20 Beethoven recordings
A round-up of recommendations
For the symphonies, go for Karajan’s refined 1962 version with the
Berlin Phil (DG). Otherwise, Nikolaus Harnoncourt and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe offer freshness (Warner). Carlos Kleiber and the
Vienna Phil are untouchable in Nos
5 & 7 (DG). For the piano concertos, plump for Murray Perahia and the Concertgebouw/haitink (Sony) or Brendel and Vienna Phil/rattle
(Warner), while Artur Schnabel and Stephen Kovacevich occupy the complete piano sonatas top spot (Harmonia Mundi/warner), Andreas Staier is superb in the Diabellis (Harmonia Mundi) and Brendel rules the bagatelles (Decca). Quartetto Italiano (Decca) is a safe bet for the string quartets, as is the Takács (Decca). We’d take Isabelle Faust and the Orchestra Mozart under Abbado or Itzhak Perlman and the Philharmonia under Guilini for the Violin Concerto (Harmonia Mundi/warner), while in the violin sonatas, Alina Ibragimova and pianist Cédric Tiberghien reign (Hyperion). For the Triple Concerto, who could resist David Oistrakh, Mstislav Rostropovich and Sviatoslav Richter with the Berlin Phil/karajan (Warner)? Marvel at Daniel Barenboim, Pinchas Zucherman and Jacqueline du Pré in the piano trios (Warner), but go modern with Steven Isserlis and Robert
Levin’s cello sonatas (Hyperion) and Trio Zimmermann’s string trios (BIS). For the Missa solemnis, let’s hear it for the Arnold Schoenberg Choir, Concentus Musicus Wien and Harnoncourt (Sony) while Nina Stemme, Jonas Kaufmann, the Lucerne Festival Orchestra and Abbado offer a thrilling Fidelio (Decca).