Bal 8.02.20/13.6.20 - Mozart: Symphony no. 39 in E flat K.543

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

9.30
Building a Library
Nicholas Kenyon chooses his favourite recording of Mozart's late, great Symphony No. 39 in E flat major.


Available versions:-

Orchestra Mozart, Claudio Abbado
Orchestra Filarmonica Italiana Torino, Alessandro Arigoni
English Chamber Orchestra, Daniel Barenboim
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Thomas Beecham *
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Sir Thomas Beecham *
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Thomas Beecham *
New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Leonard Bernstein
Wiener Philharmoniker, Leonard Bernstein
Wiener Philharmoniker, Leonard Bernstein (DVD)
Berliner Philharmoniker, Karl Böhm
Concertgebouw Orchestra, Karl Böhm
Wiener Philharmoniker, Karl Böhm
Wiener Philharmoniker, Karl Böhm (DVD)
Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, Ivor Bolton
English Chamber Orchestra, Benjamin Britten *
Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century, Frans Brüggen
Nova Filarmonia Portuguesa, Alvaro Cassuto *
Orchestra Sinfonica di Torino della RAI, Sergiu Celibidache (DVD)
London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis
Philharmonia Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis
Staatskapelle Dresden, Sir Colin Davis
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Andreas Delfs *
Cleveland Orchestra, Christoph von Dohnányi *
Hungarian State Orchestra, Janos Ferencsik *
Mannheim Mozart Orchestra, Thomas Fey
Danish National Chamber Orchestra, Adam Fischer (SACD)
Budapest Festival Orchestra, Iván Fischer *
Bournemouth Sinfonietta, Terence Frazor
RIAS Symphony Orchestra, Ferenc Fricsay
Wiener Symphoniker, Ferenc Fricsay *
Berliner Philharmoniker, Wilhelm Furtwängler 1942
Berliner Philharmoniker, Wilhelm Furtwängler 1944
English Baroque Soloists, Sir John Eliot Gardiner
SWF Symphony Orchestra, Michael Gielen *
New York Philharmonic, Alan Gilbert *
Berliner Philharmoniker, Carlo Maria Giulini *
London Mozart Players, Jane Glover *
Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra, Hans Graf *
Glyndebourne Festival Orchestra, Vittorio Gui *
Kammerorchester C.P.E Bach, Harmut Haenchen
Concentus Musicus Wien, Nikolaus Harnoncourt *
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Orchestre des Champs-Elysées, Philippe Herreweghe
Ensemble Appassionato, Mathieu Herzog
Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Jascha Horenstein
Yamagata Symphony Orchestra, Norichika Iimori *
Anima Eterna Brugge, Jos van Immerseel
Freiburger Barockorchester, René Jacobs *
Bamberger Symphoniker, Eugen Jochum
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Eugen Jochum *
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Armin Jordan *
Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan
Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan
Philharmonia Orchestra, Herbert von Karajan
Philharmonia Orchestra, Herbert von Karajan
Wiener Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan *
Bamberger Symphoniker, Joseph Keilberth
Prague German Philharmonic Orchestra, Joseph Keilberth *
Wiener Philharmoniker, Istvan Kertesz
WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, Erich Kleiber
Budapest Symphony Orchestra, Otto Klemperer *
Hungarian State Orchestra, Otto Klemperer *
Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Klemperer
Staatskapelle Berlin, Hans Knappertsbusch *
Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, Ton Koopman *
Concertgebouw Orchestra, Josef Krips *
London Symphony Orchestra, Josef Krips
Wiener Philharmoniker, Josef Krips
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Rafael Kubelik
Royal Philharmonic of London, Erich Leinsdorf *
Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Sebastian Lang-Lessing *
Boston Symphony Orchestra, James Levine *
Münich Philharmonic, James Levine
Wiener Philharmoniker, James Levine
Mozart Akademie Amsterdam, Jaap ter Linden
Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto, Peter Maag
Prague Chamber Orchestra, Charles Mackerras
Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Sir Charles Mackerras (SACD)
Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Neville Marriner (Philips)
Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Neville Marriner (Warner) *
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Zubin Mehta
Ensemble Resonanz, Riccardo Minasi
New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Dmitri Mitropoulos
Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, Evgeny Mravinsky
Cologne Chamber Orchestra, Helmut Muller-Bruhl *
Wiener Philharmoniker, Riccardo Muti
Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, John Nelson *
London Classical Players, Roger Norrington
Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart, Sir Roger Norrington
Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart, Sir Roger Norrington (DVD)
Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, Bernhard Paumgartner
English Concert, Trevor Pinnock
Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, Alexander von Pitamic *
Berliner Philharmoniker, Sir Simon Rattle *
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Fritz Reiner (DVD)
Le Cercle de l’Harmonie, Jérémie Rhorer
Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Jukka-Pekka Saraste *
Le Concert des Nations, Jordi Savall (SACD)
Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Alexander Schneider
Academy of Ancient Music, Jaap Schröder
Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Yuri Simonov *
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Sir Georg Solti
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Sir Georg Solti (DVD)
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Ignat Solzhenitsyn *
Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra, Hubert Soudant
Staatskapelle Berlin, Richard Strauss
Staatskapelle Dresden, Otmar Suitner
Cleveland Orchestra, George Szell *
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Václav Talich
English Chamber Orchestra, Jeffrey Tate
Australian Chamber Orchestra, Richard Tognetti *
NBC Symphony Orchestra, Arturo Toscanini
Staatsorchester Darmstadt, Constantin Trinks (SACD)
Camerata Academica des Salzburger Mozarteums, Sandor Végh
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Sándor Végh
BBC Symphony Orchestra, Bruno Walter
Columbia Symphony Orchestra, Bruno Walter
New York Philharmonic, Bruno Walter
Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Bruno Walter
NDR Symphony Orchestra, Günter Wand *
Gürzenich Orchestra of Cologne, Günter Wand
Capella Istropolitana, Barry Wordsworth


* = download only

[pastoralguy]

This is an unmissable BaL. My second favourite of the last three symphonys by Mozart!

Thanks for the list, Alpie!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

My second favourite of the last three symphonys by Mozart!

Ah - my second favourite of the last four Symphonies by Mozart. VPO/Bernstein is my "big band, more modern instrument" recording. Would be interested to see which HIPP recording(s) get special mention.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Ah - my second favourite of the last four Symphonies by Mozart. VPO/Bernstein is my "big band, more modern instrument" recording. Would be interested to see which HIPP recording(s) get special mention.

My second favourite too. (Just behind no. 40.)

I have Beecham x 3, Marriner, Concertgebouw/Krips, Levine, Furtwangler x 2, BPO/Bohm. (Nothing too HIPP)

[Petrushka]

So many good recordings in the list. A shame to see some of my favourites as 'download only' (Krips/Concertgebouw for one) and surprised if Karajan's 1940's VPO one has disappeared as I have it in the Warner Remastered edition.

I'm going to stick my neck out and nominate Abbado/Orchestra Mozart as the recording which has given me particular pleasure as the 'winner'. Complete with all repeats (subtly varied) Abbado makes it a truly grand symphony. No-one could fail to be thrilled by it and it's my stand out choice. Mackerras with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra runs him close, as does Britten, but Claudio is your man in this!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

My second favourite too. (Just behind no. 40.)

I have Beecham x 3, Marriner, Concertgebouw/Krips, Levine, Furtwangler x 2, BPO/Bohm. (Nothing too HIPP)

Mine's "just behind" #38. And Furtwangler would be my "historic" choice.

(Actually, WF's recording with the VPO of the 40th would certainly make me pause in being so quick to put that work at "equal third".)

[pastoralguy]

My second favourite too. (Just behind no. 40.)
[/SIZE]

Yes! Me too.

[BBMmk2]

I’ll be giving this one a miss then!

[vinteuil]

.

... I like this 'chamber' version -

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00HFDKSM0

.

[verismissimo]

... (Nothing too HIPP)[/SIZE]

Wot no AAM/Hogwood?

[Bryn]

Wot no AAM/Hogwood?

Heaven forfend that EA be subjected to something approaching what Mozart expected.

[Ein Heldenleben]

This is an unmissable BaL. My second favourite of the last three symphonys by Mozart!

Thanks for the list, Alpie!

Thanks for the great list. I would go as far as to say that the slow introduction in the first movt is one of my favourite bits in all music....

[gurnemanz]

So many good recordings in the list. A shame to see some of my favourites as 'download only' (Krips/Concertgebouw for one) and surprised if Karajan's 1940's VPO one has disappeared as I have it in the Warner Remastered edition.

I'm going to stick my neck out and nominate Abbado/Orchestra Mozart as the recording which has given me particular pleasure as the 'winner'. Complete with all repeats (subtly varied) Abbado makes it a truly grand symphony. No-one could fail to be thrilled by it and it's my stand out choice. Mackerras with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra runs him close, as does Britten, but Claudio is your man in this!

Mackerras "won" last time (Nov 2002 - reviewer, Colin Lawson) with Prague Chamber Orch. Mid-price choice was Böhm/BPO. Period choice was Mozart Akademie Amsterdam/Jaap ter Linden which had appeared earlier the same year on Brilliant.

The Bruno Walter Late Symphonies set with Columbia Symphony Orchestra was an early CD purchase for me and was my only recording for a few years. I later got the Pinnock/English Concert complete set. Both have good versions of K543. I have since acquired big box versions with Karajan/BPO, Toacanini/NBC and Bernstein/New York Philharmonic.

[MickyD]

Wot no AAM/Hogwood?

I would hope that Nick Kenyon gives it a mention, when he placed such importance on the pioneering Hogwood cycle in his recent HIP series.

[gradus]

I heard this first on record with Beecham and the RPO and it is still a favourite.