BaL 24.10.15 - Mozart: Symphony no. 36 in C K.425 "Linz"

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

0930 Building a Library
Richard Wigmore compares recordings of Mozart's Symphony No. 36 in C major, K425, known as the Linz Symphony, which was written in just four days during the Mozarts' stopover in the Austrian town of Linz whilst travelling in late 1783. When the local count heard of their arrival he announced a concert, and the composer had very little time to provide a symphony for it!

Available versions:

Berliner Philharmoniker, Claudio Abbado
Orchestra Filarmonica Italiana, Torino Alessandro Arigoni
Berliner Philharmoniker, Daniel Barenboim (DVD/Blu-ray)
English Chamber Orchestra, Daniel Barenboim
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Thomas Beecham (download)
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Thomas Beecham (download)
Prague Philharmonia, Jiri Belohlavek
Wiener Philharmoniker, Leonard Bernstein (DG)
Wiener Philharmoniker, Leonard Bernstein (Decca)
London Mozart Players, Harry Blech
Berliner Philharmoniker, Karl Böhm
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Karl Böhm
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Karl Böhm (2 versions)
Wiener Philharmoniker, Karl Böhm (DVD)
Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra, Ivor Bolton
BBC Symphony Orchestra, Fritz Busch
Danish State Radio Symphony Orchestra, Fritz Busch
Napoli Alessandro Scarlatti Orchestra, Sergiu Celibidache
English Chamber Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis
Staatskapelle Dresden, Sir Colin Davis
Danish National Chamber Orchestra, Adam Fischer
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Randall Craig Fleischer (download)
Bournemouth Sinfonietta, Terence Frazor
Freiburger Barockorchester
English Baroque Soloists, Sir John Eliot Gardiner
London Mozart Players, Jane Glover
Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra , Hans Graf (download)
Virtuosi Saxoniae, Ludwig Güttler
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Academy of Ancient Music, Christopher Hogwood
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Eugen Jochum (download)
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Eugen Jochum (download)
Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan (multiple versions)
Wiener Philharmoniker, Istvan Kertesz
Wiener Philharmoniker, Carlos Kleiber (DVD)
Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart, Erich Kleiber
Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Klemperer
Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra, Otto Klemperer
Concertgebouw Orchestra, Josef Krips
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Rafael Kubelik
Mozart Akademie Amsterdam, Jaap ter Linden
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, James Lockhart
Mozarteum Orchester Salzburg, Alexander Lonquich
Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto, Peter Maag
Prague Chamber Orchestra, Sir Charles Mackerras
Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Sir Charles Mackerras
Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Sinfonia Varsova, Yehudi Menuhin
Cologne Chamber Orchestra, Helmut Muller-Bruhl (download)
Boston Symphony Orchestra, Charles Munch (DVD)
Radio Symphony Orchestra Stuttgart, Sir Roger Norrington
Mozarteum Orchester Salzburg, Bernhard Paumgartner
English Concert, Trevor Pinnock
Beethoven Academie, Pawel Przytocki (download)
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Fritz Reiner
Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, Saulius Sondeckis
Dresden Staatskapelle, Otmar Suitner (download)
English Chamber Orchestra, Jeffrey Tate (download)
English Chamber Orchestra, Jeffrey Tate (DVD)
Tibor Varga Festival Orchestra, Tibor Varga
Columbia SO, Bruno Walter
Gürzenich Orchestra of Cologne, Günter Wand
Capella Istropolitana, Barry Wordsworth

[Alison]

Simple. SCO/Mackerras.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

If only it were that simple.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I have Beecham (2 versions), Krips, Jochum, Böhm, Bernstein (Decca), Marriner & Levine. Nothing remotely wiry and HIPP there.

Bernstein and Beecham are just superb.

Jochum has some shockingly bad ensemble in the 1st movement. I'm surprised it was even released like that.

I rank the Linz in the top 3 Mozart symphonies.

[Barbirollians]

There is a cut up performance of the symphony on the recent Gerhaher Mozart arias disc with the Freiberg Baroque Orchestra . If you programme the disc you can listen to it in order !

[makropulos]

I have Beecham, Krips, Jochum, Bernstein (Decca), Marriner & Levine. Nothing remotely wiry and HIPP there.

Bernstein and Beecham are just superb.

Jochum has some shockingly bad ensemble in the 1st movement. I'm surprised it was even released like that.

I rank the Linz in the top 3 Mozart symphonies.

For your list, there's also Jochum's later recording with the Bamberg SO and Mackerras's first with the LPO (CfP)

I'm pretty much with Alison on this - Mackerras/SCO, along with the likes of Bernstein/VPO/DG. But there are plenty more...

[CallMePaul]

Simple. SCO/Mackerras.

Agreed, but I'd be fascinated to hear Carlos Kleiber

[richardfinegold]

I just listened to Pinnock yesterday, after ordering his complete set. I also really like Krips and For his dated-ness, Klemperer.
Btw, I thought Mozart had written it in 1 day, not 4.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

There is a cut up performance of the symphony on the recent Gerhaher Mozart arias disc with the Freiberg Baroque Orchestra . If you programme the disc you can listen to it in order !

I did include this one, even though it reminds me of the plebs who cut up Jahn Martin's painting,The Last Judgement, to create wall panels.

[Barbirollians]

The Kleiber can be found on You Tube

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

The Kleiber can be found on You Tube

Erich or Carlos?

[cloughie]

Simple. SCO/Mackerras.

Good to see you're so open minded Alison

[Petrushka]

The one I turn to most often is Leonard Bernstein and the VPO on DG but I do have the Decca one as well and that's equally fine.

[EdgeleyRob]

The one I turn to most often is Leonard Bernstein and the VPO on DG but I do have the Decca one as well and that's equally fine.

I love that set of the late symphonies Pet.
I've been listening to them for the last couple of evenings,prompted by the 25th anniversary posts on another thread.

[Alison]

I used to enjoy conducting this symphony with a pencil in my youth. Had the Jeffrey Tate version back then.