# What's the best choral recording of Beethoven's "Ode to Joy"?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-choral-recording-of-beethovens-ode-to-joy/208863>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [October 22, 2003, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-choral-recording-of-beethovens-ode-to-joy/208863 "2003-10-22T08:20:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2003, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-choral-recording-of-beethovens-ode-to-joy/208863/1 "2003-10-22T08:20:04Z")

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…Y’know, a big, grandiose performance of Beethoven’s 9th, by a chorus or a choir, with orchestral accompaniment. The kind you’d hear in a trailer for “Die Hard.”

And preferably without an Organ…or at least, without an Organ that sounds like it was built for a cheesy 60s spy movie.

Any suggestions?

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**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2003, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-choral-recording-of-beethovens-ode-to-joy/208863/2 "2003-10-22T09:37:01Z")

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One good one, partly for historical reasons: [Bernstein at the Berlin Wall](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000001GDR/qid=1066815961/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-6732062-6709652?v=glance&s=classical)

One I like a lot which some guidebooks recommend: [An older Karajan/Berlin Phil recording](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000001G6W/qid=1066816035/sr=1-14/ref=sr_1_14/002-6732062-6709652?v=glance&s=classical)

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**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2003, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-choral-recording-of-beethovens-ode-to-joy/208863/3 "2003-10-23T02:59:37Z")

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The version in this [boxed set](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000001GBQ/qid=1066878529/sr=8-1/ref=__1/102-2708925-2573769?v=glance&s=classical) has long been considered on of the best, if I’m not mistaken. I had the LP long ago - Gundula Janowitz is amazing in it.

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**Author:** ![jovan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/0ea827/32.png) [@jovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jovan)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2003, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-choral-recording-of-beethovens-ode-to-joy/208863/4 "2003-10-23T04:52:07Z")

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My favourite version is by the Berlin Philarmonic, conducted by Ferenc Fricsay. One of my heros, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau does a mighty fine job in the finale. Hard to beat, very hard.

[More details here.](http://www.classical.net/music/recs/reviews/d/dgg63626a.html)

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**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2003, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-choral-recording-of-beethovens-ode-to-joy/208863/5 "2003-10-23T05:00:37Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by MaxTheVool \*  
> \*\*One good one, partly for historical reasons: [Bernstein at the Berlin Wall](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000001GDR/qid=1066815961/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-6732062-6709652?v=glance&s=classical)
> 
> \*\*

I like that one also, and I like it even more when I think of the circumstances. But I’m quite a Lenny fan also.