Furtwangler's 9th on Arkipel.

Try Furtwangler's AMAZING 1942 (wartime) LvB 9th with BPO. The recording's sonics are simply horrendous, but the performance's sense of anticipation, intensity/ferocity, & emotional impact is absolutely 2nd to none.

I'd also highly recommend Furtwangler's 1951 LvB 9th with Bayreuth Festival Orchestra (more so than his 1954 version with Philharmonia Orchestra). This has much better sonics than the 1942 version, but i'd definitely go with the wartime version if i was only to pick one.

I have all three. Purchased them based on the reviews. I could only listen to each of them once. A great performance can only go so far in overcoming noise filled recordings. Compared to my SACD recordings of the 9th, the Furtwangler hype now seems to have been much ado about nothing. My favorite 9th is Karl Bohm - Wiener Philharmoniker - Norman - Fassbaender - Domingo - Berry
Very slow and very good.

depends if one places greater weight on performance or recording/mastering/sonic quality. uninspired performances typically put me to Zzzzzz (even if they're being performed live), so i'd always go with interesting & inspired performances.

the Furtwangler performances were recorded 60-70 yrs ago (this roughly translates into 2 to 4 "generations" of listeners). their longevity alone speaks volumes.

lots of good LvB 9th out there. look elsewhere if you want a recording to show off your hifi.

i've got > 2 dozen recordings of this piece & the irony is i don't even like its choral finale.