Discovering Beethoven and recordings

[Jens]

I've been reading a lot of your interesting messages lately and it seems to me you guys really know about different recordings of Beethoven music.
Now, a month ago, I've decided to listen very intensively and carefully to all Beethoven symphonies.
I borrowed the recordings from the Leonard Berstein Edition and listened to the symphonies 1 to 4. But the rest of the CD's were heavily damaged and I couldn't properly listen to the remaining symphonies.
So I was obliged to find another recording of all the symphonies, and now I ended up with the Von Karajan-Berliner Ph. Edition. Now I'm up to symph. n.6.
This experience thought me that the recording and interpretation really matter in discovering music.

Now, I wanted to ask what recording of the symphonies you recommend for a first discovery of this music?

(English is not my own language, so if you find any mispelled words or grammatical mishaps, don't feel alarmed.)

[Peter]

If you've been following our messages you'll know that there are strong opinions when it comes to the many different recordings available. I first heard these Symphonies as a boy in the 1970's and I cannot for the life of me tell you who the conductors or orchestras were, but I can say the music itself started my love affair with Beethoven that continues to this day.

My own preference now is for period instruments and I'll list some suggestions below - However I think if you are coming to these works for the first time it is important that you choose the approach that you like most - i.e if you don't like the sound of authentic instruments then it is better at this stage to choose a version on modern instruments. Your tastes will change and develop anyway with time, but getting to know the works first is what counts to begin with. Some people cannot bare authentic instruments, others cannot bare anything else - I am somewhere in the middle!

Anyhow here are my recommendations -

Complete Symphonies - Chamber orchestra of Europe / Harnoncourt ( Teldec 2292-46452-2 )

Complete Symphonies - Franz Brüggen, The Orchestra of the 18th century (Philips)

The Hanover band - probably the most reasonably priced.

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'Man know thyself'