Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site olivee.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!oliveb!olivee!greg From: greg@olivee.UUCP (Greg Paley) Newsgroups: net.music.classical Subject: Re: Beethoven's Ninth Survey Message-ID: <420@olivee.UUCP> Date: Tue, 16-Jul-85 13:51:08 EDT Article-I.D.: olivee.420 Posted: Tue Jul 16 13:51:08 1985 Date-Received: Thu, 18-Jul-85 06:13:54 EDT References: <2064@ucf-cs.UUCP> Organization: Olivetti ATC; Cupertino, Ca Lines: 16 The two recordings of Beethoven's Ninth that I've found consistently satisfying over some years are the early 50's Toscanini/NBC (on German pressings - avoid the unbearably shrill CD) and the early 70's Solti/ Chicago Symphony (Mobile Fidelity remastering is good, but I preferred the original English Decca - the English Decca and the American London should have been the same, but weren't, at least on my sample copies). I find both of these recordings avoid the excessive slowing down and sentimentalizing that I find disfigure the Walter, Furtwaengler and Karajan recordings (I've heard 4 Karajan's - 3 DGG and 1 EMI) but are still able to communicate all of the necessary inflections of tempo required to enliven the score, as well as being very well played and sung. The Toscanini has poor sound by current standards, but the sound on the Solti need apologize to nobody. - Greg Paley