And let's not forget Florence Foster Jenkins performing Der Hoelle Rache, the Queen of the Night aria from The Magic Flute.
Anna is brilliant here, as always. Of Florence, I can only say that it's well that she could afford to be as talented as she was.
I nominate Beethoven's 9th as performed by The University of California Berkeley Symphony Orchestra in May, 2003, though mostly because I was in it.
Ooooh. I played Holst's First Suite back in high school when I was in the Wind Ensemble there. I always have wanted a crack at the Second Suite and we almost did that one, but twas not to be. Just out of curiousity PKTrekGirl, do you play anything or are you just an admirer of classical music from afar?
LOL. That reminds me of a recording, and I can't remember who now conducted it, of Shostakovich 5 where the beginning of the 4th mvt is soooooooooo slow lol. I went to listen to it when I took conducting my senior year of college and had to conduct an excerpt from it.
Just thought of something which genuinely fits here. Within the last two years or so, Julie Taymor directed a staging of (an abridged) Mozart's Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) with the Metropolitan Opera of New York which was broadcast on PBS as part of their Great Performances at the Met series in early 2007. Unfortunately, Amazon currently shows the DVD as being out of stock, but I recommend this highly if you're able to find it. Perhaps PBS or the Met may have it available direct or for download. Visually, it's just stunning, and some very good performances including Nathan Gunn as Papageno and Erika Miklósa as The Queen of the Night (the aria Florence Foster Jenkins brutally murdered upthread is done so well here it's frightening.) I'd call it a must-see, if you can.
I'd say different, but equally outstanding. Here's one performance (in English) on stage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y24VZ9p2xWg Another (auf Deutsch) in a concert setting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERsjRsCBlBo For comparison, a Diana Damrau performance on stage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvuKxL4LOqc With Damrau, the menace is more overt and intimidating, and with Miklosa more implied or understood. Both excellent.
I think you'd have to see it in context to judge it fairly. That costume was the one used in Taymor's staging, which ranged from exotic to fantastic to quite surreal. I thought it worked, but that sort of thing is always subjective.
On the serious side of Also Sprach, I happen to be a fan of the University of Illinois Symphonic Band's recording of the entire piece, with Harry Begian at the stick. Actually, I'm really a fan of anything Begian recorded at Illinois. There's a certain gravitas that their rendition of Sinfonia India possesses that is missing on Bernstein's orchestral recording. Very partial to Herbert von Karajan's recordings of the Beethoven Symphonies, as well as the Eli Oue Minnesota Symphony's recording of The Overture to Candide. I also have some terrific CDs from The President's Own US Marine Band. Even heard the strangest thing the other day while listening to some mp3s on The President's Own site. A recording of that Band playing early 1900s director Santleman's Thomas Jefferson March. Doesn't seem to exist, except in a 1909 recording by the Marines. Cool march too.