Bruckner

Well, I have three complete cycles (one of the reasons I have as many complete cycles of various things as I do is that my Britannia subscription made it an extremely economical way of going about things): Tintner (with the RSNO, New Zealand SO and the National SO of Ireland), Jochum's EMI cycle (with the Dresden Staatskapelle) and Solti (with the CSO). The Tintner was my first major foray into Bruckner and based on a penguin guide recommendation - quite why they made it a 'key' recording I am at a loss to explain. While it has the bonus of the 0th and the study symphony, I find it largely unengaging as a set and the chief justification for getting it would be that, on Naxos, it's pretty cheap. As, I've mentioned elsewhere, the way Solti drives the music on does make the most of, what I would term the lest good symphonies (0 and 1 are especially fine). Jochum, however, is consistently satisfying and I would have no hesitation in recommending this set to anyone - it has the added bonus of being one symphony to a disc.

In addition I have Walter in 4, 7 and 9 (because they came as part of a Sony box of his Mahler recordings), Wesler-Most and the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra in 8 (partly because I admire the band, partly because it was on sale for next to nothing), Furtwangler and the BPO in 8 and Rattle and the CBSO in 7 (which I inherited and, frankly, wouldn't choose to buy). Of these, the Walter recordings are all very fine, especially the 9th and the Furtwangler 8th (despite its poor sound) should really be owned by all Brucknerians. The Welser-Most is interesting, and while the playing is technically extraordinary (anyone who hasn't seen this 'youth' orchestra has really missed out on something - I have seen few professional orchestras that can play quite this finely), it does lack a certain something.

I don't know Giulini's Bruckner at all, but I have a feeling I shall be looking out for it - the more I hear of this remarkable conductor the more I have come to admire him.

I'd just add, as I think I've said elsewhere, that my brother used to speak very highly of Wand's visits to the Edinburgh festival in his 90s to do his 'annual' Bruckner symphony.

regards, Tam

p.s. one last comment on Bruckner - I do sometimes find his music a little samey - in the way of being one climax after another. Indeed, when I've listened through a new set in its entirety I find I notice that there are a lot of similarities (at least superficially) between themes in different symphonies. For my money, he is not on a level with Mahler. A relative of mine summed it (the excessive quantity of climaxes) up with reference the C.S. Lewis's 'Hunting of the Sark'

quote:

The fourth is its fondness for bathing machines,
Which it constantly carries about,
And believes that they add to the beauty of scenes -
A sentiment open to doubt.

I quite like Solti and Wand, but the master for me is Bruno Walter. For a somewhat different, but equally insigtful, approach Sergiu Celibidache is worth a listen
Huw

Forgot to add, for what it's worth, in the interests of saving space, I only have one of each on my ipod and they are as follows:

0 - Solti
1-3 Jochum
4 - Walter
5-6 Jochum
7 - Walter
8 - Furtwangler
9 - Walter


regards, Tam

quote:

Originally posted by Tam:
I don't know Giulini's Bruckner at all, but I have a feeling I shall be looking out for it - the more I hear of this remarkable conductor the more I have come to admire him.

Indeed, you should give Giulini a listen in this repertoire. He only recorded the last three symphonies as far as I can tell, and all are amazing. His DG 7th is probably my favorite (or as close to it as a recording can come) of that work, and his 8th is simply wonderful. His DG 9th is superb, but I must say that I find the greater intensity and tension of his EMI recording a bit more attractive. Giulini's DG Bruckner is definitely on the broad side, but it just floats by in miraculous fashion. Try some soon.

--

quote:

Indeed, you should give Giulini a listen in this repertoire. He only recorded the last three symphonies as far as I can tell, and all are amazing.

Hi Todd,

You should read threads with more care

Five posts up ^ "2nd Giulini"

Dear Friends,

I have a sort of love-hate relationship with Bruckner. In a great performance it certainly goes well and draws me in. I prefer it to Mahler, though that is not any sort of statement as to which them was the greater composer, of course!

I thnik all I can add is few performances that I have enjoyed in the music, and this not in anyway comprehensive; there will be other performances I have never listened to, which may be much finer. One fine example is the late Dresden set under Jochum on EMI! But I love his Berlin recording of Number Four. the premier recording for HMV by Boehm in Dresden is also splenedid, and sounds extraordinarily fresh considering it was on 78s from '34, or '35.

Of Five I have Furtwangler twice. Once with the BPO for the old Reichs Rundfunksender and issued by DG, and the Salzburg Festival recording issued by EMI. I prefer the Salzburg performance. The wartime effort is compelling but also a bit manic for me! Also very fine is the premier recording done in Dresden for HMV in '35 or '56, which I would never part with.

Of Six I have only three movements conducted by Furtwangler (also with the BPO in wartime conditions), and I honestly don't begin to understand the music though having the recording was down it being in a boxed set where I wanted some of the other things. I hate boxes!

Into favourite territory with Seven, where I have (in decending order of preference) Hans Knappertsbusch VPO, Furtwangler BPO, and Carl Boehm with the Dresden State Orchestra.

Of Eight, I have only Furtwangler with the VPO in 1944, and later with the BPO. For once I prefer the older performance. I it not posessed of the manic drive of some of those Wartime performances, and yet is very taught and structured, and VERY powerful. The later performance is more laid back, though not even vaguely lethargic.

In the Ninth I have Furtwangler in 1944 with the BPO, again from 1944, I think, and it is splendid, and the other I have is with Walter with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra, which is just as splendid, and a lot easier to take unless you are in a certain mood.

I also am fond of the Te Deum, but have never found a good performance on records. Any suggestions? And the religeous choral things I enjoy very much, so you will see that Bruckner is only just on the map for me, so ignore everything I wrote above! I have never enjoyed performances of it that are slow. Very slow adagios are fine, but the music becomes grose and bloated if the quick movements are not kept moving. None of the above performances can be described as slow.

Good listening from Fredrik

Dear Fredrik,

I have an EMI References CD with Mozart's Requiem and Bruckner's Te Deum.

The Bruckner was recorded in 1956 and the Mozart in 1955.

Te Deum

Agnes Glebel soprano
Marga Höffgen contralto
Josef Traxel Tenor
Gottlieb Frick Bass

Chor der St. Hedwigs-Kathedrale, Berlin

Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Karl Forster

Requiem

Ellsabeth Grümmer soprano
Marga Höffgen contralto
Helmut Krebs tenor
Gottlieb Frick Bass

Chor der St. Hedwigs-Kathedrale, Berlin

Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

Rudolf Kempe

The Requiem is superb but I'm not familiar enough with the Te Deum to say categorically, that it's wonderful, but it sounds good to me!

Dear Basil,

I remember that issue. I hope it is still about. I should have got it!

Karl Fortser was underated, and Rudolf Kempe a very great artist, who became chief conductor at the BBC and chief at Covent Garden for a short time before he died much too young.

All the best from Fredrik

Et Voila!

Te Deum

A tad pricy though.

Dear Basil,

That was good of you. I could do with a nice old fashioned version of the Requiem as well, to run along-side Walter in Salzburg in '56 and the Vieena Boys Choir in the late '70 under Hans Gillesberger (who was the choral repetiteur for the Vienna State Opera since about 1945, as well as chief at the Vienna Boy's Choir. The performance is very slight in weight! But Walter's is electric!

So let's hope the Te Deum is grand! Do you know Haydn's Te Deum setting? It is amazing. Strangely it is on the Vieena Boy's Choir record just mentioned, on budget RCA a few years ago.

You are all so kind to me. Fredrik

As I've said elsewhere, the Celibidache DG recordings of Symphonies 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 inclusive are quite remarkable.

Legend has it that Celi's Bruckner was, above all else, very slow. This is certainly the case with his Munich recordings released by EMI, as was confirmed in an extract played on yesterday's Building a Library on the Seventh. But that was NOT the case when he was conducting the earlier recordings available on DG (and, highly regrettably, there was no reference to the Stuttgart performance in Building A Library).

Graham