Bruckner - The People's Choice

[HighlandDougie]

Biffo

I'm sure that you'll get on with the set better than me. Maybe I just have a bit of a blind spot about Daniel Barenboim as a conductor of 19th century repertoire - I have to confess that I don't much like his Wagner either. Schönberg, yes, but I can't see what the fuss is about with Bruckner. And I found his Brahms Requiem when I heard him conduct it in Chicago turgid and dull.

HD

[Parry1912]

One of the big things in Barenboim's favour as a Bruckner conductor is that he's recorded 'Helgoland' twice.

[BBMmk2]

I have three main conductors in my collection of the Bruckner canon. They are Karjan, Jochum and abbado, in 4,5, 7 - 9. Jochum I have for the complete cycle.

Any others, I should be contemplating?

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

With no apologies for the pun, Wand is pretty magical, too, Bbm.

I like Barenboim's cycle very much, too. It's not my "first choice", but anyone with only this cycle in their collection is far from badly served. I'd say the same about Tintner, too.

Eliahu Inbal's set of the alternative/early is available as a download for about £18.50: that's going on my "Wish List"!

Best Wishes.

[jayne lee wilson]

Anyone ever heard the 1953 mono cycle by VSO/Volkmar Andreae? It has very good reviews... I suppose I rather vulgarly felt that for Bruckner, you need the Glory of Stereo (and beyond)... though I have enjoyed Knappertsbusch in 4, 7 & 8 on Archipel (1944, 1949, 1951)...

I got the Barenboim Chicago set from abruckner.com last year in a gorgeously produced Japanese Tower Records Vintage edition; no.4 is truly outstanding, but this is partly because it was the only one taped in Medinah Temple - you notice the greater amplitude, spaciousness and impact. Of the others, from Orchestra Hall, I thought no.1 was rather distantly recorded (finale good though), the best seemed to be 2 (Haas - good!),6 ( very fine, blazing at end of 1st mvt., finale beautifully paced, not too quick- good) and 7. It is the Chicago brass that make it a special set, some may even find it OTT! But why deny Bruckner (or God...) his glory.

A set full of sonic splendours, interpretations always good, 2,4,6 full of interest. But if you like brass... well, it's "take no prisoners"!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Oops! I was referring to Barenboim's BPO cycle in #64: I only have Nos 0 & 1 from the earlier DG set (and very good they both are, too!)

In the early '80s, Richard Osborne chose Barenboim's CSO recording of No 6 (together with Klemperer's - he said there wasn't a single recording that fully revealed the work's genius) on a BaL.

Best Wishes.

[BBMmk2]

I am gradually coming round to No.6. The Bal recently made it a lot better for me to understand this work.

[Chris Newman]

I am biding my time before deciding my first choices as I await the new EMI Celibidache set from the river people, issue of which keeps being put back: yet another email apology today. The various recordings of Celi I have, mostly Italian Radio broadcasts sounding as if played down drainpipes, mean that decent recordings would push him in contention with my liking for Barbirolli, Haitink, Horenstein and Jochum.

Celi's new box set arrived today. I must praise the river people as for nearly a month they kept me informed on a weekly basis that the issue date was delayed, gave me the option to turn it down and were honest about EMI dropping the price from £29.99 to £23.47 which they could easily have charged for a 12 disc set and I would have never known. I now have the pleasure of listening to Celi's versions of Symphonies No 3 to 9, the Te Deum and Mass No 3 in F Minor with the delightful thought that both vocal items include Margaret Price. Disc 11 repeats a DVD I have of rehearsals of Symphony 9 but that is the only duplication.

When am I going to find time for Horenstein's Mahler 1? Sorry, I succumbed to a copy of CFM Magazine

I may be gone for some little while......

[jayne lee wilson]

Thanks for that, fhg, never heard that BaL... glad it got RO's approval. Do you perhaps remember his reservations about the CSO reading?
Wonder what he would have made of Rozhdestvensky, it is a shame that set has always been so rare, I treasure it and I'm sure others would.

Oops! I was referring to Barenboim's BPO cycle in #64: I only have Nos 0 & 1 from the earlier DG set (and very good they both are, too!)

In the early '80s, Richard Osborne chose Barenboim's CSO recording of No 6 (together with Klemperer's - he said there wasn't a single recording that fully revealed the work's genius) on a BaL.

Best Wishes.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Do you perhaps remember his reservations about the CSO reading?

IIRC, he valued Klemperer for the 1st & 4th Movts, and Barenboim for the 2nd & 4th - he may even have awarded Barenboim the overall "prize" (forgive my memory, but it is about 30 years ago, before Rozhdestvensky's recordings were even twinkles in the conductor's eye!)

By the way, if anyone wishes to follow up Jayne's recommendations of the Russian set, it's readily available as MP3 downloads from i-Tunes and Amazon ( and possibly others): not expensive, either. MORE temptation!

Best Wishes.

[amateur51]

By the way, if anyone wishes to follow up Jayne's recommendations of the Russian set, it's readily available as MP3 downloads from i-Tunes and Amazon ( and possibly others): not expensive, either. MORE temptation!

Best Wishes.

They're also available to be heard on Spotify - very nice sound

[jayne lee wilson]

Yes - but bear in mind that Rozh. recorded 1,2 3(1889), 5, 8 and 9 twice each, so that may complicate the download choices...
The Venezia cycle I have was recorded 1984-88, with the "USSR Ministry of Culture SO", but you can check on the abruckner.com discography. There's even a BBCSO Prom recording of no.2, but I recall the concert getting very bad reviews...

IIRC, he valued Klemperer for the 1st & 4th Movts, and Barenboim for the 2nd & 4th - he may even have awarded Barenboim the overall "prize" (forgive my memory, but it is about 30 years ago, before Rozhdestvensky's recordings were even twinkles in the conductor's eye!)

By the way, if anyone wishes to follow up Jayne's recommendations of the Russian set, it's readily available as MP3 downloads from i-Tunes and Amazon ( and possibly others): not expensive, either. MORE temptation!

Best Wishes.

[Stanfordian]

Here is my Bruckner list of symphonies numbers 4-9. My favourite account is placed first plus a few marvellous historical recordings (well maybe the Walter recordings are not that old) that have decent sound quality:

No.4: Karl Böhm/Vienna Phil; Wand/Berlin Phil; Jochum/Berlin Phil
No.5: Sinopoli/Dresden Staatskappelle; Wand/Berlin Phil; Jochum/Bavarian RSO;
Furtwängler/Berlin Phil (Historical 1942)
No.6: Jochum/Bavarian RSO;
No. 7: Karajan/Vienna Phil; Wand/Berlin Phil; Jochum/Berlin Phil; Herreweghe
Orchestre des Champs-Elysées; Walter/Columbia SO (Historical 1961)
No.8: Wand/Berlin Phil; Karajan/Vienna Phil; Jochum/Berlin Phil
No.9: Barenboim Berlin Phil; Wand/Berlin Phil; Furtwängler/Berlin Phil (Historical
1944); Walter/Columbia SO (Historical 1959)

I have not selected any Karajan recordings with the Berlin Phil. I find his accounts consistently well performed and a very fine set that gives pleasure. However, on an individual basis I prefer the above accounts.