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.
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
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
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