Parsifal: many thanks - your question has been reasonably easy to answer because of my absurd card-index catalogues of most areas of repertoire where I have many versions of the same work.

Beethoven symphonies: No 3 x6; No 5 x7; No 7 x7; no 9 x6. Sonatas; Op111 wins at x8.

Mozart pf concs: K 467, K488 and K595 x7, K488 and K491 x6. Odd because my favourite is really K503, only x3.

Schubert Impromptu D899/2 x7.

Chopin: B minor and Bb minor sonatas both x5; Revolutionary study x7; Nocturne Op27/2 x6; Polonaise Op53 x6; Waltz Op31 x7.

(Moving up to double figures now)

Organ works:

Widor Toccata x8

Toccata & Fugue BWV565 x12

A category in himself, and a nightmare to catalogue:

Percy Grainger: Molly on the Shore and Irish Tune from County Derry, both x11;

Lieder & song:

Gershwin: I got rhythm x12

Schubert: Der Doppelganger & Der Lindenbaum x10; Standchen x11; Liebesbotschaft x12; Die Forelle and Erlkonig x14.

Schumann: Der Nussbaum; Du bist wie eine Blume, Frauenliebe und Leben;  all x10

BUT THE JOINT WINNERS ON TIMES 15 ARE (GIVE THEM A BIG HAND FOLKS):

Percy Aldridge GRAINGER!!!! and his amazing Country Gardens

and

Franz Peter SCHUBERT!!!! for his heart-warming evergreen Andy Music - come on down Andy!!

[Sorry, got a bit carried away there with the CFM competeitive aspect - I'll get me coat...]

Oh please guys, come on, you're all so taaame; everyone's got at least *one* dirty little record-collection secret, at least one of these pieces, recordings of which seem to multiply without any rhyme or reason, unless you actively purge your collection of said offending articles on a regular basis.  For me, it's probably Tchaikovsky's first P.C., of which I have somewhere around seven recordings in my room at the moment, despite never having actively purchased a recording of it.

I have about 10 recordings of Liszt's Sonata in B minor, 3 of both piano concertos (Cziffra, Howard and Beroff) and 4 of the Scherzo und Marche (Howard, Demidenko, Jando and Cohen).  I've also got 7 of Beethoven's Op.57 (Appassionata Sonata) and my head hurts now so I'm going to bed!

Unfortunately there aren't that many for him to have, but he does to my knowledge have two or three, unless he's unloaded them on his local s/h shop by now, and he even wrote back with a comment on one of them which however doesn't necessarily suggest that he actually listened to it...

Why thank you, although I was trying to stop it from happening and also to slide gracefully off the top ten posters list, which if I'm careful I should manage in a couple of weeks. Maybe I should disappear off to the Lake District like our green friend.

I would imagine I have more recordings of Mahler 9 than of anything else, but I'm too tired to check now. Goodnight all.

I discover I have innumerable versions of Caravan (Duke Ellington/Juan Tizol) , five by Ellington himself (his band in 1937, 1945, 6tet 1951, trio on Money Jungle + the man with Boston pops) as well as others by Tommy Flanagan trio, Mills Brothers, Joe Turner, Oscar Peterson, Dick Wellstood, Monty Worlock, Dollar Brand (as he then was), Thelonious Monk, Joe Pass, Art Tatum and Bill Haley + the Comets. Yes, it's a favourite tune.

I agree about the singers on the Abbado set - would have been fine if recording in the Italian version!
I think the best of the French versions (and the most complete) is Matheson's on Opera Rara, with singers much more comfortable with the language - Joseph Rouleau, André Turp, Robert Savoie, Edith Tremblay and Michelle Vilma.

IGI, I believe there is an Abbado set out there that is in Italian (a 'live' recording, also from La Scala - I remember someone on the R3 board mentioning it). I have the Matheson (as well as both Giulini recordings) which I very much enjoy, not least as the wonderful opening is there in full (and in place, unlike on Abbado where it's on the disc of extras), however I do find Savoie a little weak and, while generally fine, Matheson's conducting does sag a bit during the ballet.

I've been meaning to get round to the Pappano (either on DVD or CD), but I believe he doesn't do the opening chorus. What I would really like to see would be a DVD of WNO's fine production from 2 years ago, but I shouldn't think I will....

bws

I have 5 different CD recordings of the Bach violin concertos.

I have several pieces of music where I have 2 different recordings, but rarely more. I usually give CDs away if I go above this, as I find I tend to play the one I like best.

My house would fall down if it weren't held up by my CD collection !!

x Jan x