Your first Bruckner record

[Joseph K]

If cassettes are allowed...
Karl Bohm Bruckner 7 on tape, DG Galleria. (Now replaced by CD, but I still have the tape sleeve & digitised tape.)
I suspect that the cover attracted me to start with, but 7 is still my favourite & often played.

(First symphony cycle was the Gunter Wand.)

Nice front cover.

My first - and so far only - Bruckner purchase is the Complete Symphonies by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under Haitink. I'm glad I bought it because not only is it great music but having just searched, now appears to be unavailable!

[LHC]

My first recording was Bruckner 4 with Karl Bohm, which I got when I was at University, but I just couldn’t get into the other symphonies for ages.

The turning point for me was seeing a performance of Ronald Harwood’s play about Furtwangler, Taking Sides, with Daniel Massey and Michael Pennington. In one scene an extract of Furtwangler’s recording of the 8th was played which sounded fantastic. After that I was hooked.

[Petrushka]

My very first Bruckner record was the 1944 VPO/Furtwängler Symphony No 8 on two Unicorn LPs purchased in October 1974. I must have heard the 8th on Radio 3 ( I seem to recall an LPO/Haitink performance at around that time) and took to the work as if I'd known it all my life. That 1944 recording might not be the best sound but the performance thrilled me beyond words and still does.

I almost immediately followed up with a live 1951 live VPO/Furtwängler Symphony No 4 given in Munich which was a Decca Eclipse LP.

I was completely hooked on Bruckner right from the start and have never looked back. Over the years I've been incredibly lucky to have seen some of the greatest Bruckner interpreters conduct his music, including Karajan, jochum, Solti and, of course, Haitink who, with Karajan, remains my preferred choice in this music

[CallMePaul]

I think this was in electronic stereo although there was a real stereo recording in the vaults which subsequently appeared on CD! I think my first Bruckner recording was Rosbaud’s 7th on a single Turnabout LP which split the 2nd movt over the two sides! This was followed by Walter’s 4th and the Szell 3rd on CBS Classics. This was mid to late ‘60s - I also remember getting a mono copy of the Kertesz 4th by post from Farringdon Records.

My first Bruckner record (LP) was also the Rosbaud 7th, which I still have although I now rarely listen to LPs and I haven't heard this recording (highly rated in its day) for many years. I think that the side break in the slow movement would put me off. I followed this with Walter's 9th, then Klemperer's 6th and 4th. Again, this fine 6th on LP is ruined by an unnecessary break in the slow movement. Perhaps I should get the CD reissue!

[cloughie]

My very first Bruckner record was the 1944 VPO/Furtwängler Symphony No 8 on two Unicorn LPs purchased in October 1974. I must have heard the 8th on Radio 3 ( I seem to recall an LPO/Haitink performance at around that time) and took to the work as if I'd known it all my life. That 1944 recording might not be the best sound but the performance thrilled me beyond words and still does.

I almost immediately followed up with a live 1951 live VPO/Furtwängler Symphony No 4 given in Munich which was a Decca Eclipse LP.

I was completely hooked on Bruckner right from the start and have never looked back. Over the years I've been incredibly lucky to have seen some of the greatest Bruckner interpreters conduct his music, including Karajan, jochum, Solti and, of course, Haitink who, with Karajan, remains my preferred choice in this music

Interestingly Furtwangler’s Bruckner recordings have been my most recent purchases - the 4th as part of the recent Eloquence 3CD Decca recordings set followed by a used copy of the DG 7/9.

[BBMmk2]

My first Brucker recording was the Symphony No.4, with Klemperer conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra. Played that quite a lot!

[Jonathan]

Mine was Karajan's final recording - Symphony no.7 on DG.

[richardfinegold]

Nice front cover.

My first - and so far only - Bruckner purchase is the Complete Symphonies by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under Haitink. I'm glad I bought it because not only is it great music but having just searched, now appears to be unavailable!

It is available on Qobuz, and as downloads on Presto.

[Petrushka]

It is available on Qobuz, and as downloads on Presto.

If it's been deleted that soon, then a complete Haitink/Concertgebouw box can't be far away. April/May would be my guess. Usual record company tactics!

[LeMartinPecheur]

The Karajan 4 and 7 c.1972 in, IIRC, a big WHS/ EMI classical special (half price?) offer on selected box-sets

[HighlandDougie]

If it's been deleted that soon, then a complete Haitink/Concertgebouw box can't be far away. April/May would be my guess. Usual record company tactics!

I have a vague memory of the 2019 box (the one with the BluRay) being advertised at the time as a limited edition. Copies are still available at a reasonable price, unlike the Mahler box released at the same time (also, I think, "limited edition") where the prices being asked for copies are in the three figures. Maybe I should sell one of the two I bought to start my 'Haitink Big Box' savings fund!

[antongould]

Symphony No.7 RSO Berlin Riccardo Chailly says recorded 1985 on the tin - got it second hand about 2004 ……..

[BillMatters]

My first was the Klemperer 7th and the Philharmonia in Mono on 33CX 1808/1809, followed by the 9th and Jochum on Heliodor 89551 as noted above. Both played on an ordinary record player (the type with record changer).

These were purchased at the Enfield HMV shop that had a rack of cheaper records.

[mikealdren]

Mine was also No.9, Horenstein with the Pro Musica Orchestra and very good it was/is too. It was followed by the Bohm VPO No.4 on LP when it first came out, an expensive purchase in those days.

[cloughie]

Mine was also No.9, Horenstein with the Pro Musica Orchestra and very good it was/is too. It was followed by the Bohm VPO No.4 on LP when it first came out, an expensive purchase in those days.

Yes I remember at the time very strangely spread over 4 sides with no coupling.