Jeffrey Hall requests:

>The top pick for Beethoven's Eroica symphony in a recent Penguin guide
>is a recent recording by Sir Colin Davis on Philips, I believe with the
>Bavarian State Orchestra (or something very close to that).  Any comments
>on it would be much appreciated.

The Davis is a fine (if not overexciting) traditional performance.  It's a
good, but not great, example.  In a similar vein, but much more revealing,
is the recently re-released Klemperer/Philharmonia recording from the early
'60's on EMI.  I don't know what they did, but the sound is last-week
clear.  Also, if you're feeling adventurous (and at the price, this is a
steal), David Zinman leads a truly fine performance on Arte Nova from the
Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra.  This performance has so much that is good, and
so much that is truly different (it uses the new Barenreiter Critical
Edition) that I've listened to it five times in the last four days.  That
says a lot when one has eighty-eight different recordings of the piece to
choose from (I'm getting to be something of a completist about this
symphony).  I just keep hearing new things.  A very high recommendation.

David Simmons
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Virginia Beach, VA