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Mozart Symphony 41
Posted by Noah Tunell on December 7, 2023, 12:24 am
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
Re: Mozart Symphony 41
Posted by Ralph Moore on December 7, 2023, 10:45 am, in reply to "Mozart Symphony 41"
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
Re: Mozart Symphony 41
Posted by Noah Tunell on December 7, 2023, 3:09 pm, in reply to "Re: Mozart Symphony 41"
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
Re: Mozart Symphony 41
Posted by Terence on December 9, 2023, 12:14 pm, in reply to "Mozart Symphony 41"
Hello
I know this is late, and it is hard to have just one Mozart 41. If I had to run into a burning building, I think I would come out with Andrew Manze's or Riccardo Minasi's recordings. Or the latest Pomo d'Oras Emelyanychev's. Don't know why, but it seems I am inclined to the more recent recordings.
Previous Message
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
Re: Mozart Symphony 41
Posted by Jeffrey Lague on December 9, 2023, 9:30 pm, in reply to "Mozart Symphony 41"
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.
Previous Message
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
Re: Mozart Symphony 41
Posted by Ralph Moore on December 10, 2023, 4:46 am, in reply to "Re: Mozart Symphony 41"
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"?
Previous Message
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.
Previous Message
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
Re: Mozart Symphony 41
Posted by Jeffrey Lague on December 10, 2023, 12:40 pm, in reply to "Re: Mozart Symphony 41"
Well, you've stated part of the problem itself in the last sentence; Noah Tunnell is not at all specific in what he requires from a performance and I for one have no idea whether he likes "Big Bands" , chamber orchestras, period instruments or whether he doesn't really care very much. Does he want a modern recording or is a vintage re-issue acceptable to his ears? Considering his admitted limited resources directing him to a top-price issue of a collection of Mozart symphonies might not be a solution to what he is looking for. 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.
Previous Message
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"?
Previous Message
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.
Previous Message
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
Re: Mozart Symphony 41
Posted by Ralph Moore on December 10, 2023, 2:03 pm, in reply to "Re: Mozart Symphony 41"
Jeffrey, I cannot help but observe that, given the number of surveys I have produced for pleasure, having "trawled" through as many recordings of some works as I can find, there is a certain irony in accusing me of all people of finding the task onerous or unrewarding. Evidently you find such activity pointless if there is no such thing as a "best" recording, so I guess you can avoid the burden of reading them, having much experience of your own; in any case, I often going out of my way to emphasise that my recommendations are inevitably personal - but at least based on that same experience and some knowledge. Noah has a starting point and will soon make his own judgement.
Previous Message
Well, you've stated part of the problem itself in the last sentence; Noah Tunnell is not at all specific in what he requires from a performance and I for one have no idea whether he likes "Big Bands" , chamber orchestras, period instruments or whether he doesn't really care very much. Does he want a modern recording or is a vintage re-issue acceptable to his ears? Considering his admitted limited resources directing him to a top-price issue of a collection of Mozart symphonies might not be a solution to what he is looking for. 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.
Previous Message
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"?
Previous Message
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.
Previous Message
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
Re: Mozart Symphony 41
Posted by Jeffrey Lague on December 10, 2023, 5:28 pm, in reply to "Re: Mozart Symphony 41"
Then why should you suggest that "trawling" through half a dozen performances on You Tube of a Mozart symphony should, in any way, be an onerous task for anyone else? If Mr. Tunell was to receive a dozen different recommendations for the "Best" recording of the Jupiter Symphony in this thread the only way he might evaluate the suggestions given to him would be to trawl through the history of each contributor making a recommendation to try to discover what they know about the subject that enables them to make a "best" recommendation - a far more onerous task, I would have thought, than listening to music by Mozart and making up his own mind as to what he likes best which was the purpose of my original suggestion, which appears to have been rubbished.
When I was a school boy I used to buy The Gramophone magazine but I often overlooked the top recommendations and bought on the grounds of what I could afford from my pocket money, favourite artist or even the attractions of a pretty picture on the record sleeve (Philips Classical Favourites were particularly alluring in this respect). We had nothing like You Tube back then where we could listen and compare recordings, the only option being to camp-out in a booth at HMV and to ask the pretty assistant to bring various recordings to play....too much of which usually brought out the ugly side of her personality.
My first recording of the Jupiter cost ten bob.. I believe the label was Opus..and I'm sure the performers were pseudonymous. I got to know the symphony through the record and it has done me no lasting damage. I truly think that Noah Tunell could do a lot worse to acquire a fine version of this symphony than to go to Amazon, choose a version by a reputable orchestra and conductor with a coupling that appeals to him and buy the cheapest used copy of it that is on offer.
Previous Message
Jeffrey, I cannot help but observe that, given the number of surveys I have produced for pleasure, having "trawled" through as many recordings of some works as I can find, there is a certain irony in accusing me of all people of finding the task onerous or unrewarding. Evidently you find such activity pointless if there is no such thing as a "best" recording, so I guess you can avoid the burden of reading them, having much experience of your own; in any case, I often going out of my way to emphasise that my recommendations are inevitably personal - but at least based on that same experience and some knowledge. Noah has a starting point and will soon make his own judgement.
Previous Message
Well, you've stated part of the problem itself in the last sentence; Noah Tunnell is not at all specific in what he requires from a performance and I for one have no idea whether he likes "Big Bands" , chamber orchestras, period instruments or whether he doesn't really care very much. Does he want a modern recording or is a vintage re-issue acceptable to his ears? Considering his admitted limited resources directing him to a top-price issue of a collection of Mozart symphonies might not be a solution to what he is looking for. 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.
Previous Message
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"?
Previous Message
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.
Previous Message
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
Re: Mozart Symphony 41
Posted by Noah Tunell on December 10, 2023, 9:31 pm, in reply to "Re: Mozart Symphony 41"
I probably should clarify that I was only asking for favorites, as there is obviously no "best" recording of something like this. I do prefer big bands in classical music, but to me tempi on the fast side seem better in Mozart. I think that a recording in listenable stereo is ideal, but not if a mono recording is of significantly higher quality. (For example, my favorite Beethoven symphony cycle is Furtwangler's) I just wanted some suggestions as there are hundreds to sift through and I was at a loss for where to start. Thanks
Previous Message
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"?
Previous Message
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.
Previous Message
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
Re: Mozart Symphony 41
Posted by Mike Hardy on December 11, 2023, 8:56 am, in reply to "Re: Mozart Symphony 41"
Hi Noah
If you are of a Furtwangler ilk in Beethoven then do try Bruno Walter's "traditional" version. Lively and very good! Sony "twofer" with 3 other great performances.
Previous Message
I probably should clarify that I was only asking for favorites, as there is obviously no "best" recording of something like this. I do prefer big bands in classical music, but to me tempi on the fast side seem better in Mozart. I think that a recording in listenable stereo is ideal, but not if a mono recording is of significantly higher quality. (For example, my favorite Beethoven symphony cycle is Furtwangler's) I just wanted some suggestions as there are hundreds to sift through and I was at a loss for where to start. Thanks
Previous Message
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"?
Previous Message
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.
Previous Message
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
Re: Mozart Symphony 41
Posted by Jeffrey Lague on December 11, 2023, 12:22 pm, in reply to "Re: Mozart Symphony 41"
Well, now we know you a little better it, at least, enables contributors to narrow down the field otherwise it's like selling somebody a suit without taking the measurements.
I have to say that I like Charles Mackerras' approach to Mozart that treads a middle-ground between the rather heavy old-fashioned style of a conductor like Bohm and the period instrument performers. Mackerras was a scholarly conductor but he was also, at the same time, one who could make performances "live." He appears to have recorded the Jupiter twice; once with the LPO (which I haven't heard) and once with the Prague Chamber Orchestra (a fine orchestra that doesn't sound in the least undernourished or small-scale). I have Mackerras' complete Mozart Symphonies box but I see , on Amazon, they are selling the Jupiter coupled with no.40 in 17 used copies starting at £1.03....just the thing for someone on a budget if you should choose to purchase this version.
You are right, the only person who could issue a "Best" recommendation with any authority is the composer himself and Mozart hasn't been around for some time. If a latter-day Rosemary Brown was able to contact him I have a sneaking feeling he would say he didn't care much for any of the recordings on offer. I also think, if we were able to hear how Mozart was played in the style and under the conditions of his day we wouldn't be very impressed with the results. If you decide to chose a version from the recommendations that are listed here I still think it's a good idea if you could find a sample of it on the internet to try to determine if that's the one you want for your collection.
Previous Message
I probably should clarify that I was only asking for favorites, as there is obviously no "best" recording of something like this. I do prefer big bands in classical music, but to me tempi on the fast side seem better in Mozart. I think that a recording in listenable stereo is ideal, but not if a mono recording is of significantly higher quality. (For example, my favorite Beethoven symphony cycle is Furtwangler's) I just wanted some suggestions as there are hundreds to sift through and I was at a loss for where to start. Thanks
Previous Message
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"?
Previous Message
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.
Previous Message
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
Re: Mozart Symphony 41
Posted by John Quinn on December 11, 2023, 12:36 pm, in reply to "Re: Mozart Symphony 41" Edited by board administrator December 11, 2023, 12:37 pm
I agree with you about the benefits of sampling recordings on line. I've always found Presto Classical's site very helpful in this regard.
Re: Mozart Symphony 41
Posted by Jeffrey Lague on December 11, 2023, 5:23 pm, in reply to "Re: Mozart Symphony 41"
That's a very informative and enthusiastic review. It's almost persuaded me to break last January's New Year Resolution and add another version of Mozart's symphonies to my collection.
It will be interesting to know which version of the Jupiter Noah eventually decides to add to his collection.