Best Beethoven Symphonies? Karajan?

I agree with that. You can buy a remastered version of this set which sounds pretty good. Also, you could try Furtwängler with Vienna Philharmonic or Klemperer with Philharmonia Orchestra.

I would also agree and own two copies, one of which I would be willing to sell. Contact me if interested ..........tswhitsel@aol.com

Furtwaengler, Toscanini, 63 and ONLY 63 Karajan, yes, Solti, Bruno Walter, especially the 6th, Abbado with the Berlin Philharmonics is a revelation musically, but the recording, DGG on DDD is pretty awful, his rendering however of practically all symphonies is so exceptional, that you soon forget about the bad sonics. Cheers,

The usual suspects above are all very very good. You won't be disapointed in any of them.

My sleeper recording is the complete set recorded by Walter Weller with the City of Birmingham Orchestra on Chandos (and available from the Musical Heritage Society). Weller's pace and expression on all the symphonies just seems right to me. The CD set also has an extra recorded track of music many historians believe is the first movement of a 10th symphony.

Thanks Sugarbrie, must hunt this up. Am very familiar with Weller as a violinist, love especially his playing in Schubert's Quintet in C, didn't know he took to conducting later, like most of his breed. Cheers,

Detlof....Weller is a popular conductor of the Beethoven Society in Vienna, so I am not the only one who likes his conducting and interpretation.

...and even if you were, Sugarbrie, the set is already on its way to me, (-: Cheers,