I used to dislike this symphony because my first recording was the Knappertsbusch Munich recording.
Then I heard a performance of the scherzo on the radio and I said, I like this. It turned out to be Karajan's EMI recording. My next encounter was in 1978 when I entered a record shop I had once worked in - John Clements - and the start of the finale erupted over rather good speakers. I was mesmerised. It turned out to be the Jochum Dresden recording. I then fell under the influence of a Furtwangler fanatic and he convinced me that THE great recording is the 1944, and, for the record, I believe the two 1949 performances aren't that far behind. I've just downloaded the 1954 performance from Classical music online and will listen to it later today. All in all, my favourite set of the 9 is the Dresden Jochum.
I largely agree with your assessments of performances of number 8, though I still find Karajan's rocks too smooth and slippery. Your description of the Celibidache, Szell, Solti, Klemperer, and early Haitink performances is spot on. However, I totally disagree with your love of the Mravinsky recording. I listened to it once and made the observation that like many Mravinsky performances, everything is too rough and blatant. Once again, it simply must be a 'sensibility' thing, I have the same reaction to much of Solti's work. I admire your work, Lee.
Message Thread | This response ↓
« Back to index | View thread »
Thank you for taking part in the MusicWeb International Forum.
Len Mullenger - Founder of MusicWeb