[net.records] Results of Beethoven Symphony Poll and personal choices

gayde (03/11/83)

     Sorry to have taken so long to reply.  There were only 4 responses to
my query about favorite Beethoven symphony recordings.  The recordings
mentioned most often are:

	1) Mono: Toscanini
	2) Stereo: Karajan and Szell
	3) Overall: A virtual tie among the above 3 conductors

My own personal preferences include the following:
	Symphony	Conductor/Orchestra
	--------	-------------------
	1,4,8		Many good performances, including:
			Bernstein/Vienna Phil.
			Karajan/Berlin Phil.
			Szell/Cleveland Orch.
			Jochum/London Symphony or Concertgebouw Orch.
			Toscanini/NBC Symphony

	2		Haitink/London Phil.
			Bernstein/Vienna Phil.
			Karajan/Berlin Phil.
			Monteux/London Symphony
			Toscanini/NBC Symphony

	3		Toscanini/NBC Symphony
			Haitink/London Phil.
			Giulini/Los Angeles Phil. (very different)
			Szell/Cleveland Orch.

	5		Carlos Kleiber/Vienna Phil.
			Jochum/London Symphony
			Toscanini/NBC Symphony
			Szell/Cleveland Orch.

	6		Haitink/London Phil.
			Karajan/Berlin Phil.

	7		Casals/Marlboro Festival Orch.
			Toscanini/NBC Symphony
			    "    /New York Phil.
			
	9		Karajan/Berlin Phil.
			Weingartner/Vienna Phil.
			Jochum/London Symphony
			Bernstein/Vienna Phil.
			Stokowski/London Symphony
			Furtwangler/Bayreuth Festival Orch.
			Szell/Cleveland Orch.

	Complete Set	Karajan/Berlin Phil.
			Toscanini/NBC Symphony
			Szell/Cleveland Orch.
			Bernstein/Vienna Phil.
			Furtwangler/Various orchestras (mainly Berlin Phil.)
			Weingartner/Various orchestras (mainly Vienna Phil.)

	Sets to AVOID	Bernstein/New York Phil.
			Ormandy/Philadelphia Orch.
			Ansermet/Suisse Romande Orch.

These are all that come to mind now. I have heard most of these recordings
and I own many of them.  Some of these choices are based on reviews I have
read.  If anyone wants to discuss my choices or add his/her own preferences
either mail to me or post to the net if it is of general interest.

			Peter Gayde
			Western Electric
			Naperville, IL
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