# What are your favourite recordings of Mozart’s 40th symphony?



## EvaBaron (Jan 3, 2022)

Hi, I love this symphony and I have been listening to 3 recordings of the work in particular: Klemperer, sandor végh & mackerras. Klemperer is slow and very heavy, extremely out of the ordinary for him obviously. Végh is slow and very light and it has that haydnesque wit to it that I like, then mackerras has the same wit but is a fast recording. Feel free to recommend your favourite recordings and it would be cool if you don’t already know them to listen to my 3 recordings to see if you like them


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## Nipper (Jun 5, 2020)

I've been listening to Blomstedt's Mozart 40/41 with the Staatskapelle Dresden on a Denon CD since 1987. Very much imprinted and love it. 

I also have Szell/Cleveland, Walter/ColSO, Reiner/Pittsburgh, Reiner/CSO, Klemperer/Philharmonia (mono & stereo), Karajan/BPO, Bernstein/VPO & Mackerras/Prague. All have their charms. After Blomstedt, I'd probably go with Szell (also on the faster side).


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## Brahmsianhorn (Feb 17, 2017)

Furtwängler/BPO (1949 live) (Tahra)

Beecham/LPO (1937) (EMI, Dutton)

Klemperer/Philharmonia (1956) (Warner/EMI)

Bernstein/VPO (1984) (DG)

Britten/ECO (1968) (Decca)


.


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

Bernstein , DG and Sony - Bohm on DG -Otmar Suitner on Berlin Classics an Tate on Emi now Warner.
Happy exploring.


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## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

Reiner/CSO, PittSO is good, too
Walter/NYPO
Szell/Cleveland


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## RogerWaters (Feb 13, 2017)

Harnoncourt's first recording (chamber orchestra of europe)


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## Kreisler jr (Apr 21, 2021)

The first Harnoncourt recording is with the Concertgebouw (from the early 1980s). That's my favorite. 
Among more recent versions on original instruments (I have not heard the late Harnoncourt/Concentus nor the one with the CoE from the 1990s) I like the Immerseel (last 3) and Minkowski (+41). Of historical recordings probably Schuricht and Erich Kleiber. The Furtwängler bizarrely uses the version without clarinets (which I don't like so much). Many sometimes famous recordings between the 1960s and 80s are too slow for my taste. (Or if not that slow, like Szell, kind of dry.)


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

EvaBaron said:


> Hi, I love this symphony and I have been listening to 3 recordings of the work in particular: Klemperer, sandor végh & mackerras. Klemperer is slow and very heavy, extremely out of the ordinary for him obviously. Végh is slow and very light and it has that haydnesque wit to it that I like, then mackerras has the same wit but is a fast recording. Feel free to recommend your favourite recordings and it would be cool if you don't already know them to listen to my 3 recordings to see if you like them


Bruggen here

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mozart-Orchestras-Symphonies-Frans-Bruggen/dp/B003J4RZ3E

Kocsis here also well worth hearing

https://bmcrecords.hu/en/albums/nat-phil-orchcond-z-kocsis-wa-mozart-symph-in-g-minor-k183-k550


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## RobertJTh (Sep 19, 2021)

Marriner, Academy of St Martin in the Fields.
I'm not usually a fan of Marriner's approach to music, his recordings of post-Mozart repertoire often sound anemic. Take his complete Schubert symphonies for instance: bland and undernourished.
But his Mozart is so velvety, silky smooth and elegant, it's absolutely irresistible. The slow movement of the 40th I never heard played better.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Karajan,BPO/emi

and 

Harnoncourt/CtGebouw/teldec (1984, predates the Chamber Orchestra of Europe 1994)

and

Britten/ECO/decca

and 

Walter/ColSO/cbs-sony


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

There are two versions of the G minor: with and without clarinets. Does anyone know of recordings without? I'm currently in rehearsals for the symphony, we're using clarinets, but I wonder just how different it sounds if they're not there. And given the lack of skill in the 2nd player it would be better to use the non-clarinet version.


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## Xisten267 (Sep 2, 2018)

A modified version of Karajan/BPO with faster tempi in the 2nd and 3rd movements is my current favorite. I think that the first movement is particularly intense and dark in this version, the way I like.


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## Kreisler jr (Apr 21, 2021)

mbhaub said:


> There are two versions of the G minor: with and without clarinets. Does anyone know of recordings without? I'm currently in rehearsals for the symphony, we're using clarinets, but I wonder just how different it sounds if they're not there. And given the lack of skill in the 2nd player it would be better to use the non-clarinet version.


Hogwood (and maybe some more supercompletists) recorded both versions (Decca L'oiseau lyre) and to my knowledge Furtwängler preferred the version w/o clarinets (there is one studio recording on EMI and probably another one).


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## Olias (Nov 18, 2010)

Mackerras and Bernstein - my two absolute favorite sets (including my two favorite versions of the 40th):


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## Chilham (Jun 18, 2020)

Olias said:


> Mackerras and Bernstein - my two absolute favorite sets (including my two favorite versions of the 40th):
> 
> View attachment 163040


I always come back to this recording.


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## RogerWaters (Feb 13, 2017)

Kreisler jr said:


> The first Harnoncourt recording is with the Concertgebouw (from the early 1980s). That's my favorite.
> Among more recent versions on original instruments (I have not heard the late Harnoncourt/Concentus nor the one with the CoE from the 1990s) I like the Immerseel (last 3) and Minkowski (+41). Of historical recordings probably Schuricht and Erich Kleiber. The Furtwängler bizarrely uses the version without clarinets (which I don't like so much). Many sometimes famous recordings between the 1960s and 80s are too slow for my taste. (Or if not that slow, like Szell, kind of dry.)


Apologies, you are right: the concertgebouw. Harnoncourt's most recent is miserable, imo. Absolutely emasculated by hyper HIP sensibilities.


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## Holden4th (Jul 14, 2017)

Fricsay/Vienna PO, coupled with 41


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## KevinW (Nov 21, 2021)

Karl Böhm with Berlin Philharmonic or Sir Colin Davis with Dresden National Orchestra (Staatskapelle Dresden).


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## Wigmar (8 mo ago)

EvaBaron said:


> Hi, I love this symphony and I have been listening to 3 recordings of the work in particular: Klemperer, sandor végh & mackerras. Klemperer is slow and very heavy, extremely out of the ordinary for him obviously. Végh is slow and very light and it has that haydnesque wit to it that I like, then mackerras has the same wit but is a fast recording. Feel free to recommend your favourite recordings and it would be cool if you don’t already know them to listen to my 3 recordings to see if you like them


I do not know the recordings you mention. I have a recording with Concertgebouw/Krips on Philips, which I enjoy. Böhm is also an alternative, I have heard it many years ago.
I am curious about Trevor Pinnock, maybe I will buy the set.


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## EvaBaron (Jan 3, 2022)

Wigmar said:


> I do not know the recordings you mention. I have a recording with Concertgebouw/Krips on Philips, which I enjoy. Böhm is also an alternative, I have heard it many years ago.
> I am curious about Trevor Pinnock, maybe I will buy the set.


If I would recommend any set it would be either Marriner/ASMF or Mackerras/PCO (both recordings available on YouTube for sampling)


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## Wigmar (8 mo ago)

EvaBaron said:


> If I would recommend any set it would be either Marriner/ASMF or Mackerras/PCO (both recordings available on YouTube for sampling)


Thanks, I will check it out


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## Marc (Jun 15, 2007)

EvaBaron said:


> If I would recommend any set it would be either Marriner/ASMF or Mackerras/PCO (both recordings available on YouTube for sampling)


Marriner did quite of lot of Mozart symphonies twice (at least 24-41), for Philips and EMI.
I.c. KV 550, I slightly prefer the EMI recording, mainly because of a more convincing Menuetto.


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## Marc (Jun 15, 2007)

Kreisler jr said:


> Hogwood (and maybe some more supercompletists) recorded both versions (Decca L'oiseau lyre) and to my knowledge Furtwängler preferred the version w/o clarinets (there is one studio recording on EMI and probably another one).


I do know of 3 other ones, but, who knows, there might be more (it would not surprise me).

Claudio Abbado recorded it with the London SO (DG, 1980).
Hartmut Haenchen made a recording with the Netherlands Philharnomica Orchestra (1987, for the Collins label).
Jaap ter Linden did both versions for the Brilliant Classics Mozart Edition (2006).


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

There are too many! Off the top of my head - Walter (coupled with the Haffner it was my first encounter with Mozart and I still love it), Klemperer, Krips, Norrington (with the London Classical Players - shocked me by how good it is when I wasn't expecting it), Norrington (Stuttgart), Pinnock, Jacobs and Minasi (this one surprisingly different and _may _represent recent scholarship on how Mozart was played in his day). Then there are Savall and Harnoncourt (Vienna Concentus Musicus) which are both performed showing the last three symphonies as a single unified work - but can be excellent just listening to one symphony. Every single one of these is notably different from all the others and each is (IMO) exceptionally rewarding.


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## EvaBaron (Jan 3, 2022)

Marc said:


> Marriner did quite of lot of Mozart symphonies twice (at least 24-41), for Philips and EMI.
> I.c. KV 550, I slightly prefer the EMI recording, mainly because of a more convincing Menuetto.


I also prefer the emi recording of the 40th, it’s very underrated IMO. It might not be very exciting but it’s beautifully excecuted and worth hearing. Never heard a better 3rd movement.


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## EvaBaron (Jan 3, 2022)

Enthusiast said:


> There are too many! Off the top of my head - Walter (coupled with the Haffner it was my first encounter with Mozart and I still love it), Klemperer, Krips, Norrington (with the London Classical Players - shocked me by how good it is when I wasn't expecting it), Norrington (Stuttgart), Pinnock, Jacobs and Minasi (this one surprisingly different and _may _represent recent scholarship on how Mozart was played in his day). Then there are Savall and Harnoncourt (Vienna Concentus Musicus) which are both performed showing the last three symphonies as a single unified work - but can be excellent just listening to one symphony. Every single one of these is notably different from all the others and each is (IMO) exceptionally rewarding.


I actually imprinted on Minasi, unfortunately I don’t really like the performance anymore. I did play it a lot of times


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

^ Probably not a good one to imprint on! It is stimulating when you have heard the others, though.


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## EvaBaron (Jan 3, 2022)

Enthusiast said:


> ^ Probably not a good one to imprint on! It is stimulating when you have heard the others, though.


Yes exactly, I couldn't enjoy slower performances for a while, but eventually Klemperer just klicked. That beginning of the symphony is judged very well. Then i went back to faster performances, but just not the Minasi. Overall, while the klemperer has it's moments the symphony flows better and works better at a faster tempo IMO.


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## Marc (Jun 15, 2007)

EvaBaron said:


> I also prefer the emi recording of the 40th, it’s very underrated IMO. It might not be very exciting but it’s beautifully excecuted and worth hearing. Never heard a better 3rd movement.


I can 'take' quite a few works of Mozart in multiple ways. KV 550 is a great example of this.
It depends a bit on my mood. The Marriner EMI one is very polished indeed. The earlier Philips recording sounds more spontaneous.
If I want it (more or less) 'really' rough, then Harnoncourt or Mackerras come to mind. I have the Prague box set of the latter, and the Menuetto of KV 550 is played with gritted teeth (a bit too fast though).

Maybe Pinnock can be called the 'Marriner way' for period instruments in this one. Pinnock does sound more lively though, so in the end I prefer him. Plus: I have a weak spot for the sound of the old instruments.

(But hey, love me some Bruno Walter too!)

Brüggen's recording is much to my likings, too. The same goes for René Jacobs with the Freiburger Barockorchester, despite his (in)famous idiosyncrasies from time to time. Jacobs always tries to tell a musical story. But I'm not sure how to define or describe it. It works for me, that's the main important thing. 

KV 550 is one of those works where I really can't pick a favourite. Maybe that's a compliment to the music itself.


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## Coach G (Apr 22, 2020)

Mozart: Symphony #40?

I'm an old soul and I love old recordings. Though thoroughly un-HIP I vote for Bruno Walter and the Columbia Symphony Orchestra; and no the Columbia Symphony wasn't a South American enterprise that made it to world-class fame in the 1950s (that would come later with Gustavo "The Dude" Dudamel and his Simon Bolivar Yourth Orchestra) . The Columbia was rather a pick-up band assembled exclusively by CBS for recordings. On the East Coast the Columbia Symphony Orchestra it was comprised of mostly members of the New York Philharmonic and on the West Coast it was made from mostly members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. Since Bruno's late-stage Mozart recordings were made in Hollywood, it was mostly LAPO and for a pick-up band, Walter creates a beautiful, full, well-rounded, and even sound, and he was late 70s/early 80s years of old when he did it! 

Arturo Toscanini with the NBS Symphony is also very good (The NBC was an orchestra created specifically for Toscanini by RCA); and the Toscanini tracts are very brisk and bouncy. Some have also mentioned Bernstein and the VIenna Philharmonic from Bernstein's later years when he was with DG; and Bernstein's Mozart is also surprisingly good and from a conductor who was not known as a great champion of Mozart. You'd think that the weight of the mighty Vienna players would weigh down Mozart's sense of seamless beauty but Bernstein manages to find the right dynmaics.


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## 4chamberedklavier (12 mo ago)

I like Gardiner's because of the lower tuning


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