OK, I know that this is an impossible question, at least for some of us. (Some folks will know the answer right off, though.) And I know that the ultimate results may not mean much (but maybe they will). The people who read this blog (the blognescenti) are outliers, after all.
So, if you’re like me, and love them all, how should you answer? A couple of suggestions. Name the one you’d most like to have on the proverbial desert island for the rest of your life. Or name the one you’d most like to hear next, either at home or in concert. Or name the one which you have a special soft spot for, an underdog among The Nine perhaps. That’s what I’m doing.
Then, after you answer the poll — perhaps the more interesting part. In the comments section, name your favorite recording of the symphony you chose. (I have several, but I’ll just name one.) We might end up with a very interesting list of recordings. I hope so.
I’m off for a while on furlough and vacation. You can argue amongst yourselves.
previously: a ten-year-old talks about practicing; take a poll
I like the Eroica for all the reasons Mencken gave.
Symphony No. 4: Bayerisches Staatsorchester, Carlos Kleiber, conductor. Live recording. Orfeo.
Sym. No 7.
No favorite recording. Many happy memories of live performances. Right now, this is the only one that I would travel to hear.
My vote goes for Beethoven’s 7th: London Symphony Orchestra; Pierre Monteux, conductor.
This is a tough one. Let’s try to solve it by a very cruel method of elimination.
There was a joke among musical students that went like this: Professor asking - “How many symphonies has Beethoven written?”, and Student answering - “Three - Third, Fifth and Ninth!”. So, these three, being the most popular, are thus eliminated.
The First is still slightly Haydnesque and not fully Beethoven yet - eliminated. The Second is great. The Fourth is great. The Sixth is more like a Suite than a Symphony - eliminated. The Seventh is great. The Eighth is great.
Now i have to choose between four of them: 2, 4, 7, 8.
Probably the Seventh - it is simply unbeatable. But the other three are still absolutely wonderful.
The recording - depending on my mood, either Berlin Phil with Karajan from the 1960s for superb quality of playing or Zurich Tonhalle with Zinman from the 1990s for stylistic clarity of interpretation.
My vote goes to Beethoven’s Fifth as recorded and conducted by Carlos Kleiber & VPO. The Fifth isn’t for casual listening or playing in the car; it requires the attention of ear, heart and soul.
My favorite Beethoven symphony? Why, the Brahms First, of course!
My impulse is, like Tim’s, to say the Fourth, probably with the Eighth coming in second. I have a great affection for the smaller-scale LvB symphonies, and adore the First and Second.
The problem would be that I am so completely in love with certain individual movements from the other symphonies: slow movement of the Fifth, scherzo of the Ninth. I have a weird antipathy to the Sixth and Seventh, however. I liked the Seventh better before I heard it live twice in a single year, once with Hugh Wolff and the Berkeley Symphony, one in an insanely hectoring performance by Sakari Oramu at SFS.
It was between the 7th and the 4th, the latter in the category of “most underappreciated.” Ultimately and to be honest it was the 7th I could not do without. However, the 4th is the greatest underappreciated symphony of Beethoven. Why? It is very urbane and sophisticated, mercurial and in the witty spirit of Mozart but stylistically more modern in feel, and it puts the lie to the notion that Beethoven was only a “rough-shod” or rhetorical composer.
Recordings? Kleiber’s on both cases.
Number 8. No other comes close. The earliest example of proto-minimalism.
How about a poll on our _least_ favorite Beethoven symphony?
For me the 9th, and the Furtwängler ‘51. A special experience hearing it in my teens and it still holds up whenever I play it again. Next best, and utterly different, the Weingartner ‘35.
My favorite recordings are of the 7th with Giulini and the Chicago Symphony and Kurt Sanderling conducting the 4th and 8th symphonies with the Philharmonia.
My “desert island” Beethoven symphony is the 3rd, and since
I am old-fashioned and a nerd, my favorite conductor of same is
Toscanini (recording.)
For my pick of the Eroica, I would choose Szell and the Clevelanders.
Weingartner 9th - now there’s something I wouldn’t mind hearing.
Which of the Symphonies did Mengelberg record? I would expect those to be tremendous, if they exist.
The Eroica is my favorite Beethoven symphony, but I can’t say it’s my favorite recorded Beethoven symphony. That would have to be the famous Kleiber 5th/7th on DG …
As the song says-”When I’m not near the Beethoven Symphony I love, I love the one I’m near”. Or “Love the one you’re with”. Yes, a total copout!
Toscanini, Klemperor,(even Lenny’s ),Furtwangler, Von Karajan, Giulini.
And, possibly the one by Dudamel I’ll hear in the coming years
My favorite Beethoven symphony is…the last one I heard. But seriously- the Eroica with the Czech Philharmonic-conducted by Lovro von Matacic.
Mengelberg recorded all the Beethoven symphonies . There are a couple versions with the Concertgebouw from the late 30’s and early 40’s. Also an Eroica and #1 with whatever the NY Philharmonic called itself in 1930.
Okay, I changed my mind. Not really. But I thought I would add the 5th with Giulini and the LA Phil as a big favorite. And yes, it was the last one I heard.
If Craig’s posting, I am too! I already voted for the Eroica; so many recordings are really disappointing, but… Szell/Cleveland is great, and an old Philips with Colin Davis and the BBC Symphony has the BEST horns. Pentatone, please!
I love them all, of course, but I went with the 5th. Two recordings stick out as my favorites: Kleiber/Vienna and Giulini/LA Phil.
Agree whole-heartedly. I think these are THE two recordings. If I only had to pick one, I’d say the Kleiber/VPO recording — easily on the list of my “desert island” Top 10 of any genre.
That said, I love the contrasting take Giulini had in the LA Phil recording. For anyone who is a fan of that version, you really must read Alan Rich’s discussion in his book “So I’ve Heard” of Giulini working on the symphony again after putting it away for many years. It will give you an even better appreciation of various interpretations of the piece and of Giulini’s particular approach.
Thanks to everyone who responded. Would anyone care to recommend recordings of the First, Second and Sixth symphonies? (We have recommendations for all the rest.) Then we would have a complete list of great recordings of The Nine. If no one replies, I’ll recommend some on my own. But I’d rather hear from you all.
Monteux and the Vienna Philharmonic for the Pastoral. A really beautiful perfomance.
I wonder if there’s any hope of having a DG - iTunes release of the recent Dudamel/LA Phil performance of the 6th.
I love that whole set of Monteux Beethoven symphonies, with Vienna and London orchestras. Thanks for reminding me of that great Sixth, Keith.
For the 2nd, I love the recording of Klemperer and Philharmonia.
For the Pastoral, I really like the recent one with Rattle and Vienna. Also, there is a rare performance with Kleiber and the Bavarian State Opera Orchestra. It’s live from the only time he conducted the symphony. He takes a cut in the 3rd movement making the movement only 2:48!