Beethoven: Symphony No. 9

Karajan recorded Beethoven’s Ninth almost obsessively, but many aficionados think he got it right on his first stereo recording of the work (from the early ’60s, with the Berliner Philharmoniker). Despite the slightly dated-sounding fidelity, the performance still leaps from the speakers: The first movement has a faultless, inexorable-seeming drive, and the famous opening of the Scherzo, likewise, has a distinct punch. The Vienna Singverein and quartet of vocal soloists that includes bass-baritone Walter Berry contribute to the cumulative power of Beethoven’s iconic finale (and its adaptation of “Ode to Joy”).