Furtwangler's 9th on Arkipel.

Try Furtwangler's AMAZING 1942 (wartime) LvB 9th with BPO. The recording's sonics are simply horrendous, but the performance's sense of anticipation, intensity/ferocity, & emotional impact is absolutely 2nd to none.

I'd also highly recommend Furtwangler's 1951 LvB 9th with Bayreuth Festival Orchestra (more so than his 1954 version with Philharmonia Orchestra). This has much better sonics than the 1942 version, but i'd definitely go with the wartime version if i was only to pick one.

depends if one places greater weight on performance or recording/mastering/sonic quality. uninspired performances typically put me to Zzzzzz (even if they're being performed live), so i'd always go with interesting & inspired performances.

the Furtwangler performances were recorded 60-70 yrs ago (this roughly translates into 2 to 4 "generations" of listeners). their longevity alone speaks volumes.

lots of good LvB 9th out there. look elsewhere if you want a recording to show off your hifi.

i've got > 2 dozen recordings of this piece & the irony is i don't even like its choral finale.

hi Rok2id, your "hype & much ado about nothing" remark is interesting since it seems more befitting the SACD, DVD-A & other proprietary hi-res formats (but this is an entirely different discussion).

Yes. I've never gotten into the 4th movement... Perhaps it's just too overplayed, or maybe it's a German-opera thing?! (i've several Wagner Ring cycles - 2 by Solti, & another by Böhm, but also can't seem to muster the patience to finish each piece either). I find the first 3 movements (of LvB's 9th) thoroughly enjoyable tho.

On SACD format, the trend towards music downloads & p.c. playback does not bode well for proprietary hi-res formats (not to mention improvements in redbook by way of SHM-CDs, K2 mastering, etc.). Hope Sony will open up the DSD source. It'd be a waste for this technology (& my many SACDs) to go down the path of the betamex / laser disc / etc.

P.s.: Furtwangler's wartime concert with BPO was performed (grudgingly by Furtwangler) for Nazi officers at the height of the Nazi propaganda machine... (perhaps one of the reason for the tension, ferocity, & restraint?). Don't think you would hv wanted to be there.