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Furtwängler Society's best choice
Budapest, 1937-1938
The Sound Quality
The overall sonority (what could be called the Orchestral color) was very important to Furtwängler. What is more, his very architectural conception of interpretation led him to make the most of dynamics – his great crescendo in Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, recorded on 1943, is a typical example. In order to fully appreciate the qualities of his recordings it is necessary to find records in which the sound source has been treated with care.
The best CD’s are those edited by the various Furtwängler societies. The major labels EMI and DG usually produce satisfactory results. Amongst the smaller companies Tahra and Biddulph have some excellent records. On the other hand the quality is usually disappointing among the editors (Arcadia, Nuova, Era, Rodolph etc.) accustomed to recopying sources that are neither original nor of good quality. Music and Arts has produced numerous recordings of Furtwängler, often doubling those of the societies. Usually we find the sound quality mediocre, with an aggressive middle register, typical in US remasterings, resulting from an excess of filtering of low and high notes.
How to Choose
The list hereunder comprises the most notable recordings in generally available editions.
The selection hereunder is evidently subjective. In several cases the criterion of availability has excluded more significant versions. When several versions are suggested they are proposed in a decreasing order of preference. It is usually preferable to choose the performances dating from 1940-45 which are particularly impressive. In 2003, DG has reissued its stock of boxed sets of 10 CDs devoted to this period (now 9 CDs) but without doing any remastering.
Philippe Leduc, President, 2002
Furtwängler Society's best choice
Budapest, 1937-1938
When we have different major recordings of a single work, we quote all of them. Those for which we have a slight preference for are being listed first.
The records released by the Furtwängler Society (SWF) and the Wilhelm Furtwängler Gesellschaft (WFG) are mentioned, as those which are available only from one recording company. Records published by SWF, WFG and Tahra are available for members of our Society, see our CDs page.
Selection made in 2002
Last update, May 2005
Bartòk
Violin Concerto n°2
1953, Philharmonia Orchestra, soloist Y. Menuhin (EMI)
Beethoven
Coriolan
1943, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (SWF)
Egmont
1947 (27.V), Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (SWF)
Leonore II
1949, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (SWF)
Symphony n°1
1952, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (EMI)
1954, Süddeutsche Rundfunk Orchestra (SWF)
Symphony n°3
1944, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (Tahra), the most thrilling version
1952 (7.XII), Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (Tahra)
1950 (20.VI), Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (WFG, Tahra)
1952 (26-27.XI), Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (EMI)
Symphony n°4
1943, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (SWF)
1952, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (EMI)
1953, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (SWF)
Symphony n°5
1943, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, an interpretation full of tension, a perfect example
of Furtwängler's art of conducting (Tahra)
1954 (23.V), Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (Tahra)
1947 (27.V), Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (SWF)
Symphony n°6
1943, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (Tahra)
1944, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (SWF)
1952, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (EMI)
1954 (23.V), Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (Tahra)
Symphony n°7
1943, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra,the reference recording ever of the 7th Symphony (SWF)
1953, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (WFG)
Symphony n°8
1953, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (WFG)
Symphony n°9
1942, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, an interpretation with incredible tension (SWF)
1954, Philharmonia Orchestra, Lucerne, a beautiful concert, with excellent sound (Tahra)
1951, Bayreuth Festival Orchestra, Bayreuth (EMI)
Piano concerto n°5
1951, Philharmonia Orchestra, soloist Edwin Fischer (EMI)
Violin Concerto
1947, Philharmonia Orchestra, Lucerne, soloist Y. Menuhin (Testament)
Fidelio
1950, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Salzburg, soloists K. Flagstad, J. Patzak,
J. Greindl etc. (EMI)
1953, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Vienna, live, soloists M.Mödl, W.Windgassen,
G.Frick etc. (Fonit Cetra)
Check out our Beethoven page for complete information on recordings of works by Beethoven.
Brahms
Symphony n°1
1951, Nordeutsche Rundfunk Orchestra (SWF)
1952 (10.II), Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (DG)
Symphony n°2
1945, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (SWF, DG)
1952, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (EMI)
Symphony n°3
1949, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (EMI)
Symphony n°4
1943, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (Tahra, SWF)
1948 (24.X), Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (EMI)
Violin Concerto
1949, Lucerne Festival Orchestra, soloist Y. Menuhin (EMI)
Piano concerto n°2
1942, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, soloist E. Fischer (Testament)
Double Concerto
1952, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, soloists A. Boskovsky et E. Brabec (EMI)
Bruckner
Symphony n°4
1951, Munich, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (Tahra)
Symphony n°5
1942, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (DG)
Symphony n°6 (incomplete)
1943, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, with adagio from 7th-1942 (SWF)
Symphony n°7
1949, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (SWF)
1942 (adagio), Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (Tahra, SWF)
Symphony n°8
1949, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (Testament)
Symphony n°9
1944, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, an outstanding interpretation (SWF)
Franck
Symphony
1945, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (SWF)
Haydn
Symphony n°88
1951, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (SWF)
Symphony n°94
1951, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (EMI)
Liszt
The Preludes
1954, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (EMI)
Mahler
Lieder eines Farhenden Gesellen
1952, Philharmonia Orchestra, soloist D. Fischer-Dieskau (EMI)
Mozart
Serenade for 13 woodwind instruments
1947 (11.XI, 3.XII), soloists of Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (SWF)
Symphony n°39
1944, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (SWF)
Symphony n°40
1948, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (EMI)
Die Zauberflöte
1951, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, soloists I. Seefried, A. Dermota, E. Kunz,
W. Lipp, P. Schoeffler etc. (EMI)
Don Giovanni
1954, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, soloists C. Siepi, O. Edelmann,
E. Schwartzkopf, E. Grümmer, A. Dermota etc. (EMI)
Schubert
Symphony n°8
1950, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (EMI)
1954, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (SWF)
Symphony n°9
1942, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (SWF)
Schumann
Symphony n°1
1951, Munich, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (Orfeo)
Symphony n°4
1953 (14.V), Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (Tahra)
Cello concerto (last movement)
1943, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, soloist P. Fournier (Tahra)
Sibelius
En Saga
1943, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (SWF)
R. Strauss
Don Juan, Till Eulenspiegel, Death and Transfiguration
1954 et 1950, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (EMI)
Metamorphoses
1947, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (SWF)
Tchaikovsky
Pathetic Symphony
1938, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (Tahra, Naxos)
Wagner
Die Tetralogie
1950, Milan Scala Orchestra, soloists K. Flagstad, F. Frantz, E. Höngen, G. Treptow,
S. Swanholm, M. Lorentz etc. (Arkadia)
Die Walkyrie
1954, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, soloists M. Mödl, L. Rysanek, L. Suthaus,
F. Frantz, M. Klose, G. Frick etc. (EMI)
Tristan und Isolde
1952, Philharmonia Orchestra, K. Flagstad, L. Suthaus, B. Thebom, I. Greindl,
D. Fischer-Dieskau (Naxos)
Symphonic excerpts from operas and final of Gotterdammerung
Soloist K. Flagstad (EMI, Testament)
Weber
Die Freischütz
1954, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, soloists E. Grümmer, R. Streich, H. Hopf,
K. Böhme etc. (EMI)
Wolf
Lieder recital
1953, Salzburg, soloist E. Schwartzkopf, unique and moving testimony of Furtwängler as
a pianist (EMI).
For your information, you can have a look at our best choice from 1994 (RTF file - 4 pages - 90 Ko)
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