The idea of a "Best" recording is a rather tenuous one anyway, and what we are likely to get is a number of favourite recordings of individual contributors , whose reasons - if given at all - might not chime with the tastes of the enquirer.
Considering the number of recordings that exist of this symphony the potential for recommendations is great and so, how can a choice of one recording be made from all those...with a pin ?
I would have expected somebody who is going to make a recommendation for a "best" recording to have "Trawled" through endless recordings before doing so whether on their hi-fi equipment or on YouTube, anyway. If the idea of listening to multiple versions of a great piece of music is regarded as trawling it doesn't speak well for the nature of the reviewer's task.
With so many great and fine conductors and orchestra having recorded this work it's highly unlikely that , even taking pot-luck, you'll find a really sub-standard one. I think Noah Tunell might well find a good one just by taking pot-luck if he doesn't want to spend an hour or two actually listening to music on an easily-available website rather than reading the words that others have written about it.
All very well for the seasoned collector who, as you say, already has many versions, to suggest that, and I do it myself, but if someone asks for guidance it's because there are indeed dozens if versions and it might be useful to know where to start, especially if only only one recording is sought - otherwise, what's the point in writing and reading reviews if we're just going to trawl through endless recordings on YouTube for ourselves? For a start, "period" or "traditional Big Band"?
The sort of thread that's liable to be filled with the favourite version of others and to potentially leave any interested parties none-the-wiser about which one to chose to add to a collection. My idea is to go to YouTube where there are a number of versions available that you can sample and to decide which one most appeals to you before you fork out on something you want to keep.
I must have around a dozen versions in my own library recorded by some of the greatest conductors of the last seventy or more years and really wouldn't be able to chose or evaluate a "Best" version from among them.
I am looking for recommendations for a best recording of Mozart's symphony 41. I don't have the resources to buy multiple versions, so I was hoping for some ideas. Thanks
Message Thread
« Back to index | View thread »
Thank you for taking part in the MusicWeb International Forum.
Len Mullenger - Founder of MusicWeb