Bruckner: Symphony no. 7 BaL 13/12/14

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

0930
Building a Library
John Deathridge compares recordings of Bruckner's powerful 7th Symphony and makes a personal recommendation. The moving slow movement with its distinctive scoring for 4 Wagner tubas was written around the time of Wagner's death and is sometimes seen as Bruckner's homage to the composer he revered above all others.

Available versions:-

Lucerne Festival Orchestra, Claudio Abbado (DVD)
VPO, Claudio Abbado
Gürzenich-Orchester Köln, Yuri Ahronovitch
Vienna SO, Volkmar Andrae
Hallé Orchestra, Sir John Barbirolli
BPO, Daniel Barenboim
Chicago SO, Daniel Barenboim
Staatskapelle Berlin, Daniel Barenboim IDVD/Blu-ray)
Concertgebouw Orchestra, Eduard Van Beinum
Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Herbert Blomstedt
Staatskapelle Dresden, Herbert Blomstedt
Bavarian Radio SO, Karl Böhm
Staatskapelle Dresden, Karl Böhm (download)
VPO, Karl Böhm [BaL choice 2006]
Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, Ivor Bolton
Aachen SO, Marcus Bosch
SWR Baden-Baden und Freiburg, Sylvain Cambreling
BPO, Sergiu Celibadache (DVD, Blu-ray)
Munich PO, Sergiu Celibadache (CD & DVD)
Berlin Radio SO, Riccardo Chailly
Thomas Christian Ensemble
Bavarian Radio SO, Sir Colin Davis
Bruckner Orchestra Linz, Dennis Russell Davies
Budapest Festival Orchestra, Iván Fischer
Berlin State Opera Orchestra, Oskar Fried
BPO, Wilhelm Furtwängler (1951)
BPO, Wilhelm Furtwängler (1954)
BPO, Carlo Maria Giulini
Philharmonia Orchestra, Carlo Maria Giulini (download)
BBC SO, Reginald Goodall
VPO, Carlo Maria Giulini
Netherlands PO, Hartmut Haenchen (download)
Chicago SO, Bernard Haitink
Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bernard Haitink
VPO, Nikolaus Harnoncourt
SWR Stuttgart, Paul Hindemith
BPO, Jasha Horenstein
L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Marek Janowski
Bavarian Radio SO, Mariss Jansons
Concertgebouw Orchestra, Mariss Jansons
Frankfurt SO, Paavo Järvi
Bavarian RSO, Eugen Jochum
Munich PO, Eugen Jochum (1979)
Staatskapelle Dresden, Eugen Jochum
Eugen Jochum (1980 Blu-ray)
VPO, Eugen Jochum (download)
Munich PO, Oswald Kabasta
BPO, Herbert von Karajan (1981 live)
BPO, Herbert von Karajan (DG studio)
BPO, Herbert von Karajan (EMI studio)
VPO Herbert von Karajan (live 1962)
VPO, Herbert von Karajan (studio)
BPO, Otto Klemperer (1958)
Bavarian Radio SO, Otto Klemperer
NDR SO, Otto Klemperer
New Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Klemperer (1965)
Philharmonia, Otto Klemperer (1956)
Vienna SO, Otto Klemperer (1958)
VPO, Hans Knapperstbusch (1949)
Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Franz Konwitschny
Vienna SO, Yakov Kreizberg
Linos Ensemble
Cincinnati SO, Jesus Lopez-Cobos
Aarhus SO, James Loughran
Bavarian Radio SO, Lorin Maazel
Israel PO, Kurt Masur
Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Kurt Masur
NYPO, Kurt Masur
Staatskapelle Berlin, Kurt Masur
Israel PO, Zubin Mehta
Boston SO, Charles Munch (DVD)
Bavarian State Orchestra, Kent Nagano
Orchestre Métropolitain du Grand Montréal, Yannick Nézet-Geguin
SWR Stuttgart, Sir Roger Norrington
Willem Van Otterloo
VPO, Seiji Ozawa
Czech PO, Libor Pesek
Berlin SO, Heinz Rögner (download)
Berlin Radio SO, Hans Rosbaud
Sudwestrundfunks SO, Hans Rosbaud
BBC SSO, Donald Runnicles
SWR Stuttgart, Kurl Sanderling
Philharmonia Festiva, Gerd Schaller
BPO, Carl Schuricht
NDR SO, Carl Schuricht (1954/1964)
Stuttgart Radio SO, Carl Schuricht
Sinfonia Varsovia, Jerzy Semkow
LPO, Stanislaw Skrewaczewski
Saarbrucken Radio SO, Stanislaw Skrewaczewski
Staatskapelle Dresden, Giuseppe Sinopoli
Chicago SO, Sir Georg Solti (download)
Chicago SO, Sir Georg Solti (DVD)
VPO, Sir Georg Solti
VPO,George Szell
Boston SO, Klaus Tennstedt (DVD)
LPO, Klaus Tennstedt (live)
Munich PO, Christian Thielemann
Staatskapelle Dresden, Christian Thielemann
Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Georg Tintner
Basel SO, Mario Venzago
Columbia SO, Bruno Walter
NYPO, Bruno Walter
Köln Radio SO, Gunter Wand
Munich PO, Gunter Wand (download)
NDR SO, Gunter Wand (CD & DVD)
Cleveland Orchestra, Franz Welser-Möst (DVD/Blu-ray)
Gustav Mahler YO, Franz Welser-Möst
Netherlands Radio PO, Jaap Van Zweden

[Barbirollians]

A very strange choice of reviewer .

[Petrushka]

Choosing just one from the available versions is no easy matter. There are not that many duff recordings out there and I am pushed for choice when reaching for one from the shelves.

My top three would be VPO/Karajan (his last recording), Dresden Staatskapelle/Jochum and Concertgebouw/Haitink (1978 recording).

One very special one for me is a live 1976 performance from Karl Böhm and the VPO (on Andante but probably nla).

There is also a very fine live Munich Philharmonic recording from 1979 under Jochum recently released on the Weitblick label.

[antongould]

0930
Building a Library
John Deathridge compares recordings of Bruckner's powerful 7th Symphony .........llll
Available versions to follow.

I'm sure there will be very few EA, Faure Nocturnes country......

[LeMartinPecheur]

A version of the 7th that really struck me when a friend played it from LP is the Decca Concertgebouw/Van Beinum from 1953 with a certain J Culshaw in the booth. Ashamed to say I've now bought it on Eloquence (c/w 5, 8 & 9) but haven't yet spun it

[NOT to be confused with his 1947 version which I bought in a case of mistaken identity (in a mathematical sense?) - it's in no way exceptional IMHO.]

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I'm sure there will be very few EA, Faure Nocturnes country......

Very few, eh? My notes up to now:

[Stanfordian]

0930
Building a Library
John Deathridge compares recordings of Bruckner's powerful 7th Symphony and makes a personal recommendation. The moving slow movement with its distinctive scoring for 4 Wagner tubas was written around the time of Wagner's death and is sometimes seen as Bruckner's homage to the composer he revered above all others.

Available versions to follow.

Hiya Eine Alpensinfonie,
In Bruckner 7 it has to Gunter Wand with Berliner Philharmoniker the RCA Red Seal. Harder driven than Wand I also like Eugen Jochum with Berliner Philharmoniker on DG.

[verismissimo]

I'm sure there will be very few EA, Faure Nocturnes country......

The Penquin Guide of 1984 notes five - Karajan, two Haitinks, Jochum and Sanderling. Expecting a similar number now, anton?

[Nick Armstrong]

A very strange choice of reviewer .

And I picked up just now that it's going to be one of those 'live in the studio in discussion with AMcG' sessions....

(Interesting to see your notes, EA !! )

[antongould]

Very few, eh? My notes up to now:

We really do not deserve you thanks again for your weekly efforts....

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

One of the most astonishing, multi-faceted of works, right at the heart of the Western Classical Tradition (Austro-German branch) - there cannot be a single version to reveal all of the work's secrets.

Karajan (all three), Wand (both), Jochum (both), Böhm (especially his early 1930s recording), Furtwangler just to name the "old school" recordings are all indispensible treasures. I'm interested in recordings made this millennium!


(But wasn't this work "done" not that long ago?)

[Bryn]

(But wasn't this work "done" not that long ago?)

2006, when a Böhm recording 'won'. The following year the Blomstedt/Gewandhausorchester Leipzig was the CD Review Critics Disc of the Year 'winner'.

[mathias broucek]

Choosing just one from the available versions is no easy matter. There are not that many duff recordings out there and I am pushed for choice when reaching for one from the shelves.

My top three would be VPO/Karajan (his last recording), Dresden Staatskapelle/Jochum and Concertgebouw/Haitink (1978 recording).

One very special one for me is a live 1976 performance from Karl Böhm and the VPO (on Andante but probably nla).

There is also a very fine live Munich Philharmonic recording from 1979 under Jochum recently released on the Weitblick label.

+1 for the Munich/Jochum

There's also a lovely Böhm / Bavarian RSO on Audite

[mathias broucek]

Böhm (especially his early 1930s recording)

I think it was 1943 but special all the same

The Blomstedt SKD gets good reviews but I've never heard it

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I think it was 1943 but special all the same

What's thirteen minutes between friends?