Then, now, and always; here, there, and everywhere, these are among a handful of truly great recorded performances of
Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 and No. 7. Indeed, one could claim that they are among
Wilhelm Furtwängler's greatest recorded performances. One could argue that
Furtwängler's 1943 Fifth and Seventh had more fire and intensity. But one could also argue that the 1950 Fifth and 1954 Seventh have more breadth and serenity. One could prefer the 1943 Fifth for its maniacal energy or the 1950 Fifth for its commanding gravity. One could choose the 1943 Seventh for its inexorable inevitability or the 1954 Seventh for its ecstatic sublimity. One could decide for the overwhelming fury of the wartime
Berlin Philharmonic or heartwarming beauty of the postwar
Vienna Philharmonic. One could feel comfortable with the faded majesty of EMI's postwar
Vienna recordings but still be compelled by the harsh reality of DG's wartime
Berlin recordings.