The Best and Cheapest Beethoven's Ninth

[MN Dave]

A sort of game.

Just for the fun of it, let's find the best and most inexpensive version of Beethoven's Ninth using only online CD stores (no free/pirated downloads, no eBay). What is "best" for the price? Well, we'll have to wait and see--after we fight about it for a while.

[jwinter]

Bohm's last 9th from Vienna has long been a huge favorite of mine.  Very slow (almost 80 minutes exactly), but powerful.



Amazon has used copies from $4.97.  It's $9.98 retail.

[MN Dave]

Bohm's last 9th from Vienna has long been a huge favorite of mine.  Very slow (almost 80 minutes exactly), but powerful.



Amazon has used copies from $4.97.  It's $9.98 retail.

Thanks for your entry!

I may have owned that in vinyl (it was Bohm and the Ninth; not sure about when it was recorded). It was the only classical vinyl I ever bought. They sure packaged them well back then; the one I had was in a nice box.

[Bunny]

Here's the best, cheapest Beethoven 9th I've ever seen at Amazon:

Herbert Blomstedt, SK Dresden, : Karl-Heinz Stryczek, Edith Wiens, Reiner Goldberg, et al.  It's got great singing, great orchestra, and wonderful sound and all for just 1¢ (US) at Amazon today!!!!    If I didn't already have the set, I'd have one clicked it before posting this.

[MN Dave]

Here's the best, cheapest Beethoven 9th I've ever seen at Amazon:

Herbert Blomstedt, SK Dresden, : Karl-Heinz Stryczek, Edith Wiens, Reiner Goldberg, et al.  It's got great singing, great orchestra, and wonderful sound and all for just 1¢ (US) at Amazon today!!!!    If I didn't already have the set, I'd have one clicked it before posting this.

That didn't take long. 

[Bunny]

I love bargain hunting.   0:)

[MN Dave]

I love bargain hunting.   0:)

I was going to do a series of these threads, but maybe I should just give you my shopping list. 

[Bunny]

when and if I've got time to burn....   

[MN Dave]

when and if I've got time to burn....   

Just kidding. I wouldn't do that to you...or anyone.

[Holden]

Used and new from $15.98 online from Amazon and you also get an overture for the price.

The reason I think this is the best is:

A first movement full of drama effectively using that good old 'sturm und drang' LvB was known for.

A great scherzo with plenty of rhythmic fire

A slow movement that is not too slow but still sounds unhurried

A great choral movement with 4 excellent soloists. The use of D F-D as the baritone/bass is a tiur de force IMO

Overall, this has a very lean orchestral sound, almost like an HIP performance and while this is very important in the first movement it really serves to open up the choral singing which can sound very thick and muddy when the band doesn't give them room to breathe. Fricsay is one of a very few conductors to get this right.

[Brian]

Dave, do you remember Mark's old thread (or maybe mine) on really, really, really cheap CDs people find? I think a quick search will do the trick ... it was something like supersuperbudget discs.

[Gurn Blanston]

Here's the best, cheapest Beethoven 9th I've ever seen at Amazon:

Herbert Blomstedt, SK Dresden, : Karl-Heinz Stryczek, Edith Wiens, Reiner Goldberg, et al.  It's got great singing, great orchestra, and wonderful sound and all for just 1¢ (US) at Amazon today!!!!    If I didn't already have the set, I'd have one clicked it before posting this.

Well, I DID click it before posting!   I don't have the set and have heard good things about it, I just never got around to picking it up. But for $.01, even a lazy rascal like me can click once...

[Brian]

Here's the old thread.

[MN Dave]

Dave, do you remember Mark's old thread (or maybe mine) on really, really, really cheap CDs people find? I think a quick search will do the trick ... it was something like supersuperbudget discs.

Nope.

[MN Dave]

Here's the old thread.

I see it.

[George]

http://www.classicalmusicmobile.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=26&products_id=64

[hornteacher]

Zubin Mehta's live 9th is fantastic, and $6.98 at Amazon.

[MN Dave]

A well-balanced 9th for $2.99 at Amazon.

[Hector]

Does that include postage?

[Gurn Blanston]

A well-balanced 9th for $2.99 at Amazon.

Hmm, best I see now is $4.18...