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What are your TWO favorite Symphonic Recordings?

Only one would cruel and unusual punishment.

My first would be Joseph Krips 1958 recording of Schubert's 9th on London with the London SO.There was a CD of it as well
which is also OP I believe. If you can find either it or the record at anything under a $1OO its a good buy. Personally
I would give 2K for one if I didn't have a copy.
More than once I've read a critic claim this was the greatest record ever made. The LSO was at the top of its game and gave
this uber- powerful symphony a power-house performance.

My second is the 1976 recording of the Brahms 2nd by James Levine and the Chicago SO in the acoustically wonderful Medina Temple in Chicago. Originally it was on RCA but can be had on Amazon as part of Sony Classical 3 disc set of all Brahm'4 symphonies and his great masterpiece the "German Requiem" for less than 15 bucks ! Very nice sound as well.
Levine does a near-miracle in capturing the 2nd Symphonys combo of power , lyricism and harmonic stability all at the same time.
Of all the great Romantic composers Brahms was the most learned, he literally had the music of 4 centuries at his fingertips, knew every note of Bach, Mozart, Schubert and Beethoven. It took me 30 years of listening before I really
got a glimmer of just how great he is.

A few words of Brahms on Schubert;

"Where else is there a genius like his,that soars with such
boldness and certainty ...he is a child of the Gods...who plays in a region and at a height to which others can by no means attain .
schubert

Showing 1 response by chowkwan

chowkwan
167 posts
 
I'm sorry but I cannot get into the Krips 58 Schubert Ninth finding it oddly mannered with weird phrasing. Compare with Krips own 53 recording of the Schubert Ninth with the Concertgebouw. The phrasing is simple and straightforward. Unfortunately the recording is closed in compared to the 58. The engineer was Kenneth Wilkinson both times. I find myself in a minority of one because other reviewers praise the 58 without reservation as a masterpiece.

1. The wartime Beethoven Ninth conducted by Furtwangler. The ending alone is worth the price of admission. Positively hair raising.

2. For modern sonics, Holst's Planets conducted by Mehta. On Mars you will feel you are about to be invaded. 
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