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What are your TWO favorite Symphonic Recordings?

Only one would cruel and unusual punishment.

My first would be Joseph Krips 1958 recording of Schubert's 9th on London with the London SO.There was a CD of it as well
which is also OP I believe. If you can find either it or the record at anything under a $1OO its a good buy. Personally
I would give 2K for one if I didn't have a copy.
More than once I've read a critic claim this was the greatest record ever made. The LSO was at the top of its game and gave
this uber- powerful symphony a power-house performance.

My second is the 1976 recording of the Brahms 2nd by James Levine and the Chicago SO in the acoustically wonderful Medina Temple in Chicago. Originally it was on RCA but can be had on Amazon as part of Sony Classical 3 disc set of all Brahm'4 symphonies and his great masterpiece the "German Requiem" for less than 15 bucks ! Very nice sound as well.
Levine does a near-miracle in capturing the 2nd Symphonys combo of power , lyricism and harmonic stability all at the same time.
Of all the great Romantic composers Brahms was the most learned, he literally had the music of 4 centuries at his fingertips, knew every note of Bach, Mozart, Schubert and Beethoven. It took me 30 years of listening before I really
got a glimmer of just how great he is.

A few words of Brahms on Schubert;

"Where else is there a genius like his,that soars with such
boldness and certainty ...he is a child of the Gods...who plays in a region and at a height to which others can by no means attain .
schubert
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,929 posts
 
Mahler 3rd Symphony - Bernstein
Saint Saens Organ Symphony - Ormandy
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,929 posts
 
I have an even more favorite recording of Mahler 3rd by the Oslo Philharmonic I recorded off of NPR many years ago (the first I had ever heard) to VHS hifi tape, but not sure if that is commercially available.
schubert OP
7,386 posts
 
Mrmb, thanks for the review.

I agree with your comments on the Krips..
Sings like only Schubert sings and at the same time moves inexorably forward like a 12 wheel steam locomotive.
brownsfan
1,508 posts
 
Schubert, Buddy you nailed it on the Krips great C major!. Wow, this is what I always knew the work could be. Head and shoulders above every other performance I have heard. I owe you one!
schubert OP
7,386 posts
 
That pleases me greatly !
When I first began to listen to Classical this was one of of the first dozen of records I bought at the University of Minnesota book store, a buck on close-out.

As I began to read (and READ) about Classical Music I kept reading these opinions that all Schubert's first 7 were juvenalia, lesser works etc. .Knowing how great the 9th was this seemed strange to me, I found a Beecham 2& 5th(which is in the league with Krips) and listened.
Even as a newbee I knew these critics were nuts.

Of course LvB symphonies, correctly, were always cited as among the very best.I compared over and over again Schubert's 2, 5. 9 with LvB's 2,5, 9 . In every case I could come to no conclusion other than, great a LvB's are, Schubert's were better.
Forty years ago Schubert didn't make every "top-ten" list. now he's usually in the top five.
Guess the creme does rise !

But LvB 7 is better than Schubert 7-LOL.

P.S.I read a article today that on 3 April 1897, the day of Brahms demise, every ship in the Kriegsmarine flew their 10 meter battleflags at half-mast.Surely a first , and last, as far as I know.
If you ever make a pilgrimage to Viennas Central Cemetery you'll find Schubert buried on a corner, right next to him lies Brahms(as he requested) next is Strauss the younger,Brahms buddy, next to him Hugo Wolff.
Mahler is buried around the corner from Schubert, perhaps 50 feet away. I often wonder if ,awaiting judgement day, the fellas ever have any conversations of an evening.
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