Also Sprach Zarathustra - Recommendations?

Just listening to this for the first time in a really long time, and noticing it is my only Zarathustra.

I'm actually quite pleased with it, I remember it getting good reviews at the time, and the late Karajan's style is quite well adapted to the music.

Sound quality is a bit better than your average early 80's DDD recording, but still, I wouldn't mind getting an audiophile version.

This one:

Amazon.com: Richard Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra; Ein Heldenleben [Hybrid SACD]

In my experience, the version by Zubin Mehta and the LA Philharmonic in K2HD LIM is phenomenal musically and sonically;

This one is really amazing: Strauss: 5 Great Tone Poems: Amazon.co.uk: Music

Musically, I prefer it by far to Reiner's. And sonically it is really great too. Only caveat, I'm talking about the LP version. I don't know how the digitization is, but the Philips recordings I have are typically very well digitized.

Thanks to all, will check them out.

Sound quality is a bit better than your average early 80's DDD recording, but still, I wouldn't mind getting an audiophile version.

I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that.

I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that.

Isn't it weird that nowadays you can really speak with a computer, or should I say Computeresse (not really sure about Siri's gender). I just wish she'd be as smart as HAL.

HDTracks is currently offering a 15% discount on the very recently released live recording of Strauss' Zarathustra by G. Dudamel and the BPO. I am tempted to add another version of this classic to my record collection, especially if the recording quality is good: I wouldn't mind having another demo recording. However, the reviews on Amazon seem to suggest that this is a tame reading of the score. Would anyone have heard it and be willing to share his/her views? I would be very appreciative.

I finally took the plunge and bought the Dudamel Zarathustra: it is very well played and recorded. However, the megahit first movement is played in a fairly subdued manner, especially the organ; it is not an audiophile piece as in Z. Mehta's version. The rest of Zarathustra is played very convincingly, and the BPO is in great form. Till Eulenspiegel is extremely good on this album, and so is Don Juan.

I finally took the plunge and bought the Dudamel Zarathustra: it is very well played and recorded. However, the megahit first movement is played in a fairly subdued manner, especially the organ; it is not an audiophile piece as in Z. Mehta's version. The rest of Zarathustra is played very convincingly, and the BPO is in great form. Till Eulenspiegel is extremely good on this album, and so is Don Juan.

I also bought the Dudamel. I agree, it is somewhat understated, however, it is very elegant and sublime as a result. Well recorded.

The Mehta is bombastic. He is not Kempe, or Karajan in this.

What I appreciate most about the Dudamel is that, unlike so many other recordings of Zarathustra over the past 40 years, he did NOT approach is as a bombastic audiophile spectacle and made it very musical, nuanced and organic.

I just got SHM-SACD of Karajan's 1959 version and it sounds great! The 1959 version was the one used in the Kurbrick movie...

There are two recordings I can highly recommend:

For an entirely different take try Eumir Deodato's  version.