CDs: Beethoven

I'm going to take the unusual step here of directing people to someone else's review, here. This is because the review, like the music itself, is outstanding, and has certainly enhanced my enjoyment of it, and of one piece in particular, the Appassionata. ... (See the whole review)

Of all the recordings of the 9th that I've listened to, this version, conducted by John Eliot Gardiner, is my favorite.  He really attacks the music, yielding an intense and epic result.  It was recorded using period instruments, so supposedly sounds much more like Beethoven originally intended.  The fifth movement seems to me to be especially pass... (See the whole review)