Bruckner

Bruckner's Symphonies

These are not easy to listen to. They are long and can be quite monotonous -- brass, brass. "Cathedrals of sound" was the phrase used to describe Bruckner's symphonies. I listen to them occasionally, certainly not as much as Mahler's symphs, which are just as long, but somehow they hold my attention better than Bruckner.

Nonetheless, there are some beautiful sections in Bruckner -- the slow movements of #2, 3, 5, and 8, for example. Lush strings on the well-recorded discs listed below.

The box sets that I recommend are Skrowaczewski/Saarbruck, and Karajan/ Berlin Phil. Skrowaczewski just grasps Bruckner's long symphonic lines much better than many other conductors. His renditions of #2 and #7 are excellent. Karajan's cycle with the Berlin Philharmonic is somewhat legendary. His #5's slow movement is stunningly ethereal and gorgeous (Berlin Phil 1976). However, Karajan's #7 with the Vienna Philharmonic takes the prize for sheer luminosity -- that recording was his final one (1989). Karajan's #8 with the Vienna Phil is also auditory cashmere; don't miss it.

Reviews:

Skrowaczewski:

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2004/Jan04/Bruckner_%20Skrowaczewski.htm

Karajan:

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2008/Dec08/Bruckner_Karajan_4777580.htm

http://www.gramophone.co.uk/blog/new-york-insider/revisiting-and-reveling-in-karajan%E2%80%99s-bruckner

http://www.allmusic.com/album/bruckner-9-symphonies-mw0001390717

Another box set to consider is Eugen Jochum/Staatskapelle Dresden, recorded in 1975-80 in Dresden's Lukaskirche. The Dresdeners are superb with Bruckner, and Jochum provides musical renditions using the Nowak editions throughout this set. A review is here:

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2013/Sept13/Bruckner_sys_9845832.htm

Bernard Haitink also did Bruckner, some with the Vienna Philharmonic and all with his own Royal Concertgebouw Amsterdam. Those readings are highly recommended, especially his #3 with the Vienna and also much of his Bruckner cycle with the Concertgebouw Orchestra. For those who value repeated recordings by one conductor, Haitink's first Bruckner cycle with the RCO was done in 1963-72; several of those are quite fine (e.g. #4,5,7,8). For #7, Haitink's 1978 recording with the RCO is viewed as even better than his first run. YMMV as always.

Review:

http://www.allmusic.com/album/bruckner-the-symphonies-mw0001840021

Another fantastic Brucknerian was Gunther Wand with the Berlin Philharmonic. He had a perfect grip on Bruckner's lengthy expositions, much like Skrowaczewski, but with a superior orchestra in the Berliners. Better than many of Karajan's Bruckner performances with the same Berlin Philharmonic. Karajan performed Bruckner with an air of mysticism. Wand took a more objective, purist approach, avoiding tempo changes outside of Bruckner's texts. He drives the pieces forward with purposeful momentum and intensity, like Karajan, but with less religious aura (Bruckner was a church organist and was quite religious). Both conductors are fascinating, but Wand sounds a bit more convincing to me. Wand's #4,5,7,9 are excellent, all with the Berlin Phil (he also recorded with the Koln/NDR orchestras).

Review of Wand:

http://www.gramophone.co.uk/review/bruckner-symphonies-3

My favorite recordings of Bruckner's symphonies:

#2- Skrowaczewski/Saarbruck

#3- Sinopoli/Dresden; Haitink/VPO; Karajan/Berlin

#4- Bohm/VPO; Jochum/BPO; Barenboim/Chicago

#5- Karajan/Berlin; Wand/Berlin; Haitink/VPO

#6- Klemperer/New Philharmonia; Haitink/BavRad

#7- Karajan/VPO; Wand/Berlin

#8- Karajan/VPO; Wand/NDR Lubeck Cath.; Solti/Chicago; Haitink/VPO

#9- Karajan/BPO '66; Giulini/VPO; Haitink/RCO '65; Wand/NDR Lubeck Cath.

I don't listen much to #1 and 9. For #9, I would recommend Karajan's 1966 recording with the Berliners (he recorded it also in 1975; the '66 recording is in a better acoustic, the Jesus-Christe Church).

My favorite box sets:

Karajan/Berlin; Skrowaczewski/Saarbrucken; Jochum/Staatskapelle Dresden

I don't listen much to #1 and 9. For #9, I would recommend Karajan's 1966 recording with the Berliners (he also recorded #9 in 1975; the '66 recording is in a better acoustic, the Jesus-Christe Church).

Good luck! Bruckner takes patience, lots of it, before some of it "sinks in". You will be rewarded.