BaL 19.03.22 - Bruckner: Symphony no. 9 in D minor

[visualnickmos]

"neither"? What about the recording which introduced me to the work?



There are others, too, such as:

I wasn't aware of the existence of the two you illustrate. Therefore neither of Jochum's four recordings were mentioned!

[Petrushka]

"neither"? What about the recording which introduced me to the work?



There are others, too, such as:

There's also a live BPO performance from 1977 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Symphony-no...al%2C63&sr=1-5

[Wolfram]

I was surprised that neither of Jochum's fine recordings were even mentioned, not even in passing or dismissal!

Yes I was surprised by the absence of Jochum. The one seasoned Brucknerian missing from those played today.

I have always admired the live Karajan VPO performance, but I find the audience noise a bit distracting. It never used to bother me, until last year that is when I bought a new pair of Spendor speakers, and now I can hear every cough.

[Barbirollians]

The one you have, is that from the Salzburg Festival?

That’s the one.

[RichardB]

I missed the programme as usual, but Giulini: well yes, can't argue with that. It isn't the only one I would ever want to listen to, but if someone asked me what's so great about Bruckner I think that's the recording I would sit them down with. Having said that, it still didn't work with my OH.

[Darloboy]

[QUOTE=visualnickmos;878404]I wasn't aware of the existence of the two you illustrate. Therefore neither of Jochum's four recordings were mentioned![/QUOTEh]

According to abruckner.com, there are 7 recordings of Jochum conducting the 9th: the Bavarian RSO (1954); the Berlin PO (2 - 1964 & 1977); the Munich PO (1983); the Philadelphia O (1985); the Berlin RSO (1983); and the Staatskapelle Dresden (1978)

[Barbirollians]

I am a fan of Jochum's Bruckner - he is a master of the Fifth I always thought and am very fond of his DG set. My first recording of Bruckner 9 was his Dresden recording on a rather poorly pressed HMV Masters Series LP and I never got on with it at all . It took Von Dohnanyi and then Walter to make me fall for the piece.

[richardfinegold]

Abbado recorded the Symphony No 1 three times, symphonies 4 & 9 twice, and 5 & 7 once. There are also DVD recordings of 5 & 7.

Ok, I never encountered any of this, but I stand corrected

[HighlandDougie]

It sounds beautiful, the orchestral playing is beyond compare and it's clearly a work dear to his heart but I just find Giulini to be too - personal? reverential? marmoreal? ponderous? Not the right words and maybe I wasn't in the right frame of mind but I found it hard going when I listened to it yesterday. As a bit of an antidote, I listened to Rosbaud and to Heinz Rögner. Then I remembered the BBC Music Magazine performance from Liverpool Cathedral by Bernhard Klee and the BBC Philharmonic which occupies something of a middle ground between, say, Giulini and Rögner and really is very fine. It would be good if somehow someone might license it from the BBC as it doesn't deserve to languish almost unheard.

[RichardB]

It sounds beautiful, the orchestral playing is beyond compare and it's clearly a work dear to his heart but I just find Giulini to be too - personal? reverential? marmoreal? ponderous?

I wouldn't call it ponderous but it does maybe exemplify the extreme point of one particular approach to Bruckner, which I guess one either is or isn't in personal sympathy with. There are a few moments in the symphony where for me it needs to be just so or the whole thing falls apart. One of those is in the Scherzo, at the moment (second bar after letter A) where the trombones enter with their Bb G# E chord (against the unison Ds in bassoons, horns, timpani and strings), which must be neither under- or overplayed, and must be heard as a savage dissonance while still blending timbrally with the other instruments, not very well put but hopefully it will do. This might seem like a single detail in a massive score, but the way it's played is a token of a more general interpretative attitude, so that if this is in place then very many other things will be too, even if not in precisely the way I would imagine them. And in Giulini's recording this moment is perfect.

[Bryn]

Getting back on the subject of putative completions, the most recent effort by Carragan can be found here: https://www.abruckner.com/downloads/...th/february18/

Scroll down for the FLAC downloads. Don't expect VPO/Giulini levels of orchestral performance or conducting, however.

[Barbirollians]

Ok, I never encountered any of this, but I stand corrected

There's a DG box of his Bruckner recordings. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Philharmoni...ar%2C66&sr=1-1

[ahinton]

https://www.abruckner.com/articles/articlesenglish/vandermeijden/

[richardfinegold]

There's a DG box of his Bruckner recordings. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Philharmoni...ar%2C66&sr=1-1

Barbs-that live Karajan that you have from the Salzburg Festival with the VPO—is that in stereo?

[Petrushka]

Barbs-that live Karajan that you have from the Salzburg Festival with the VPO—is that in stereo?

Hope Barbs doesn't mind if I answer. Yes it is. Austrian Radio recording from July 25 1976.