Your favorite recordings of Beethoven's 9th symphony

[George]

Second choice for a recording of the Ninth would, for me, be either the late 70's Herbert von Karajan/BPO one, or the early 60's Herbert von Karajan/BPO recording that preceded it.

Yes, I would choose the slow movement from the '77 and the rest from the '63 as my desert island 9th.

[BorisG]

Karajan/77, Suitner, Szell, Solti/72.

[Bogey]

Karajan/77, Suitner, Szell, Solti/72.

The Solti, and the earlier mentioned Wand are intriguing.  What puts the Solti on your short list Boris?

[BorisG]

The Solti, and the earlier mentioned Wand are intriguing.  What puts the Solti on your short list Boris?

It is on the edge of recklessness, Bogey, but in my opinion never crosses that line. Unlike the Solti Mahler 5 (1971?), which for me is too bizarre for words.

[Dancing Divertimentian]

Kletzki and the Czech Philharmonic.

[Valentino]

I really love HvK '77 until the choir males appear in front of the celli. That moment always irritates me. But I adjust. I always wonder if HvK really is in control at the very end.
I also have a soft spot for Cleveland/Szell. Wonder if he had the trumpet players stand up for the Alla Marcia section of the finale, big band-like. Splendid!

[Que]

Kletzki and the Czech Philharmonic.

donwyn, Kletzki is my number 4.
And considering the fact that I don't have it that long, I don't rule out that it will move up over time - to place nr. 3 or nr. 2 that is....

Swift, colourful and exciting, gorgeously beautiful and unprecedently subtle (wood)wind playing. Bright and transparent, even lucid, orchestral sound (melting strings!). Kletzki clearly connects episodes in the 9th back to the pastoral feeling of the 6th.

Heard enough grim and ponderous sounding 9ths? Take Kletzki!



Q

[Tyson]

Gardiner - probably my favorite overall, and really gets the blood flowing
Szell - Similar intensity, bigger band, incredible precision
Furtwangler (already mentioned previously, in detail, nuff said)
Leibowitz - hadn't heard this till recently, stands up very well to the best.
Toscanini - Even more intense than Szell, but poor sonics.

[Dancing Divertimentian]

donwyn, Kletzki is my number 4.
And considering the fact that I don't have it that long, I don't rule out that it will move up over time - to place nr. 3 or nr. 2 that is....

Swift, colourful and exciting, gorgeously beautiful and unprecedently subtle (wood)wind playing. Bright and transparent, even lucid, orchestral sound (melting strings!). Kletzki clearly connects episodes in the 9th back to the pastoral feeling of the 6th.

Heard enough grim and ponderous sounding 9ths? Take Kletzki!

Great description, Q! You hit it square on the head.

Ponderous this performance isn't. Really a 'classicists' take without shortchanging the drama and passion in the music.

Which is why I've been so taken with it for so long. It's an ideal 'middleground' performance incorporating Furtwänglerian passion with classical sensibilities. Not to mention it's the most colorful rendition I've ever run across.

And this is characteristic of the entire cycle.

[Renfield]

Heard enough grim and ponderous sounding 9ths? Take Kletzki!

The idealistic countryside wants you, is it?

Kletzki... Here is a conductor I've heard of by name alone - and only vaguely. I notice there's a Beethoven cycle from him (Japanese import) available on Amazon: think it might be worth buying, as well?

I mean, I'm already picking up his 9th, as it seems.

Edit: Seems like donwyn answered my question already, by the time I finished writing my post. So I should go for it, it seems. "Colourful" renditions are definitely my sort of thing. Part of why I also like Gunter Wand's 9th, until the final movement...

[Dancing Divertimentian]

The idealistic countryside wants you, is it?

Kletzki... Here is a conductor I've heard of by name alone - and only vaguely. I notice there's a Beethoven cycle from him (Japanese import) available on Amazon: think it might be worth buying, as well?

I mean, I'm already picking up his 9th, as it seems.

Edit: Seems like donwyn answered my question already, by the time I finished writing my post. So I should go for it, it seems. "Colourful" renditions are definitely my sort of thing. Part of why I also like Gunter Wand's 9th, until the final movement...

Renfield,

I'm partial to Wand's Beethoven as well (but don't own his 9th - only have 1,5,6,7) and can tell you that Kletzki is even more colorful.

It's a treat...

[PSmith08]

To be entirely fair, the two Furtwängler recordings ('42 BP and '54 Lucerne) are really all I could want, but I'll be fair to the spirit of the question.

1. Furtwängler 1942 (BP)
Clearly, this recording needs no real commentary from me. It has a passion and drive that, to my ears, no one has matched since. Really, despite the '37 London set (which is a good window into the prewar interpretation), the two Bayreuth sets I've heard ('51 and '54), and Lucerne, this is Furtwängler's 9th taken to its extremes. Fantastic, just fantastic.

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.

3. Abendroth 1950 (RSOB)
A bit of an obscure choice, but it is as individual and interesting as Furtwängler's performances, though Abendroth takes a different approach to the piece. For whatever reason, this one does resonate with me. It has a style to it that, without resorting to comparing to Furtwängler, both works with the long line and really lets rip when Beethoven probably would have wanted the band to do so.

3.5 Von Karajan 1977 (BP)
To me, this one is the best of Von Karajan's Berlin 9ths. I find it more engaging that the earlier, more famous, recording; at the same time, it has a cast I prefer. By the last, digital recording, I'm not sure that Von Karajan wasn't becoming a bit homogeneous and over-smooth. Karl Böhm's 1981 set is, if you want a conductor of that generation in digital sound, probably better.

[Que]

The idealistic countryside wants you, is it?

Kletzki... Here is a conductor I've heard of by name alone - and only vaguely. I notice there's a Beethoven cycle from him (Japanese import) available on Amazon: think it might be worth buying, as well?

I mean, I'm already picking up his 9th, as it seems.

Edit: Seems like donwyn answered my question already, by the time I finished writing my post. So I should go for it, it seems. "Colourful" renditions are definitely my sort of thing. Part of why I also like Gunter Wand's 9th, until the final movement...

You don't need to buy Japanese import (unless that is cheaper of course), Supraphon reissued the whole cycle on three twofers - available in Europe. My top picks for complete LvB cycles are Jochum/RCO and this Kletzki/CzPh.
Jochum can be compared with many, many other cycles - his own two previous cycles (LSO and BRSO/BP) to begin with.
But Kletzki offers something completely different. It reminds me the most of Kubelik's style of conducting and sound. Strongly recommended.



Q

[Iago]

Munch/Boston Symphony/L. Price, Forrester, Poleri, Tozzi on RCA.

Doesn't need any paeans from me. Just listen to it, and you will agree that it puts all the "others" to shame.

[Xenophanes]

Karajan/77, Suitner, Szell, Solti/72.

You're the only person I know of who likes Suitner's 9th, too.  The Penguin Guide certainly didn't!  I got the whole set quite a long time ago, and as a set it's OK.  The highlights are nos. 4 and 9, both of which I think are top flight. The 6th is quite nice, too.

[Renfield]

Renfield,

I'm partial to Wand's Beethoven as well (but don't own his 9th - only have 1,5,6,7) and can tell you that Kletzki is even more colorful.

It's a treat...

Nice to hear! After the recommendations I've already received, I'm very probably adding the Kletzki cycle to my next Amazon order.

As far as Wand's 9th goes, it is - as I alluded to above - a fine performance indeed, until the moment the soloists enter! Now, I might have been in a strange mood when I listened to the recording, but I really do feel they were either inappropriate for the part, or simply under-rehearsed. Or perhaps the rest of the performance was so good that they "failed" to impress me by comparison. Who knows?

Szell's 9th isn't bad at all, either; I wouldn't rank it with among the very best Beethoven 9ths, but it definitely is a solid recording of the work.

[DarkAngel]

1)Karajan/BPO/DG Galleria 1977 (not the remaster, original Galleria release)
2)Munch/BSO/Great Conductors 20th Century 1958 (2CD set)
3)Bernstein/VPO/DG Panorama 1980 (2CD set with Missa Solemnis)
4)Gardiner/Archiv (period instruments)
5)Klemperer/Testament 1957 (live stereo)
6)Leinsdorf/BSO/RCA Victrola (budget price)

[Bogey]

5)Klemperer/Testament 1957 (live stereo)

What makes this one stand out for you....I have never heard it, so just curious.

[Bonehelm]

Furtwangler/Bayreuth Festival Orchestra 51' live

The final "Ode to Joy" chorus is the sounds of angels singing from heaven...it's just too good for human ears

[Renfield]

What makes this one stand out for you....I have never heard it, so just curious.

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.