Reader's Poll: Reference Recordings (Vinyl)

Ludwig van Beethoven

Symphony No. 1

• Columbia SAX 2318 Otto Klemperer, Philharmonia Orchestra
• Epic BC 1292 (Columbia SAX 2493) George Szell, Cleveland Orchestra
• Fontana SFL 14084 Franz Konwitschny, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra
• Heliodor 89 613 Ferenc Fricsay, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
• RCA LSC-2491 (or RCA SB-2127) Pierre Monteux, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

Symphony No. 3 (Eroica)

• Columbia (UK) SAX 2364 (or EMI ASD 2564) Otto Klemperer, Philharmonia Orchestra
• EMI ALP 1060 Wilhelm Furtwangler, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
• EMI CFP 40076 Andre Cluytens, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
• EMI FALP 574 Carl Schuricht, Paris Conservatoire Orchestra
• Epic BC 1001 (or Columbia SAX 2577) George Szell, Cleveland Orchestra
• RCA VICS 1036 Pierre Monteux, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
• Reader's Digest RD-34 (7 LP box set) Rene Leibowitz, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Symphony No. 5

• Columbia ML 4009 (mono) Bruno Walter, New York Philharmonic Orchestra
• Decca LXT 2851 (mono) Erich Kleiber, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
• Deutsche Grammophon 2530 516 Carlos Kleiber, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
• EMI CFP 40007 Andre Cluytens, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
• Fontana SFL 14083 Franz Konwitschny, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra
• Philips 802 769 LY George Szell, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
• Reader's Digest RD-34 (7 LP box set) Rene Leibowitz, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Symphony No. 6 (Pastoral)

• Columbia (UK) SAX 2260 (or EMI ASD 2565) Otto Klemperer, Philharmonia Orchestra
• Columbia (US) MS 6012 (six-eye pressing) Bruno Walter, Columbia Symphony Orchestra
• EMI ASD 433 Andre Cluytens, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
• Epic BC 1249 (or Columbia SAX 2549) George Szell, Cleveland Orchestra
• Reader's Digest RD-34 (7 LP box set) Rene Leibowitz, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Symphony No. 8

• Columbia SAX 2318 Otto Klemperer, Philharmonia Orchestra
• Epic BC 1254 (Columbia SAX 2565) George Szell, Cleveland Orchestra
• RCA LSC-2491 (or RCA SB-2127) Pierre Monteux, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

Symphony No. 9 (Choral)

• Decca 6BB 121/2 Georg Solti, Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus; Lorengar/Minton/Burrows/Talvela
• EMI ALP 1286/7 (mono) Wilhelm Furtwangler, Orchestra and Chorus of the 1951 Bayreuth Festival; Schwartzkopf/Hongen/Hopf/Edelman
• EMI CFP 142 (XLP 20001/2 mono) Carl Schuricht, Paris Conservatoire Orchestra and Chorale; Elisabeth Brasseur; Lipp/Hoffgen/Dickie/Frick
• EMI CFP 40019 (SXLP 30085 or ASDF 105/6)Andre Cluytens, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra; Chorus of St. Hedwig's Cathedral, Berlin; Browenstijn/Meyer/Gedda/Guthrie
• Epic BSC 112 (Columbia SAX 2512/13) George Szell, Cleveland Orchestra; Bell/Hobson/Addison/Lewis
• Music for Pleasure MFP 2099/100 William Steinberg, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra; Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh; Lee/Simon/Knees/Paul
• Reader's Digest RD-34 (7 LP box set) Rene Leibowitz, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Hector Berlioz

Symphonie Fantastique

• Chesky CR1 Massimo Freccia, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
• Columbia SAX 2537 Otto Klemperer, Philharmonia Orchestra
• Decca 7659 (French Decca) Carlos Paita, London Symphony Orchestra
• EMI/HMV ASD 399 (or Concert Classics SXLP 30295) Sir Thomas Beecham, Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion Francaise
• EMI/HMV ASD 2945 Jean Martinon, Orchestre National de L'O.R.T.F.
• Philips A 00.123L (mono) Willem Van Otterloo, Berlin Philharmonic
• RCA Living Stereo LM-1900 (mono or Classic Records stereo) Charles Munch, Boston Symphony Orchestra
• RCA Living Stereo LSC-2608 Charles Munch, Boston Symphony Orchestra
• Reference Recordings RR-11 (2 LP set) Varujan Krojian, Utah Symphony Orchestra
• Westminster WL-5268 (mono) Hermann Scherchen, London Symphony Orchestra

Johannes Brahms

Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68

• Columbia SAXF 5001 (French pressing, boxed set) Otto Klemperer, Philharmonia Orchestra
• Decca LXT 5292 (mono) Josef Krips, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
• Decca SXL 6796 Zubin Mehta, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
• EMI ASD 2401 Sir John Barbirolli, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
• EMI ASD 2871 (also in EMI SLS 5009 boxed set) Sir Adrian Boult, London Philharmonic Orchestra
• EMI CFP 131 (EMI ASD 350) Rudolf Kempe, Berlin Philharmonic
• Regal SREG 1017 (EMI ASD 350) Rudolf Kempe, Berlin Philharmonic
• World Record Club T464 Franz Konwitschny, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra

Claude Debussy

La Mer

• Columbia SAX 2463 Carlo Maria Giulini, Philharmonia Orchestra
• Columbia SAX 2532 George Szell, Cleveland Orchestra
• Decca LW 5267 (mono) Ernest Ansermet, L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
• Decca Phase Four PFS 4220 Leopold Stokowski, London Symphony Orchestra
• Deutsche Grammophon SLPM 138 923 Herbert von Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
• HMV ALP 1228 (mono) Guido Cantelli, Philharmonia Orchestra
• London CS 6024 (Decca SDD 214) Ernest Ansermet, L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
• Mercury Living Presence SR 90010 Paul Paray, Detroit Symphony Orchestra
• Philips 9500 359 Bernard Haitink, Concertgebouw Orchestra, Amsterdam

Edward Elgar

Enigma Variations

• Contour Classics 2870 440 Norman Del Mar, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
• Decca ACL 55 (mono) Sir Adrian Boult, London Symphony Orchestra
• Decca SXL 6795 (London CS 6984) Sir Georg Solti, Chicago Symphony Orchestra
• Deutsche Grammophon 2530 586 Eugen Jochum, London Symphony Orchestra
• EMI HMV ALP 1464 Sir Edward Elgar, Royal Albert Hall Orchestra
• EMI HMV ASD 548 Sir John Barbirolli, Philharmonia Orchestra
• EMI HMV ASD 2750 Sir Adrian Boult, London Symphony Orchestra
• EMI HMV SXLP 20007 Sir Malcolm Sargent, Philharmonia Orchestra
• Lyrita SRCS 77 Andrew Davis, New Philharmonia Orchestra
• Philips 6500 481 Bernard Haitink, Concertgebouw Orchestra, Amsterdam
• Pye Records GSGC 4057 Sir John Barbirolli, Halle Orchestra
• RCA Living Stereo LSC-2418 (SB 2108 or VICS 1107) Pierre Monteux, London Symphony Orchestra
• World Record Club WRC ST 158 (EMI CFP 40022) Sir Adrian Boult, London Philharmonic Orchestra

Igor Stravinsky

The Rite of Spring (Le Sacre du Printemps)

• CBS MS 6010 Leonard Bernstein, New York Philharmonic
• CBS MS 6319 Igor Stravinsky, Columbia Symphony Orchestra
• CBS S 72804 (German pressing) (MS 7293) Pierre Boulez, Cleveland Orchestra
• Decca SXL 6691 (or London CS 6885) Sir Georg Solti, Chicago Symphony Orchestra
• EMI/HMV ASD 313 (or EMI CFP 129 or Regal SREG 1024) Igor Markevitch, Philharmonia Orchestra
• Mercury Living Presence SR 90253 Antal Dorati, Minneapolis Symphony

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Violin Concerto in D

• Columbia/CBS MS 6298 David Oistrakh, Eugene Ormandy/Philadelphia Orchestra
• Columbia SAX 2323 (WRC ST562) Leonid Kogan, Constantin Silvestri/Paris Conservatoire Orchestra
• Crossroads 22 16 0224 (WRC R-00066) Hyman Bress, Sir Adrian Boult/London Philharmonic Orchestra
• Decca LXT 2970 (mono) (ACL 25) Mischa Elman, Sir Adrian Boult/London Philharmonic Orchestra
• Decca SXL 2279 (London CS 6215) Ruggiero Ricci, Sir Malcolm Sargent/London Symphony Orchestra
• Decca SXL 6493 (London CS 6710) Kyung-Wha Chung, Andre Previn/London Symphony Orchestra
• Deutsche Grammophon SLPM 139028 Christian Ferras, Herbert von Karajan/Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
• Deutsche Grammophon 2532 001 Gidon Kremer, Lorin Maazel/Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
• Deutsche Grammophon 419 241-1 Anne Sophie-Mutter, Herbert von Karajan/Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
• EMI ASD 2813 Igor Oistrakh, David Oistrakh/Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra
• London CS 6011 (Decca SXL 2029 or SPA 183) Alfredo Campoli, Ataulfo Argenta/London Symphony Orchestra
• Philips SGL 5815 (Fontana SFL 14059) Michele Auclair, Robert Wagner/Innsbruck State Symphony Orchestra
• RCA Living Stereo LSC-2129 Jascha Heifetz, Fritz Reiner/Chicago Symphony Orchestra
• RCA Red Seal Dynagroove LSC-3014 Itzhak Perlman, Eric Leinsdorf/Boston Symphony Orchestra
• Remington R-19920 (mono) Michele Auclair, Kurt Woss/Austrian Symphony Orchestra
• Westminster WST 14017 Erica Morini, Artur Rodzinski/Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra of London
• World Record Club ST 574 (Capitol SP 8512) Nathan Milstein, William Steinberg/Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra