Thread: Post Your Ninths (Beethoven Of Course) by conductor and date

Okay, the rules are if you have a copy, post it. I am only interested in the real Ninth, not the Liszt transcriptions (I have it, it's wonderful, but it's just not the Ninth) or Mahler's re-orchestrations, though I guess you could parenthetically note them. Here are mine so far (all on CD except where noted):

1. Stokowski 1934
2. Weingartner 1935
3. Klemperer 1956
4. Fricsay 1958 (Vinyl)
5. Walter 1959
6. Masur 1974
7. Karajan 1977
8. Maazel 1978
9. Blomstedt 1980
10. Soltii 1984
11. Blomstedt 1985
12. Duvier 1990
13. Gardiner 1992
14. Drahos 1996

If I were to be stuck on a desert island with but one disk, the Duvier performance is quite wonderful.

Well, unless the Klemperer is the same recording it looks like I've none of the above.

In no particular order:

Klemperer (live at RFH) on Testament
von Karajan (60s) on DG
Norrington on EMI/Virgin
Barenboim on Teldec/Warner
Wand (1986) on RCA
Bohm (with VPO c. 1970) on DG

Just some Barenboim recording. I've never enjoyed the 9th in its entirety.

Herreweghe.

Hey, there is a guy at the motor oil site (bobistheoilguy) has this list in order of his preference:

(1)Otto K1emperer
(2)Wilheim Furtwangler
(3)Herb Von Karajan (earlier years, up to mid70s with Berliner Phil)
(4)Carlo Maria Gilini
(5)Rudolf Kempe
(6) Arturo Toscalini
(7)Fritz Reiner

Because I made a similar Thread over there.

Furtwangler '51
Karajan '62
Wand (early '80s I think)
Barenboim '99

That's enough for me at the moment (except for a recording of the Mahler re-orchestration I want to pick up sometime soon). All four are top quality.

I never did fall in love with Beethoven's 9th. I have two recordings.

Karl Bohm's DG album on vinyl, and a CD of the NYPO conducted by Zubin Mehta.

Furtwängler-Bayreuth 1955
Karajan-Berlin 1962 (from Beethoven Symphony Cycle)
Karajan-Berlin late 70s (from 'Symphony Edition')
Solti-Chicago 1987 (from digital cycle)

Karajan (VPO) - 1947
Furt (Luzern) - 1954
Solti - 1972 ?
Harnoncourt - 1991

Strangely enough, I only have this one:

That is pretty cool ComposerofAvantGarde. It would be interesting to see the back cover and/or liner notes.

'72 Solti, '62 HvK, '77 HvK, '61 Szell.

Still gathering them to answer the question correctly...not so strangely, I've got the four Van listed above me; they're kinda standards and all very good to listen to.

I have:
Furtwangler
von Karajan (60's)
Gardiner
Immerseel
Vanska
Paavo Jarvi
Wand
Fricsay
Bernstein (Ode to Freedom - celebrating the fall of the Wall)
Szell

Ok,...so this is after skimming through the mess and is at least 85% of my Ninths:

Siedler-Winkler '23
Stokowski '34
Toscanini '52
Furtwangler '42,'51
Walter '59
Leibowitz '61
Reiner '61
Szell '61
Karajan '62, '77
Bernstein '64, '89
Solti '72
Ozawa '74
Tilson-Thomas '90
Mackerras '91
Gardiner '94
Previn '95
Hogwood '97
Muti '99
Chailly '200?
Krips '08

I've got three on the way as gifts to myself and I've given away many others but these have managed to stay in my collection; some, only because they are on vinyl. My favorite individual ninths include Hogwood, Leibowitz, Gardiner and (despite being heavily bashed by critics, one of my favorites...) Previn.