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Title fairly well summarizes the question - I really enjoy Beethoven's 9th, esp. the 4th movement, and would really like to hear the orchestration without the chorus. I've tried some amount of Google-fu but have been unsuccessful in identifying if there are any recordings of just the orchestration (which has some beautiful oboe and clarinet lines) without the vocals.

Dom
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NKCampbell
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    Why? That's like wanting to hear the 3rd movement without the second violins. Now, if you just want to concentrate on the instrumental part, that just takes some ear-training. You might find it helpful to read along in the score while listening. – Carl Witthoft Mar 16 '17 at 12:39
  • the ear training I have is what has led me to ask the question :) – NKCampbell Mar 16 '17 at 13:12
  • @CarlWitthoft a technique I find useful is to sing one part from the score as I listen to the recording, or to play it on a keyboard. Surely hearing any movement without some part is a useful exercise that enhances ear training. – phoog Jan 03 '21 at 18:01

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There is one in your future. You could visit a rehearsal with the orchestra before they bring in the choir. This may be the only way to get a recording. Neat question that is for sure. Beethoven's ninth is so full of intriguing passages. You may need to massage some connections with powerful music personalities in your locality.

Ootagu
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    most professional orchestras would frown upon surreptitious recording of a rehearsal for numerous reasons: among them quality control, union, recording agreements in their contracts, etc... – NKCampbell Mar 16 '17 at 04:43
  • @NKCampbell you could hire an orchestra for the purpose of producing such a recording, however. It would be costly, but not insurmountably so, especially if you could collect a group of people with similar interests to share the costs. – phoog Jan 03 '21 at 17:57
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One idea is, to try a recording of the piano transcription by Liszt, e. g. with Scherbakov. Definitely no chorus there. Of course it has to be checked, whether your woodwind solos are recognizable here, but I found my brain to supply from memory some tone colors the piano was unable to provide.

guidot
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