Reader's Poll: Your favorite Beethoven 9th Symphony ("Choral")
What are your favorite vinyl performances and recordings of Beethoven's 9th Symphony (Choral)? Please click on the comments link below to tell us your top choices.
Mofi of this has very good sound. Also have the Solti Beethoven box on London. I've not compared recently, but pretty sure mofi is the one to have. This is a real audiophile record for sound.
Thankfully I have just finished my small trudge through my very limited collection of vinyl J S Bach orchestral oeuvres (as you may know I DO NOT LIKE J S!) whilst in the process of methodically trawling through my alphabetical collection of 5,000 or so vinyl LPs. Have now broken off to see what I can find for Beethoven #9 - Steinberg, Munch, Ansermet, Bohm, van Otterloo and of course Leibowitz are there to sample. There are probably other versions amongst the vinyl which have not been arranged in alphabetical order yet.
Just finished listening to 7 different versions, all except one on vinyl. My somewhat amateurish personal comments appended:
Charles Munch/Boston Symphony (1959) RCA Victrola - hectic, shrill, distant however "ethereal". My first Beethoven #9. (5/10)
Ernest Ansermet/OSR (1959) Contour Red Label (ex Decca) - traditional conservative, involving, clear - but shrill/ harsh. (5/10)
Andre Cluytens/BPO (1960) EMI/HMV - only CD version available - superb, stately, brilliant recording. Luscious. Exciting and involving choral movement. (10/10)
Rene Leibowitz/RPO (1961) Reader's Digest - dynamic, exciting, much forward propulsion, well recorded - but distant chorus. (9/10)
Willem van Otterloo/Hague Philharmonic Concert Hall (1963?) - better than expected, very involving, not so well recorded or played - both wiry/strident. (7/10)
William Steinberg/Pittsburgh SO MFP (1966) - What a surprise! Very involving and convincing with good forward momentum. Adagio sublime. Good recording. (8/10)
Karl Bohm/VPO DGG (1972) - traditional, very measured, very genteel. Excellent playing and recording. Best choral contribution. Bit underwhelming. (7/10)
Douglas, that was a serious listening session! Based on your scores, should I assume that your "favorites" are the Cluytens/BPO, Leibowitz/RPO, and Steinberg/Pittsburg?
Looked for Pierre Benke's suggestion of "Lipp ,Hoffgen ,Dickie ,Frick, Schuricht ,PCO CFP 142" - I can see the LP cover in my mind but it is not it's alphabetical place. More recent reviews of this recording are generally positive - so will look further for it. Perhaps it's with my brother, who holds some vinyl for me, including the Klemperer Beethoven vinyl boxset. I have many of the cycles in CD and digital formats as well.
I've been playing through the various versions of the ninth I have for a while now and have formed some semblance of an order of preference as detailed below. ALP 1286/7 Furtwangler - Schwarzkopf/Hongen/Hopf/Edelman Orchestra and Chorus of the 1951 Bayreuth Festival Decca 6BB 121/2 Solti - Minton/Burrows/Talvela Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus XLP 20001/2 Schuricht - Lipp Hoffgen Dickie Frick Paris Conservatoire Orchestra & Chorale Elisabeth Brasseur. (Have CFP 142 but prefer the XLP) SAX 2512 Szell - Bell/Hobson/Addison/Lewis/George Cleveland Orchestra & Choir SXL 6233 Schmidt-Iserstedt - Sutherland/Horne/King/Talvela Vienna Philharmonic & State opera chorus ( also have onJubilee JB1) PFS 4183 Stokowski - Harper/Watts/Young/McIntyre - London Symphony Orchestra & Chorus CFP 40019 Cluytens - Brouwenstijn/Gedda/Meyer/Guthrie Berlin Philharmonic & Choir of St Hedwigs Cathedral Berlin SAX 2276/7 Klemperer- Lovberg/Ludwig/Kmentt/Hotter Philharmonia Orchestra & Chorus ALP 1039/40 Toscanini - NBC Symphony Orchestra LXT 2726 Kleiber - Gueden/Wagner/Dermota/Weber Vienna Philharmonic & The Singverin Der Gesellschaft Der Musikfreunde Vienna 138 807/8 SLPM Red Label - Karajan Berlin Philharmonic SDD 108 Ansermet - Sutherland/Proctor/Dermota/Van Mill L'Orchestra De La Suisse Romande VICS 1114 Munch - Price/Forrester/Poleri/Tozzi Boston Symphony
For me ALP 1286/7 offers a wonderful performance coupled with a superb recording. I have both early and late red/gold pressings and the later S/C label which I find is the best of the pressings.
Andy. Glad to see Solti is on your list. Is it really #2? The Mobile Fidelity reissue of this is highly rated for sonics (Salvatore Basic List). Do you really like it that much?
Has anyone got a link to the Schuricht Paris Conservatoire stereo recording that I can download? It will serve until I find my CFP copy. I would love to sample the bucolic/gallic sound of the orchestral performance again.
It looks like you can hear it on Spotify. Alternatively, I know that it was reissued in the EMI (now Warner) Icons box set of Schuricht's Beethoven and Bruckner symphonies. I have this set and it is really worth owning. I just pulled out my CFP last night to listen.
I appreciate you taking the time to supply me with the Spotify link - forgot about trying to access this app for this particular recording. Did find it and listened to it.
Brilliant performance full of drive. Bit disappointed with the brass - was hoping for even more brash rusticity - beautiful nevertheless. Excellent recording for 1957. Thanks Albert, I was considering purchasing the ICON EMI (Warner) box set, you referred to - but many of the recordings are in mono, plus I didn't want to add to my "overstocked" library.
I would put it on a par with Steinberg (8/10).
So in the end I have just ordered a supposedly mint copy of the vinyl CFP incarnation.
I'm glad that the linked worked out for you. While the Warner/EMI ICON has a lot of mono, don't let that deter you. I don't usually buy mono CDs but this is very clear mono and the stereo remasters (Beethoven 9, all Bruckner) are quite good. If you can get it on sale (I know Presto classical sometimes has these for sale), you may want to consider it. Let me know how you like the CFP, though!
I don't know that it is any different, but EMI Concert Classics SXLP 30085 has the Cluytens and is probably the earliest vinyl. Saw a japanese sacd set for Cluytens also (complete).
I am glad some are taking an interest in the Schurict Beethoven 9. I bought the record way back in the early 70s and I find it hard to think of another I enjoy so much.
DECCA STEREO 6BB 121/2
ReplyDeleteSolti/Minton/Burrows/Talvela/Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
Mofi of this has very good sound. Also have the Solti Beethoven box on London. I've not compared recently, but pretty sure mofi is the one to have. This is a real audiophile record for sound.
DeleteLipp ,Hoffgen ,Dickie ,Frick, Schuricht ,PCO CFP 142
ReplyDeleteHi all,
ReplyDeleteThankfully I have just finished my small trudge through my very limited collection of vinyl J S Bach orchestral oeuvres (as you may know I DO NOT LIKE J S!) whilst in the process of methodically trawling through my alphabetical collection of 5,000 or so vinyl LPs. Have now broken off to see what I can find for Beethoven #9 - Steinberg, Munch, Ansermet, Bohm, van Otterloo and of course Leibowitz are there to sample. There are probably other versions amongst the vinyl which have not been arranged in alphabetical order yet.
Watch this space.
Cheers,
Douglas (UK)
Thanks, Douglas, we are looking forward to hearing your thoughts!
DeleteI'll have to second Pierre Benke's selection of the Schuricht (CFP 142) and add:
ReplyDeleteBell/Hobson/Addison/Lewis/George Szell/Cleveland Orchestra & Choir (Epic BSC 112 or Columbia SAX 2512/13)
What I will do for art......!
ReplyDeleteJust finished listening to 7 different versions, all except one on vinyl. My somewhat amateurish personal comments appended:
Charles Munch/Boston Symphony (1959) RCA Victrola - hectic, shrill, distant however "ethereal". My first Beethoven #9. (5/10)
Ernest Ansermet/OSR (1959) Contour Red Label (ex Decca) - traditional conservative, involving, clear - but shrill/ harsh. (5/10)
Andre Cluytens/BPO (1960) EMI/HMV - only CD version available - superb, stately, brilliant recording. Luscious. Exciting and involving choral movement. (10/10)
Rene Leibowitz/RPO (1961) Reader's Digest - dynamic, exciting, much forward propulsion, well recorded - but distant chorus. (9/10)
Willem van Otterloo/Hague Philharmonic Concert Hall (1963?) - better than expected, very involving, not so well recorded or played - both wiry/strident. (7/10)
William Steinberg/Pittsburgh SO MFP (1966) - What a surprise! Very involving and convincing with good forward momentum. Adagio sublime. Good recording. (8/10)
Karl Bohm/VPO DGG (1972) - traditional, very measured, very genteel. Excellent playing and recording. Best choral contribution. Bit underwhelming. (7/10)
Cheers,
Douglas (UK)
Douglas, that was a serious listening session! Based on your scores, should I assume that your "favorites" are the Cluytens/BPO, Leibowitz/RPO, and Steinberg/Pittsburg?
DeleteYes "aqlam" and in that order.
DeleteCheers,
Douglas (UK)
Haha - please feel free to call me Albert.
DeleteCluytens seems very popular for these Beethoven symphonies. I've got at least one of his on CFP and will have to partake soon.
DeleteLooked for Pierre Benke's suggestion of "Lipp ,Hoffgen ,Dickie ,Frick, Schuricht ,PCO CFP 142" - I can see the LP cover in my mind but it is not it's alphabetical place. More recent reviews of this recording are generally positive - so will look further for it. Perhaps it's with my brother, who holds some vinyl for me, including the Klemperer Beethoven vinyl boxset. I have many of the cycles in CD and digital formats as well.
ReplyDeleteHappy listening.
Cheers,
Douglas (UK)
I've been playing through the various versions of the ninth I have for a while now and have formed some semblance of an order of preference as detailed below.
ReplyDeleteALP 1286/7 Furtwangler - Schwarzkopf/Hongen/Hopf/Edelman Orchestra and Chorus of the 1951 Bayreuth Festival
Decca 6BB 121/2 Solti - Minton/Burrows/Talvela Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
XLP 20001/2 Schuricht - Lipp Hoffgen Dickie Frick Paris Conservatoire Orchestra & Chorale Elisabeth Brasseur. (Have CFP 142 but prefer the XLP)
SAX 2512 Szell - Bell/Hobson/Addison/Lewis/George Cleveland Orchestra & Choir
SXL 6233 Schmidt-Iserstedt - Sutherland/Horne/King/Talvela Vienna Philharmonic & State opera chorus ( also have onJubilee JB1)
PFS 4183 Stokowski - Harper/Watts/Young/McIntyre - London Symphony Orchestra & Chorus
CFP 40019 Cluytens - Brouwenstijn/Gedda/Meyer/Guthrie Berlin Philharmonic & Choir of St Hedwigs Cathedral Berlin
SAX 2276/7 Klemperer- Lovberg/Ludwig/Kmentt/Hotter Philharmonia Orchestra & Chorus
ALP 1039/40 Toscanini - NBC Symphony Orchestra
LXT 2726 Kleiber - Gueden/Wagner/Dermota/Weber Vienna Philharmonic & The Singverin Der Gesellschaft Der Musikfreunde Vienna
138 807/8 SLPM Red Label - Karajan Berlin Philharmonic
SDD 108 Ansermet - Sutherland/Proctor/Dermota/Van Mill L'Orchestra De La Suisse Romande
VICS 1114 Munch - Price/Forrester/Poleri/Tozzi Boston Symphony
For me ALP 1286/7 offers a wonderful performance coupled with a superb recording. I have both early and late red/gold pressings and the later S/C label which I find is the best of the pressings.
Andy. Glad to see Solti is on your list. Is it really #2? The Mobile Fidelity reissue of this is highly rated for sonics (Salvatore Basic List). Do you really like it that much?
DeleteHello all,
ReplyDeleteHas anyone got a link to the Schuricht Paris Conservatoire stereo recording that I can download? It will serve until I find my CFP copy. I would love to sample the bucolic/gallic sound of the orchestral performance again.
Thanking you.
Cheers,
Douglas (UK)
Hi Douglas,
DeleteI just found this:
https://play.spotify.com/album/4XVvS3spWhxgwv9Moa0DSj?play=true&utm_source=open.spotify.com&utm_medium=open
It looks like you can hear it on Spotify. Alternatively, I know that it was reissued in the EMI (now Warner) Icons box set of Schuricht's Beethoven and Bruckner symphonies. I have this set and it is really worth owning. I just pulled out my CFP last night to listen.
Good evening,
DeleteI appreciate you taking the time to supply me with the Spotify link - forgot about trying to access this app for this particular recording. Did find it and listened to it.
Brilliant performance full of drive. Bit disappointed with the brass - was hoping for even more brash rusticity - beautiful nevertheless. Excellent recording for 1957. Thanks Albert, I was considering purchasing the ICON EMI (Warner) box set, you referred to - but many of the recordings are in mono, plus I didn't want to add to my "overstocked" library.
I would put it on a par with Steinberg (8/10).
So in the end I have just ordered a supposedly mint copy of the vinyl CFP incarnation.
Thanks for your helpful comments.
Cheers,
Douglas (UK)
Hi Douglas,
DeleteI'm glad that the linked worked out for you. While the Warner/EMI ICON has a lot of mono, don't let that deter you. I don't usually buy mono CDs but this is very clear mono and the stereo remasters (Beethoven 9, all Bruckner) are quite good. If you can get it on sale (I know Presto classical sometimes has these for sale), you may want to consider it. Let me know how you like the CFP, though!
Best wishes,
Albert
I don't know that it is any different, but EMI Concert Classics SXLP 30085 has the Cluytens and is probably the earliest vinyl. Saw a japanese sacd set for Cluytens also (complete).
DeleteI am glad some are taking an interest in the Schurict Beethoven 9. I bought the record way back in the early 70s and I find it hard to think of another I enjoy so much.
ReplyDeleteIt's very good.
Delete