeously serene and in places the slowest
      of all WF's Ninths, with  the best orchestral playing. Extraordinarily fine recording.

      LP:   Japan MF 18862~63
         Cetra LO 530
         Discocorp RR 390   

      CD:   Tahra FURT 1003 (Gramophone award 1995); FURT 1054-7(4 set); 
            FURT 1067-70(4 set); WF-1001(40 set)          
         Music and Arts CD-790
         Seven Seas K35Y-41; KICC 2290
         Rodolphe RPC 32522-4
         Otaken TKC 307(JP)
         Archipel ARPCD0502
         Delta DCCA-0065
                        Audite 95.641 (2021 remaster with speed corrected, available as high res download)

      SACD:  Tahra FURT 2001

   1951 (29 Jul) Festspielhaus Bayreuth, Bayreuth Festival Orchestra
      opening performance at Bayreuth following WWII
      (Schwarzkopf, Höngen, Hopf, Edelmann)

      LP:   HMV ALP 1286-7; QALP 10116-7; RLS 727
         Pathé FALP 381-2; FALP 30048-49; COLH 078-9 ; UVT 3048-9
         Electrola WALP1286-7; E90115-6; EBE600000; STE90115-6; SME90115-6; SMVP8051-2
         Victor LM 6043
         Angel GRB 4003; 6068; many others
         EMI 1C 147 00811-2; 2C 153 00811-2; 3C 153 00811-2; 2C 153 52540-1;
            1C 149 53432-9 M(8 set); 2C 151 53678-9

      CD:   EMI CMS 565751-2; CDC 7 47801 2; CDH 7 69801 2; CHS 7 63606 2(5 set); etc.
         Otaken TKC 301 from original ALP; 309 from EMI master tape; 319 from FALP 30048-9
         Naxos 8.111060 (transferred from original ALP release by Mark Obert-Thorn)

                All the above are from the EMI tapes, which were edited together, largely from the previous day's rehearsals.
               The survival of tapes of the Bavarian radio broadcast has meant that the actual performance is now available:

         Orfeo d'Or 754 081; KKCC-4448; BIS-9060 (SACD and high-res download)

   1937 (1 May) Queens Hall London, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
         (Berger, Pitzinger, Ludwig, Watzke)

      LP:   EMI ED 27 01231; EKCL 0007
         Toshiba WF 60073-4

      CD:   Music & Arts CD 818
         Toshiba TOCE 6057
         JP Furtwängler Society WFJ 19
         Archipel ARPCD 0090; ARPCD 0441
         EMI CZS 5 62875 2(2 set)

Acknowledgements:

http://www.furtwangler.net/bestchoice.html

http://patangel.free.fr/furt/disco.htm

http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/

and last but most important, the astonishing discography of Mr Youngrok Lee, without whom this exercise would have been too difficult to attempt:
http://fischer.hosting.paran.com/music/Furtwangler/furtwangler-discography.htm