The Ninth

From my list, I am skipping over Mozart's Requiem since I am having difficulty finding much more to listen to than what I have.

Beethoven's Ninth has been recorded by about everyone making it difficult to find the "must-have" recording (as opposed to Kleiber's Fifth/Seventh disc which is always on the top of everyone's essential recordings). So once again, I've decided to suggest two recordings: one is traditional while the other is a bit alternative.

Karajan was a towering figure in Classical music recordings; his output was staggering. He recorded more than three versions of the Ninth (some pre-dating stereo) and generally people like either the 62 or 76 accounts. I will recommend the 62 recording since I have listened to it often and it has the Coriolan Overture as an added bonus.

For something a little different, I really enjoy Zinman's recording. It's fast (very fast), almost too fast for my tastes but intriguing. It seems this tempo is now thought to be authentic, so it's hard to argue. In addition, there's an alternative ending on the disc! How crazy! Anyway, the disc is so cheap that I would suggest anyone with a passing interest just buy it.

Finally, I must say that if you only buy one piece of Classical music, make it the Ninth. Any version.