Christopher Webber wrote:

>I thought a comparative review of classic recordings of the work might help
>other listeners hear the wood for the trees of 4'33".  It has been a taxing
>undertaking to narrow the field down to five major contenders, but here
>goes ...

>Does anyone else have a favourite version to compare with the above?

Here are the ones that stand out for me:

1) The Furtwaengler--however, it must be emphasized that I am talking ONLY
of the wartime (Berlin Phil., April 1945) version, not the more gemuetlich
Vienna version of 1939, nor the Bayreuth versions of either 1950 or 52.
Legend has it that WF held out his baton motionless during the entire
performance, so that he wouldn't be seen in public giving a Reich salute
to Himmler, who was supposed to be in the audience.  However, the recording
clearly has in the background the sound of a Russian ground attack aircraft
strafing the streets outside the concert hall, so all the Nazis had already
left the building.

2) The Mengelberg, recorded in the late 1920s.  This may be an acquired
taste, as the way in which he stretches and compacts the tempi (almost to
the breaking point) throughout the work mean that his version can only be
called '4'33"' when averaged out over three performances.

3) I find Beecham's version to be a Guilty Pleasure, but many will no doubt
find the fact that he recorded a bowdlerized Breitkopf and Haertel score
(and didn't give a whit about the fact that it wasn't an Urtext) to be a
non-starter.  Still, the humor and elegance of his treatment of the middle
section won me over.

4) The Toscanini, 1948 with the NBC Symphony.  However, he takes it so damn
fast that it clocks in as a true 3'55".  As it's a live performance, there
is one point in the take where he's heard yelling at the principal oboe for
missing his cue.

5) Finally, there's the Hilliard Ensemble's "Mor 'n' Mor" album, which
explores the notion that Cage had subconsciously buried hidden tones [i.e.,
noises] within the score of the work, possibly as a reaction to hearing the
news of the Death of Tonal Music.  The Hilliards, with the help of a German
Detektive/musicologist, do a brilliant job of singing the hidden passages
against the score, as played by Guest Artist Deryk Barker on his famous
"Luft-Guitarre".

Bill H.