Re-post Complete Beethoven sets. Poll

[Harry]

My preference would be: Zinman, Gardiner, Hogwood, Immerseel, and Karajan

[Harry]

And as a follow up Norrington!

[Opus106]

Should there be separate categories for HIP, non-HIP, quasi and pseudo-HIP?

[Harry]

Should there be separate categories for HIP, non-HIP, quasi and pseudo-HIP?

Nah, to difficult, music is music, whatever it is played on!

[Jay F]

Before I vote, did you intentionally leave Bernstein off the list? Also, with him and Karajan, how about different voting boxes for different sets?

[PerfectWagnerite]

A bunch of completely unnecessary sets are on the list like Haitink, Sawallisch, Rattle, Abbado and Pletnev to name a few while leaving out such great sets like Szell, Wand, Boehm, Klemperer, just to name a few.

[(poco) Sforzando]

A bunch of completely unnecessary sets are on the list like Haitink, Sawallisch, Rattle, Abbado and Pletnev to name a few while leaving out such great sets like Szell, Wand, Boehm, Klemperer, just to name a few.

Bingo.

[Harry]

Before I vote, did you intentionally leave Bernstein off the list? Also, with him and Karajan, how about different voting boxes for different sets?

No, I did not! Why should I?
You decide yourself which Karajan box you vote for my friend.

[Bunny]

A bunch of completely unnecessary sets are on the list like Haitink, Sawallisch, Rattle, Abbado and Pletnev to name a few while leaving out such great sets like Szell, Wand, Boehm, Klemperer, just to name a few.

Not to mention Toscanini and Cluytens.  

[Harry]

A bunch of completely unnecessary sets are on the list like Haitink, Sawallisch, Rattle, Abbado and Pletnev to name a few while leaving out such great sets like Szell, Wand, Boehm, Klemperer, just to name a few.

Yes thank you, no list can ever be complete.

[Harry]

And instead of nagging around, you could just mention a set you like best. From the list or not!

[Harry]

Not to mention Toscanini and Cluytens.  

Toscanini was there already Bunny!

[Harry]

A bunch of completely unnecessary sets are on the list like Haitink, Sawallisch, Rattle, Abbado and Pletnev to name a few while leaving out such great sets like Szell, Wand, Boehm, Klemperer, just to name a few.

That is your opinion and a very biased one. I did not need you to tell me which sets are necessary and which ones not.

[Lilas Pastia]

There are three Jochums (DG, Philips and EMI), the DG Kubelik, Decca Schmidt-Isserstedt and EMI Kempe missing.

I'm not sure the Jochum LSO and all of the Kubeliks are available, but with the reissue industry they will surely pop up one day. If they had been included, I would have voted for two of those in addition to the Böhm. I feel like they've been consigned to the proverbial common graveyard .

[Harry]

There are three Jochums (DG, Philips and EMI), the DG Kubelik, Decca Schmidt-Isserstedt and EMI Kempe missing.

I'm not sure the Jochum LSO and all of the Kubeliks are available, but with the reissue industry they will surely pop up one day. If they had been included, I would have voted for two of those in addition to the Böhm. I feel like they've been consigned to the proverbial common graveyard .

It is virtual impossible to make a complete list, but there is nothing against telling us which set you find best!

[ChamberNut]

My vote would go to Harnoncourt with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe.  But, that's the only complete set I have.   

[Lilas Pastia]

The poll idea is very good, Harry. Some find the whole concept inane, but there's clearly a demand for it as it always seem to attract lots of attention. I take that as a sign of Beethoven's stature in the classical music world  .

If I'm not mistaken, when starting a poll, you have a limited number of options, right? If that's the case, obviously all the available sets can never be listed in toto. I just posted a comment on the original Beethoven symphonies thread. I guess I should have posted it here instead:

I'm not sure Zinman's is slick and superficial. To my ears it merely sounds too fast most of the time. The music cannot physically "settle" in that ol' brain. That disturbs me also with all the cycles in which the speed limit has been lifted. OTOH the playing of the Zurich orchestra and the Tonhalle sound are excellent.

My idea of a first class cycle include a consistent but flexible stylistic POV (Beethoven the composer did change a lot over the years), stylish playing with a distinctive corporate sound (I like a hefty string sound, solid but bright brass and very "vocal" winds), and sound engineering that places the whole thing in a recognizable acoustic space. The latter for example is missing in the 1977 Karajan cycle. But there are quite a few contenders that would qualify.

I would go for a diversity of efforts, but these would certainly include the WP Böhm and Schmidt-Isserstedt, as well as the Kempe (best 7th ever to my ears) and Amsterdam Jochum. The 1962 Karajan set was a trailblazer, but its star has faded somewhat over the years. Another trailblazing effort was Scherchen's, but this has been done in the early days of the stereo era and with different orchestras. therefore it lacks consistency from a technical POV. BTW I only have 1-8. Is there a ninth somewhere ?  The RPO Leibowitz is still highly regarded and I would welcome comments on it. I have heard only a couple of those a long time ago.

[karlhenning]

It is virtual impossible to make a complete list

Especially of complete Beethoven symphony sets;  that's an industry won't need bailing out anytime soon . . . .

[Wanderer]

In order of poll appearance: Vänskä, Karajan (you know which one), Abbado (the DVD cycle) and Harnoncourt.

[Keemun]

My vote was for Karajan (1960s) which is the only complete set that I have.