# Desert-Island Symphony Cycle Recordings



## Ulfilas (Mar 5, 2020)

Just for fun (if you're so inclined) and because I'd be interested to see, if you were going to live with just one complete set of a composer's symphonies, which that would be? I've left out Mahler and Bruckner, that's not possible for me!

Here are mine:

Late Mozart: Harnoncourt (Teldec)

Beethoven: Vänskä (BIS)

Schubert: Brüggen (Philips)

Schumann: Zinman (Arte Nova)

Brahms: Dohnanyi (Teldec)

Sibelius: Blomstedt (Decca)

Nielsen: Gilbert (Da Capo)

Martinu: Valek (Supraphon)

Prokofiev: Kitajenko (Capriccio)

Shostakovich: Jansons (EMI)

Vaughan Williams: Davis (Teldec)


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## ORigel (May 7, 2020)

Haydn - Bruggen
Beethoven - Gardiner
Mendelssohn - Bruggen
Brahms - Klemperer
Bruckner - Karajan
Mahler - Bernstein
Sibelius - Karajan
Dvorak - Kubelik


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## realdealblues (Mar 3, 2010)

Off the top of my head...

Atterberg - Rasilainen/Radio Symphony Frankfurt
Bax - Lloyd-Jones/Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Beethoven - Wand/NDR Symphony
Brahms - Levine/Chicago Symphony
Bruckner - Jochum/Staatskapelle Dresden
Dvorak - Neumann/Czech Philharmonic (Digital)
Glazunov - Serebrier/Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Haydn - Dorati/Philharmonia Hungarica
Mahler - Bernstein/New York Philharmonic
Martinu - Thomas/Scottish National
Mendelssohn - Dohnanyi/Vienna Philharmonic
Mozart - Marriner/Academy Of St. Martin In The Fields
Nielsen - Schonwandt/Danish National Symphony
Prokofiev - Jarvi/Scottish National Orchestra
Rachmaninoff - Jansons/St. Petersburg Philharmonic
Saint-Saens - Martinon/French National Radio Orchestra
Schubert - Muti/Vienna Philharmonic
Schumann - Bernstein/Vienna Philharmonic
Shostakovich - Barshai/WDR Symphony
Sibelius - Berglund/Bournemouth Symphony
Tchaikovsky - Markevitch/London Symphony
Vaughan-Wiliams - Previn/London Symphony


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## Allegro Con Brio (Jan 3, 2020)

Under most circumstances I can’t imagine having just one set of interpretive viewpoints for a body of work - I love hearing different perspectives on the music. But, for the fun of it:

Haydn - Adam Fischer (if I could supplement with Bernstein/NY for Paris Symphonies and Davis/RCO for London Symphonies I would be all the happier)
Mozart - Walter/Columbia (35-41 which is all I need)
Beethoven - Furtwängler (the set on Andromeda)
Schubert - Marriner
Mendelssohn - Dohnanyi
Brahms - Jochum/LPO
Bruckner - Karajan (Furtwängler for 4-9)
Dvorak - Kertesz
Tchaikovsky - Pletnev
Mahler - For truly complete probably Bernstein DG but otherwise I would take all of Barbirolli’s recordings
Sibelius - Bernstein
Nielsen - Blomstedt
Vaughan Williams - Previn
Rachmaninoff - Ashkenazy
Martinu - Belohlavek
Prokofiev - Gergiev
Shostakovich - Kondrashin

Some of these are consensus picks, some are more “dark horse"


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## D Smith (Sep 13, 2014)

At this point in my classical music listening life, the greatest joys come from listening to different interpretations of cherished works, so the thought of having only one is distressing! However, since you asked…..

Some of these are partial as I have little interest in Mozart’s early symphonies etc.

Bax - Handley/BBC
Beethoven - Karajan/Berlin (70s)
Brahms - Abbado/Berlin
Bruckner - Karajan/Berlin (70s)
Dvorak - Kertesz/London
Elgar - Barenboim
Haydn - Fischer/Austro-Hungarian
Mahler - Bernstein/New York Philharmonic
Mendelssohn - Abbado/LSO
Miaskovsky - Svetlanov
Mozart - Abbado/Orchestra Mozart
Prokofiev - Alsop/Orquestra Sinfônica Do Estado De São Paulo
Rachmaninoff - Previn/London
Roussel - Janowski/Orchestre Philharmonique De Radio France
Saint-Saens - Martinon/French National Radio Orchestra
Schubert - Abbado/Chamber Orchestra of Europe
Schumann - Bernstein/Vienna Philharmonic
Shostakovich - Kondrashin
Sibelius - Berglund/Bournemouth Symphony
Tchaikovsky - Karajan/Berlin
Vaughan-Wiliams - Haitink/London Phil


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

Did one of these a few years back but go on I'll give you a current* list....


Bax - Handley
Beethoven - Stan the man
Brahms - Levine / Chicago 
Bruckner - Young 
Dvorak - Anguelov
Haydn - Fischer
Mahler - Gielen
Mendelssohn - Herbie
Miaskovsky - Svetlanov
Mozart - Adam Fischer
Nielsen - Blomstedt
Schubert - Menuhin 2
Schumann - Sawallisch
Scriabin - Muti
Shostakovich - Kondrashin
Sibelius - Berglund / Bournemouth
Tchaikovsky - Markevitch

* liable to change weekly barring a few


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

Bax - Handley
Beethoven - Barenboim
Brahms - Mackerras
Bruckner - Chailly
Dvorak - Rowicki
Elgar - Tate
Glazunov - Jarvi
Mahler - Bertini
Mendelssohn - Sawallisch
Miaskovsky - Svetlanov
Nielsen - Blomstedt
Prokofiev - Jarvi
Rachmaninoff - Ashkenazy
Raff - Stadlmair
Schmidt - Sinaisky
Schubert - Sawallisch
Schumann - Dohnanyi
Shostakovich - Rostropovich
Sibelius - Berglund
Stanford - Handley
Tchaikovsky - Muti
Vaughan Williams - Slatkin


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## Simplicissimus (Feb 3, 2020)

From my CD collection, these are my favorite symphony cycles (stretching a little with R. Strauss tone poems and breaking up Tchaikovsky into two parts):

Beethoven: Szell/Cleveland, Sony (via RCA)
Brahms: Sawallisch/Wiener Symphoniker, Decca
Bruckner: Chailly/Royal Concertgebouw and Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Decca
Elgar: Colin Davis/LSO (SACD), LSO
Haydn London symphonies: Jochum/London Philharmonic Orch., DGG
Mahler: Gielen/SWR Sinfonieorchester, SWR
Mendelssohn: Sawallisch/New Philharmonia Orch., Decca
Prokofiev: Ozawa/Berliner Philharmoniker, DGG
Schubert: Sawallisch/Staatskapelle Dresden, Decca
Schumann: Paray/Detroit SO, Mercury Living Presence
Shostakovich: Michael Sanderling/Dresdner Philharmonie, Sony
Sibelius: Ormandy/Philadelphia Orchestra, Sony (via RCA)
R. Strauss complete tone poems: Weigle/Frankfurter Opern- und Museum Orchester, Oehms
Tchaikovsky Symphonies 1-3: Dorati/LSO, Mercury Living Presence
Tchaikovsky Symphonies 4-6: Monteux/Boston SO, RCA Living Stereo
Vaughan Williams: Handley/Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, EMI


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## Ulfilas (Mar 5, 2020)

This seems to be a lot of love for Chailly's Bruckner cycle, any favourites from that cycle?


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## Knorf (Jan 16, 2020)

Just symphonies, right?

I'd do myself a big favor by bringing Stanisław Skrowaczewski's birthday celebration box with hard-to-beat complete symphony cycles of Beethoven, Schumann, Brahms, and Bruckner. 

Otherwise:

Beethoven, Immerseel or Haitink or Abbado/Berlin or Skrowaczewski 
Brahms, Skrowaczewski or Walter
Bruckner, Karajan or Skrowaczewski
Chávez, Mata
Dvořák, Kertesz
Elgar, Davis/LSO
Haydn "Sturm und Drang" Symphonies, Pinnock
Haydn "Paris" and "London" Symphonies, Harnoncourt
Lutosławski, Gardner or Salonen
Mahler, Boulez or Abbado or Bernstein or Fischer (I struggle with this one the most)
Martinů, Bělohlávek 
Mendelssohn, Gardiner
Mozart, Mackerras/ScottishCO
Nielsen, Berglund/Danish National
Prokofiev, Gergiev/LSO
Schubert, Abbado
Schumann, Bernstein/Vienna
Scriabin, Gergiev/LSO
Shostakovich, Haitink or Kondrashin
Sibelius, Kamu/LahtiSO
Tchaikovsky, Karajan
Vaughan Williams, dunno, maybe Haitink


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## Simplicissimus (Feb 3, 2020)

Ulfilas said:


> This seems to be a lot of love for Chailly's Bruckner cycle, any favourites from that cycle?


I think the performance of the 8th is great, but then that's my favorite Bruckner symphony. Strangely, there was not a single mention of Chailly in the very long thread on Bruckner's 8th that's been around for a few months on this forum. Go figure.


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## Knorf (Jan 16, 2020)

Simplicissimus said:


> I think the performance of the 8th is great, but then that's my favorite Bruckner symphony. Strangely, there was not a single mention of Chailly in the very long thread on Bruckner's 8th that's been around for a few months on this forum. Go figure.


Well! Get over then and flippin' mention it!


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## Simplicissimus (Feb 3, 2020)

Knorf said:


> Well! Get over then and flippin' mention it!


When I only really know about two and a half recordings of the work and the other posters know about eighty, I sort of get the feeling that I don't have anything interesting to add to the discussion. I like Bruckner but he's not among the composers I have ever gotten deeply into, so tbh I bought the Chailly cycle because it got good reviews, I tend to like Chailly (for Hindemith, e.g.), it's in good modern sound, and it's very reasonably priced. It definitely has not disappointed me.


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

Simplicissimus said:


> When I only really know about two and a half recordings of the work and the other posters know about eighty, I sort of get the feeling that I don't have anything interesting to add to the discussion. I like Bruckner but he's not among the composers I have ever gotten deeply into, so tbh I bought the Chailly cycle because it got good reviews, I tend to like Chailly (for Hindemith, e.g.), it's in good modern sound, and it's very reasonably priced. It definitely has not disappointed me.


The Chailly cycle is really good. Whether you have 2 or 80 Bruckner cycles you should trust your ears. Every opinion is valid.


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## Brahmsianhorn (Feb 17, 2017)

Beethoven - Furtwangler (Andromeda set), or for modern: Bohm, Bernstein (VPO), or Karajan '62
Brahms - Furtwangler (Music & Arts), or for modern: Abbado
Bruckner - Karajan
Dvorak - Kubelik
Haydn - Dorati, or Jochum for just London
Mahler - Bernstein (DG)
Mendelssohn - Abbado
Mozart - Marriner, or Bernstein for the Late
Schubert - Abbado
Schumann - Sawallisch
Shostakovich - Kondrashin
Sibelius - Collins
Tchaikovsky - Dorati
Vaughan Williams - Boult


.


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## techniquest (Aug 3, 2012)

Beethoven - Wyn Morris (well, I like this set)
Mahler - Bernstein (1st cycle). I might smuggle the Bertini and Tennstedt sets out too 
Nielsen - Ole Schmidt
Prokofiev - Dmitri Kitajenko
Rachmaninov - Vladimir Ashkenzy
Shostakovich - Rudolf Barshai
Sibelius - Sir Alexander Gibson
Tchaikovsky - Riccardo Muti
Vaughan Williams - Vernon Handley


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

I will do myself the favour and bringing Karajan’s 1970s box of symphonies along as they contain if not the best, some of the best performances. He has in that box symphonies by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Bruckner, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, all done pretty well and brilliantly recorded. I invested when the box was cheap and I’ve never regretted it as the performances are never less than good and some are absolutely superlative. So that box will go to my desert island and welcome..

Other sets

Mahler: Tenndstedt or Bernstein
Vaughan Williams: Handley
Haydn London: Beecham
Mozart late: Pinnock
Sibelius: Karajan but he never recorded 3 so Ashkenazy
Bruckner: Jochum - as an alternative


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## NLAdriaan (Feb 6, 2019)

Why not take a varied collection of symphonies to this island. Only one Mahler cycle is not enough, and I would certainly smuggle some separate recordings along, as well as the box with complete DG recordings by Carlos Kleiber, after all it is a box too:

Bax: Handley
Beethoven: Bruggen II
Borodin: Rozhdestvensky (Chandos/Brilliant) 
Brahms: Harnoncourt
Bruckner: Wand/BPO (no full cycle)
Dvorak: Belohlavek (Decca)
Enescu: Foster (EMI)
Haydn: Bruggen (Sturm und Drang, Paris, London ís all Bruggen ever recorded, but still, 13cd's are enough Haydn)
Henze: Janowski (Wergo)
Ives: Tilson Thomas (II-SF)
Liszt: Noseda (Chandos)
Mahler: Boulez & Abbado-II
Martinu: Thomson (Chandos)
Mozart: only the late symphonies, Harnoncourt
Myaskovsky: Svetlanov
Nielsen: Salonen
Penderecki: Wit (Naxos)
Pettersson: cycle on CPO (more conductors)
Pfitzner: Albert 
Prokofiev: Gergiev
Rachmaninov: Ashkenazy
Schubert: Bruggen
Schumann: Sawallisch (Dresden)
Scriabin: Gergiev (assembled)
Sibelius: Vanska (BIS)
Shostakovich: Kondrashin (Aulos)
Tchaikovsky: Mavrinsky (4,5,6/DG )


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## TwoFlutesOneTrumpet (Aug 31, 2011)

Merl said:


> Beethoven - Stan the man


Who is this Stan man?


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## Allegro Con Brio (Jan 3, 2020)

TwoFlutesOneTrumpet said:


> Who is this Stan man?


Stanislaw Skrowaczewski. His Beethoven and Brahms are very good, on the interpretively "cool" side but exciting. His Bruckner I find to be well-played but lacking power.


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## TwoFlutesOneTrumpet (Aug 31, 2011)

Allegro Con Brio said:


> Stanislaw Skrowaczewski. His Beethoven and Brahms are very good, on the interpretively "cool" side but exciting. His Bruckner I find to be well-played but lacking power.


Thanks. Ah, I remember now - I actually ordered the disc with 1 and 4(sample a couple of symphonies first) a couple of days ago based on reviews I read here.


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## annaw (May 4, 2019)

Allegro Con Brio said:


> Stanislaw Skrowaczewski. His Beethoven and Brahms are very good, on the interpretively "cool" side but exciting. His Bruckner I find to be well-played but lacking power.


His Schumann is great as well - I love those recordings quite a lot. His Bruckner 4th was an enlightening experience to me because he manages to achieve a beautiful orchestral clarity and I, personally, didn't get a sense of it being underpowered but I haven't listened to the rest of the Bruckner recordings (which I got yesterday ). His rhythmic understanding is great and I think his interpretations are usually very well-argued - clear, effective, brisk, and tasteful.


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

Hogwood's Haydn
Böhm's Mozart
Harnoncourt's Beethoven (the COE set)
Gardiner's Brahms
Abbado's Mahler


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## CnC Bartok (Jun 5, 2017)

Beethoven – What an impossible question! Probably Berlin PO/Andre Cluytens
Brahms – LPO/Eugen Jochum
Bruckner – Staatskapelle/Eugen Jochum
Dvorak – LSO/Istvan Kertesz
Haydn – Philharmonia Hungarica/Antal Dorati
Madetoja – Helsinki PO/John Storgards
Magnard – Toulouse Capitole/Michel Plasson
Mahler – BRSO/Rafael Kubelik, with Rattle’s first 10th and Haitink’s DLvdE bunged in for good measure
Martinu – Czech PO/Vaclav Neumann
Mozart – (late) Philharmonia/Otto Klemperer
Mendelssohn – LSO/Claudio Abbado
Myaskovsky – that big Svetlanov box
Nielsen – San Francisco O/Herbert Blomstedt
Prokofiev – Scottish NO/Neeme Jarvi
Rachmaninov – Russian National O/Mikhail Pletnev
Schubert – ASMF/Neville Marriner
Schumann – Staatskapelle/Wolfgang Sawallisch
Scriabin – Philadelphia O/Riccardo Muti
Shostakovich – WDR SO/Rudolf Barshai
Sibelius – LSO/Anthony Collins
Tchaikovsky – Bournemouth SO/Andrew Litton
Tubin – BIS cycle/Neeme Jarvi
Vaughan Williams – RLPO et al/Vernon Handley

Several of these are really difficult to answer (Mahler/Sibelius/Brahms/Bruckner for starters) but none more difficult than choosing one set of Beethoven out of the 55+ full sets I now think I own.....


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## CnC Bartok (Jun 5, 2017)

DavidA said:


> I will do myself the favour and bringing Karajan's 1970s box of symphonies along as they contain if not the best, some of the best performances. He has in that box symphonies by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Bruckner, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, all done pretty well and brilliantly recorded. I invested when the box was cheap and I've never regretted it as the performances are never less than good and some are absolutely superlative. So that box will go to my desert island and welcome..
> 
> Other sets
> 
> ...


Re the Karajan Sibelius recordings. It's weird he never did No.3, even if it is to some extent the Cinderella of the seven. It means you can nearly cobble together a cycle if you raid both DGG and EMI.
I seem to remember DGG did a Karajan "set" of the Sibelius, but they used Okko Kamu for the first three works? Hardly a slouch with Sibelius, I have to admit, and his Third is a really very fine performance, well worth hearing!


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## Knorf (Jan 16, 2020)

Allegro Con Brio said:


> Stanislaw Skrowaczewski. His Beethoven and Brahms are very good, on the interpretively "cool" side but exciting. His Bruckner I find to be well-played but lacking power.


"Lacking power"?! 

I mean, other Bruckner favorites for me include the likes of Karajan and Klemperer. Skrowaczewski's Bruckner is certainly not "lacking power" compared to them. If you think Stan's Bruckner "lacks power," honestly whose doesn't?


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## Knorf (Jan 16, 2020)

CnC Bartok said:


> Re the Karajan Sibelius recordings. It's weird he never did No.3, even if it is to some extent the Cinderella of the seven. It means you can nearly cobble together a cycle if you raid both DGG and EMI.
> I seem to remember DGG did a Karajan "set" of the Sibelius, but they used Okko Kamu for the first three works? Hardly a slouch with Sibelius, I have to admit, and his Third is a really very fine performance, well worth hearing!


Correct. Karajan recorded 1, 2, & 4-6 with EMI, and 4-7 with DG. The DG "Karajan" set has Okko Kamu for 1-3, who was a protégé of Karajan and recorded 1 and 2 with Berlin, and 3 with Helsinki. Those performances are really excellent.


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

There is a box of Kubelik symphony recordings which includes Beethoven, Mahler, Dvorak and Schumann. He was an excellent musician and produced most musical performances


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## CnC Bartok (Jun 5, 2017)

DavidA said:


> There is a box of Kubelik symphony recordings which includes Beethoven, Mahler, Dvorak and Schumann. He was an excellent musician and produced most musical performances


Indeed. The only recordings in that box I don't revere are the Beethoven's. That the cycle he did with nine different orchestras, and while there are the characteristic Kubelik touches of clarity/inner voices/" letting the music speak for itself, they rarely catch fire and are dull in comparison with quite a few contemporary cycles.....a real shame. But his Schumann is fabulous (actually I prefer his later Bavarian ones on CBS), his Dvorak close to unrivalled from No.4 onwards, and his Mahler, while in many ways the antithesis of Bernstein, still exciting and deeply satisfying.


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## Brahmsian Colors (Sep 16, 2016)

_If _I was "inclined". Otherwise, I have nearly always preferred individual choices for composers' symphonies.

Beethoven: '63 Karajan/Berlin Phil.
Brahms: Walter/Columbia Sym.
Schubert: Mehta/Israel Phil., but would replace Mehta's Ninth with Szell's late '50s Cleveland
Schumann: Bernstein/New York Phil.
Mahler: Tennstedt/London Phil.
Bruckner: Jochum/Berlin Phil.
Sibelius: Collins/London Sym.
Dvorak: Kertesz/London Sym., but would have to go with Kertesz's Vienna Phil. "New World"
Tchaikovsky: Dorati/London Sym.
Haydn: Dorati/Phil. Hungarica
Vaughan Williams: Previn/London Sym.
Shostakovich: Kondrashin/Moscow Phil.


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## Allegro Con Brio (Jan 3, 2020)

Knorf said:


> "Lacking power"?!
> 
> I mean, other Bruckner favorites for me include the likes of Karajan and Klemperer. Skrowaczewski's Bruckner is certainly not "lacking power" compared to them. If you think Stan's Bruckner "lacks power," honestly whose doesn't?


For me Karajan and Klemperer make much more of the climaxes. They sound overwhelming and mighty within the overall structure. I do like Skrowaczewski's Bruckner but I find he brings out the more "classical" elements of the music and emphasizes grace and lyricism.


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## MusicSybarite (Aug 17, 2017)

I'm counting cycles that have more than one complete recording:

Alwyn - Hickox (Chandos)
Arnold - Penny (Naxos)
Barber - Alsop (Naxos)
Bax - Thomson (Chandos)
Beethoven - Karajan (DG) (60's)
Berlioz - Davis (Philips)
Brahms - Can't choose
Bruckner - Jochum (EMI)
Casella - Noseda (Chandos)
Dvorak - Kertesz (Decca)
Elgar - Previn (Philips)
Enescu - Foster (EMI)
Glazunov - Svetlanov (Melodiya)
Glière - Downes (Chandos)
Haydn - Dorati (Decca)
Honegger - Baudo (Supraphon)
Mahler - Can't choose
Martinu - Thomson (Chandos)
Mendelssohn - Abbado (DG)
Nielsen - Schmidt (Regis/Alto) or Thomson (Chandos)
Prokofiev - Karabits (Onyx)
Rachmaninov - Ashkenazy (Decca)
Rimsky-Korsakov - Svetlanov (Melodiya)
Roussel - Deneve (Naxos)
Schubert - Karajan (EMI)
Shostakovich - Haitink (Decca)
Sibelius - Berglund/Bournemouth (EMI)
Tchaikovsky - Can't choose
Tubin - Järvi (BIS)
Vaughan Williams - Previn (RCA) or Thomson (Chandos)
Villa-Lobos - St. Clair (CPO)
Walton - Thomson (Chandos)


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## BlackAdderLXX (Apr 18, 2020)

With the Presto sale on box sets going on, this is a great or terrible time for this thread depending on how one views it. I'll say it's both good and bad but I'm subbed...


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## Olias (Nov 18, 2010)

techniquest said:


> Beethoven - Wyn Morris (well, I like this set)


You know, I do too. It isn't my favorite but it was my first set so it is special to me.


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## CnC Bartok (Jun 5, 2017)

Olias said:


> You know, I do too. It isn't my favorite but it was my first set so it is special to me.


Morris fans unite! Again, not my favourite, but a very fine cycle indeed. Shame he wasted his energy on "the Tenth", though....


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## Axter (Jan 15, 2020)

A Sir Georg Solti fan checking in ;-)


Beethoven - Solti/CSO 70ies.
Mahler - Solti/CSO.
Bruckner - Solti/CSO.
Brahms - Solti/CSO.
Mozart - Böhm/BPO.
Rachmaninov - Maazel/BPO.
Tchaikovsky - Karajan/BPO (tough one, the 6th specifically I prefer CSO/Solti, but set-wise I go with Karajan).
Schumann - Karajan/BPO
Schubert - Muti/VPO
Prokofiev - Gergiev/LSO
Shostakovic - Haitink/LPO
Sibelius - Maazel/VPO
Elgar - Previn/LSO


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