Beethoven Symphonies - best perf + sonics on CD

I wonder if these choices in orchestra size aren't in many ways based upon familiarity. There are so many recordings from various orchestras that it would be hard not to find 50 wonderful examples of Beethoven's Eroica by small orchestras, large orchestras, fat conductors, short concertmasters. To me, a quality performance/recording is worth paying attention to and these external conditions may contribute to the performance but they won't dictate it. In other words, I work at not bringing with me a set of pre-determned conditions.

Thanks Goofyfoot...understood. i am not so sophisticated that i would necessarily dissect every Beethoven interpretation...but i do notice the differences in scale. And having both Furtwangler and von Karajan...i thought a smaller ensemble would be cool. In particular, Gardiner was supposedly done with smaller orchestra and quite good. Have you heard it?

Hi Loydelee, I know that I've heard it but I don't own it. Which label is it on, etc..and I'll see if I can pick it up. I know that I liked it when I heard it.
Back when I took music theory I would always choose Beethoven scores to analyze and identify because they covered everything and were structurally perfect. Maybe for that reason it is rather easy for me to remember and sing Beethoven passages which makes it all the more fun. I don't however subscribe to the notion that understanding music is necessary in order to enjoy it but it helps and I fiercely oppose any type of anti-intellectualism with scorn.
Deciding to listen to something different from what one is used to certainly makes sense to me because I believe that change catalyzes artistic growth. After all Beethoven changed the face of Western music forever and it seems natural with any Beethoven interpretation to keep a foot in the past and to realize the scope of his vision. The idea of a smaller Beethoven period orchestra seems like a natural extension of what's previously been done.

Thanks Goofyfoot! i think its Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique and John Eliot Gardiner...on DG. Archiv.

Hi Lloydelee. My understanding is HIP is historically informed performance, which more often than not uses instruments that the composer had access to rather than modern ones. It can also refer to score modifications based on recent scholarship.

And this approach uusually involves smaller forces than modern interpretations.