[riverdweller]

> the three essential recitals of the Op.92 II Allegretto

Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic (1963) for grave and majestic, Gardiner and the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique (1994) for bright and invigorating - but what's the third?

[inopinatus]

Well, obviously I'm joshing a little, since there are certainly more than three worth the listen, and no "top 3" can be definitively argued. For example, I actually prefer Karajan's 1951 recording with the Philharmonia, and of the more sprightly renditions I go for the Christopher Hogwood (1997) with the Academy of Ancient Music, which is salient not merely for its instrumentation but also the interplay of the ensemble.

Nevertheless, for my personally selected essential version, I'll always nominate Erich Kleiber (1950, Decca) with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Once heard, never forgotten, it is spine chilling.

His son Carlos's is better known, but I think it's a goofy misreading.

Bonus: the Liszt transcription for piano reveals fascinating details that otherwise tend to submerge in the symphonic effusion. There's a pleasing version on Youtube purporting to be from Glenn Gould, but note that the provenance is disputed.

[riverdweller]

Thank you for the additional recommendations.

Unspeakably irreverent but great fun (though you've probably already encountered it) is Joachim Horsley's Beethoven in Havana: https://youtu.be/mZRb0FyAa9s