A Tale of Two Nines

[Mike - H]

I'm looking for recommendations for Dvoraks Ninth and Beethovens ninth on CD. I'm trying to keep my classical collection to CD if pos.

Cheers guys

Mike

[Andrei]

Some pieces are very interpretation dependent, but IMHO the Dvořák is not one of them. I would buy on price and recording quality. LvB's ninth is another kettle of fish. There are some great recordings out there but the tension Chailly (Gewandhaus Orchestra) brings to the game makes it the one for me. (I have Chailly, Barenboim, Harancourt, Norrington, Gardiner, Abbado, Wand, Scholz on CD and others on LP).

[ls2019]

Hi Mike,

Dvorak: Kertesz/London Symphony (Decca) and Kubelik/Berlin Phil (Deutsche Grammophon) are my favorite. Kertesz furthermore benefits from the warm, full-bodied Decca sound of the early 60s. Both have recorded complete sets of the symphonies that can be found for cheap.

Beethoven: too many to choose from! I second Chailly/Gewandhaus among the recent recordings, a very dramatic reading. Harnoncourt/COEurope or Zinman/Tonhalle Zurich if you like an even more "modern", rythmical and tensed approach. Among the older recordings, Bohm/Wiener Phil or Fricsay/Berlin Phil are both excellent, the former more "hieratic", the latter more emotional IMHO.

Hope this helps,
Luca

[Mike - H]

Thanks guy, I bought the Chailly and the Karel Ancerl Dvorak, Both very good from first impressions.

[Desmo]

I'm looking for recommendations for Dvoraks Ninth and Beethovens ninth on CD. I'm trying to keep my classical collection to CD if pos.

Cheers guys

Mike

You really should try Furtwängler's Berlin 1942 performance, some say "perhaps the greatest Beethoven 9 ever"

http://www.pristineclassical.com/pasc250.html

His Wagner recordings are worth seeking out too!