# "Mix & Match" your favorite recordings?



## DiesIraeCX (Jul 21, 2014)

Hopefully this is original, I was wondering what your thoughts are on mixing and matching the movements from your favorite recordings of the same work (symphonies, piano sonata/concerto, etc.) For instance, let's use Beethoven's 9th, which is extremely hard to find a perfect recording of. I like Karajan 1963, however, I'm not a fan of the final movement on account of the muffled chorus, so on my Digital Audio Player (FiiO X3) I made a playlist of my ideal 9th from different recordings.
Mov. 1 - Karajan 1963 BPO
Mov. 2 - Karajan 1963 BPO (or Toscanini 1952 NBC, since the repeat is observed)
Mov. 3 - Fricsay 1958 BPO
Mov. 4 - Toscanini 1952 NBC (from PristineClassical.com who I highly recommend)

Do any of you do this, if not, is it because of reasons of principle or stylistic integrity, the overall flow of the piece, etc.? (Also, to be clear, the 9th is the only symphony I do this for)


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## Guest (Jul 23, 2014)

Well this is odd. I had this very thought a couple of nights ago - inquiring about a "frankensymphony" of sorts. However, I don't often collect multiple recordings of works; some users here have heard 20+ recordings of their favorites, but I think the most I've ever heard is 4 or 5 (I know I've heard 4 Mozart PC20s and 4 Schumann PCs and 4 Beethoven 9s...)

So my participation would be limited, but I certainly like the idea. In fact, the only reason besides space that I keep # of recordings to a minimum is because once I note pros and cons of separate recordings, it often becomes hard to fully appreciate either. My main case is with Dvorak 9. I primarily listen to the Bernstein recording on Sony because of the unmatched energy, but I can't deny that the Kubelik on DG has quite a bit more clarity in performance and recording, to my ears.


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