For various reasons, I’m looking into getting a CD that has Beethoven’s “Pastoral” Symphony, but there are multiple versions of it out there.
I’m sure that there are plenty of classical music fans out there. Can any of you recommend a CD that is currently in production that you believe is the best performance of this symphony?
My copy is by the Northern Sinfonia of England conducted by Richard Hickox on the Quicksilva label. Sounds great to my (unfussy) ears.
This site recommends several recordings…
My all-time favorite recrding of Beethoven’s symphonies is Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonik, on Deutsche Grammophon. I’ve got recrdings of all nine symphonies, as well as the Overtures by them.
I know there are those who say Toscanini is better, but I’ll take von Karajan over him any day.
Ditto on the Karajan. If you don’t want to buy all the symphonies, No. 6 is joined with No. 5 on a single CD. Wonderful.
I’m not an expert, but of the conductors I have, I like Bernstein’s the best. I have the first, third, and ninth conducted by him, as well as some string quartets. My father-in-law, who is a composer and a retired music teacher, likes these versions quite a bit also.
I grew up with the von Karajan, and they always sound “right” to me.
The von Karajan is wonderful, but so is the Toscanini (NBC Symphony Orchestra, 1952) if you can find it…