Karl Böhm’s Beethoven is a compound of earth and fire. His 1971 VPO recording of Beethoven’s Sixth dominated the LP catalogue for over a decade, and has done pretty well on CD in its various appearances. His reading is generally glorious and it remains one of the finest accounts of the work. It still sounds well and the performance (with the first-movement exposition repeat included) has an unfolding naturalness and a balance between form and lyrical impulse that’s totally satisfying. The brook flows untroubled and the finale is quite lovely, with a wonderfully expansive climax. https://www.gramophone.co.uk/editorial/beethovens-symphony-no-6-pastoral