Bernstein's a genius. I once had the profoundly odd experience of hearing two different orchestras perform the same piece within the same week -- the Boston Symphony Orchestra (the conductor now lost in the fog of time) and the NY Philharmonic, under Bernstein -- both playing Mahler's Seventh. This was 20 or so years ago, now -- at any rate, the BSO performance was first and I found the work excruciating, and tried to weasel my way out of the Philharmonic concert to no avail. Bernstein's treatment of the piece was relevatory: he made me like Mahler.

Now that's an accomplishment.

But if you say this Kleiber guy is something, I'll have to give it a listen.

I'll take Georg Solti conducting the Chicago Symphany Orchestra.

Brett said it before I could.

The local PBS (Chicago) did a special right before it the recording was released showing the rehearsals. I don't know if a more demanding maestro ever existed, but it certainly shows in the end product.

How does it compare to Nikolaus Harnoncourt's and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe's 1991 recording? I have a multi-disc set of Beethoven's 9 symphonies done by them on the Teldec label and haven't heard anything better. Gonna have to give Kleiber a listen.

A friend recommended I buy this version years ago, and it is nothing short of amazing. I've listened to it so much, I've got every note memorized. The 7th on this disc is my favorite version that I've heard as well.

I probably am showing my age but his father's (Eric)recording of the 5th was considered the best over forty years ago. It was a London recording. Alas my copy is gone.
I always wonder why composers like Beethoven have not emerged. That was ~ 200 years ago!

Ditto for Solti and the CSO.

By the way, if you're interested in so-called "authentic instrument" recordings, take my advice and stear clear of John Eliot Gardiner. Waste of good money, that CD was.

I highly recommend Kleiber conducting Brahms' Fourth Symphony.

Absolutely fantastic.

My recommendation would be the collection of Beethoven's symphonies 1-9 conducted by Otto von Klemperer, considered one of the great conductors of this last century.

A bit of interesting trivia... this link is to a photo of Otto von Klemperer.

This one is a link to a photo of his son Werner Klemperer.

Not exactly following in his father's footsteps!

Another vote for Solti here.

CSO vote here. By the way as a (former) musician I enjoyed playing the 6th the most.

I have always Toscanini for his faithfulness to the music especially tempo.

I know all about his political affiliations... but give me 1963 Karajan any day of the week when it comes to Beethoven symphonies.

The problem with the Fifth is the same one the Ninth has. Beethoven was a genius, but sometimes he just didn't know when to stop. In both cases he brings everything together into a satisfying conclusion in key, theme, emotion, message, whatever. And then he adds a coda. And then another coda. And another coda. And.....

Well, eventually he does stop, and his genius means that it still remains thrilling. But compositionally, it's a bit out of balance, and could be improved with a little judicious editing.

Except that no one would dare.

I have several recordings of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony and I have heard still more, but my favorite remains the VPO/Kleiber recording. It is absolutely electrifying. I am glad that you found it.

Szell with Cleveland is where my money goes. The other recordings might have an edge on interpretation (maybe), but Cleveland under Szell has the cleanest, most together sound I have ever heard in an orchestra. His Beethoven is phenomenal, imho, and where my money goes, even after hearing the other conductors mentioned with Beethoven (I do think Bernstein beats Szell on Schubert's Unfinished, though). Although, who knows what the other conductors could have done with Cleveland instead of their own orchestras. The amount of money that was being thrown around in the '60s by Cleveland really did suck up the best orchestral talent, and it shows in Szell's recordings of the period.

The other thing Szell has going for him is that I haven't heard any recordings of his that I didn't like, which I can't say for others like Karajan, Solti, or Bernstein. But again, that might be just as much due to his orchestra as his abilities as a conductor, although I think there has to be a connection given how good Cleveland in its glory days sounded.