Most achingly-beautiful music

Hello Detlof, I have not listened to the Abbado Beethoven cycle, but I think that while Karajan was not exactly suited to Ravel, he really understood Ludwig Van in the first Stereo DGG cycle.
Carlos Kleiber had an outstanding 5 & 7 on DGG back in 75, that most critics praised as THE ONE. It is outstanding, and yet,and yet, I still cant let go of the Karajan magic on the 1963 cycle.
Do you or anyone here care to comment on the great Mahler symphonies? (1,2,3).
My choices are Horensten,(1st & 3rd, and what a third!!!!!on UNICORN LP & CD).
Bernstein, Kaplan( not a conductor per say, but a man who studied the "Resurrection" ad infinitum and probably knows more about the Mahler 2nd than even Lenny did. Produced an incredibly good 2nd on MCA records with libretto notes not found anywhere)...and Walter on the 2nd.
Solti also had an outstanding 1st on Decca. Good to see this place alive again. .........Frank

Hello Frap. It is indeed good to to see this place alive an kicking again. I wholeheartedly agree with you about the early von Karajan renderings of LvB. I could never really warm to the Kleiber, whereas I loved Reiner's Eroica and the Pastorale, which he did with the CSO. You make me curious about the Horenstein Maler, which I never had the chance to hear. I'll go hunting for Unicorns though I suppose, as in the fairytales, they are rare beasts indeed!

PIA' s Benediction Moon record. It's an spiritual experience and she has such a beautiful voice. If you like Enya go for this one.

Bach's Mass in B Minor does it for me. How can I ever forget seeing/hearing it performed in the church Handel attended in London. Check out #7, "Gratias agimus tibi"...it starts simply with the chorus and builds from there, adding tympani and trumpets by the closing forte. You would swear the angels had graced you with a brief appearance in your listening room.

Not so well known is Scriabin's Piano Concerto in F Sharp Minor. If you're partial to piano concerti and haven't heard this yet, I can't recommend it too strongly...as beautiful as anything by Rachmaninoff. I have it with Vladimir Ashkenazy, London 414 252-2 (CD).

Anything by Puccini works for me. I wish everyone could hear Jose Cura sing "Ch'ella mi Creda" from La Fanciulla del West, an extraordinarily powerful aria.

re, Mahler: Hello Frap & Detlof, my personal conclusions:

1st-- Walter/ N.Y.Phil. (Sony)
2nd-- Klemperer/ Philharmonia (EMI-Great Recordings...etc NOT the Concertgebouw-Decca)
3rd-- Adler/ Vienna S O (ORF)
4th-- Walter/ Vienna Philharmonic (Urania - must exist on other labels too)
5th+6th-- Barbirolli/ Philharmonia (EMI, etc)
7th-- Barbirolli/ Halle Prch (BBC Legends)
8th-- Horenstein/LSO (BBC Legends)
9th-- Bernstein/Berliner (Deutsche G)
10th--Bernstein/Vienna Phil. (Deutsche G)

6th-- Horenstein & Kubelik (with the Bavarian S O) also offer (to me) interesting versions.

Cheers!