Our Summer BAL 48 - Bruckner Symphony No 9

[Barbirollians]

This has not been on BAL for a while it seems which is a surprise .

of the completions surely the Rattle romps home . As for the three movement version as much as I have a soft spot for the Barbirolli on BBC Legends speedy as it is and the Walter it would probably be Gunter Wand 's last account I would turn to .

Then again his Lubeck recording and the recent Abbado are in my yet to listen to pile.

[richardfinegold]

I prefer the 3 movement form. I had purchased Simone Young/Hamburg and initially quite taken with it, but I keep returning to Wand and Jochum.

[vibratoforever]

I have far too many versions of this symphony, including at least 10 with Gunter Wand conducting. However it is his recording with the BPO that I return to most often, with its superb 3rd movement.
Whilst I enjoy Barbirolli in most of his recordings, I cannot take to his Halle Bruckner 9 with its combination of exceptionally fast pacing and execrable BBC sound.

[P. G. Tipps]

So many fine recordings of this astonishing symphony, arguably the composer's greatest achievement even in its unfinished state.

I'd take all of those already mentioned (except the Barbirolli .. sorry!) but my own firm favourite is that wonderful video recording of Leonard Bernstein and the VPO. As one might expect a very emotional reading but maybe just right for this almost unbearably heart-rending work.

It's also worth purchasing (or simply viewing on YouTube) just to witness the rather wary look on some of the faces in the all-male orchestra when the conductor bestows his kisses of appreciation to 'a lucky few' at the end.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

The "real" BaL starts again in 9 day's time, so I recommend this being the final Summer BaL for this year.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Karajan with the BPO in 1966 was my first (and life-changing) experience of this work - and, indeed of this composer to whose work I had previously been antipathetic. It remains, with his live VPO recording from about ten years later, my favourite Bruckner recording, even allowing for the dated, smudgy recorded sound quality.

But this is a work that no individual performance, no matter how good (and Karajan is so good) can represent its full glories. I haven't ecountered a poor performance, and I also have Furtwangler, Davis, Schuricht, Rozhdestvensky, Jochum, Walter, and Klemperer (as well as Karajan's '70s studio recording). All revealing different facets of the work, all completely satisfying and cathartic.

Completions of the Finale? Yes, Rattle makes the best case, but ... well, I have heard the three-movement version too often to get anything but a sense of anticlimax and disappointment when anything follows the third movement. My loss, but one I can live with.

[Roehre]

Rattle/BPO for the 4 mvt and Haitink/Concertgebouw (2nd recording, 1980s) for the 3 mvt.
van Beinum/Concertgebouw also to be highly ranked IMO

[HighlandDougie]

Bernhard Klee/BBC Philharmonic recorded live in Liverpool Cathedral and issued as The BBC Music Mag's monthly CD is rather special so worth paying good money for it should it be seen among the usual dross in high street charity shops.

[visualnickmos]

I gather Karajan recorded a fair bit of Bruckner..... 4 "9ths" I recall reading somewhere. There must be a 'stand out' one amongst that (HvK's) lot!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I gather Karajan recorded a fair bit of Bruckner..... 4 "9ths" I recall reading somewhere. There must be a 'stand out' one amongst that (HvK's) lot!

Two studio recordings, and two films of Live concerts. IIRC, the first film is the same performance as the Live CD recording with the VPO (if not, there are five Karajan recordings available).

They're all "stand-outs", but my personal preference is for the two I mentioned earlier.

[P. G. Tipps]

Bernhard Klee/BBC Philharmonic recorded live in Liverpool Cathedral and issued as The BBC Music Mag's monthly CD is rather special so worth paying good money for it should it be seen among the usual dross in high street charity shops.

It so happens I was present at that recording and have the CD as well. The performance was around 1990, from memory.

Because of the ruinous sound reverberation in the Cathedral this was the most disastrous Bruckner concert I ever attended and was enough to convince me that the symphonies were intended for the secular concert hall and that's where they should remain. The sound engineers did a magnificent job for the CD, though, and I agree it's well worth hunting down.

Klee and the BBC Phil did a lot of fine Bruckner as did Gunther Herbig ... and then there was Stan the Man at the Halle during tbat period as well.

Mancunian Brucknerians never had it so good and certainly haven't had anything like it since.

[Flay]

Is not Giulini with the VPO the definitive version? Just the three movements (all anyone needs). The last note of the 3rd movement seems to go on forever. It's extremely moving.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bruckner-Symphony-No-9-Anton/dp/B000001GAM

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Is not Giulini with the VPO the definitive version?

No.


(The work's too big for any conductor to give a - let alone "the" - definitive version. Not even Giulini, who is very good )

[P. G. Tipps]

I've never really understood the idea of 'definitive' especially when it comes to Bruckner of all composers.

We simply have opinions, however strongly-held!

[Flay]

We simply have opinions, however strongly-held!

I didn't expect total agreement. But it is excellent IMHO.

As was Abbado's poignant final performance.

http://www.deutschegrammophon.com/en/cat/4793441

As an aside, while we are talking about the 9th. Just what is the 2nd movement Scherzo about? Stamping hobnailed demons perhaps? But then there is the playful trio theme - like a young couple running and dancing through meadows. What was Anton thinking? Perhaps he was reminiscing about happy times frustrated by the authority of the Catholic Church?

Any thoughts?