# #10 - Solti conducting CSO - Bruckner - Symphony No. 4



## Lord Lance (Nov 4, 2013)

I am going through that phase of my life - obsessive composer listening. This time it is Bruckner [It was Beethoven's symphonies at one time and I _know _how many cycles I listened to...!]

Solti is revered by his fans. A cult status like Karajan. I don't believe in this conductor/performer worship [I do maintain however that Karajan>Rest of the world]. 
His discography is vast. _Vast._ Renowned opera conductor with a commercially successful and [for some] a decent Ring cycle. [A well known fact is that Furtwangler recorded the greatest Ring cycle in 1953. He has other Ring cycles but that one is the best because..... cognitive bias towards older recording? Mono elitism? GFT?]

A hallmark of Solti for me has been prodigious brass usage. Prodigious in the sense of how it is in the foreground and _everything_ else in the background. His disastrous Beethoven cycle from the 1970s is a good example.

Having heard Solti's Mahler and Beethoven, I decided to move onto his Bruckner:










For the grand opening [Dramatic, amirite?], I chose Bruckner's Fourth Symphony. A favorite of mine. It perplexed me the first few listens [like all Bruckner symphonies: repeated listens rewards the person with enhanced understanding and an ability to decode the structure.]

Remember what I said about the brass? Nowhere was it more pertinent to the topic than the opening. It was emphasized but it never felt as though it was instant-gratifying hot air. Articulate and overwhelming. A real winner. The rest of the movement follows the same direction resulting in satisfactory performance of the _Bewegt, nicht zu schnell.

_The second movement is also played very well. No deficiencies here...

Movement No. 3 has always been a bit of a mystery to me - why doesn't Bruckner just have a loud and orgasmic release? The work always give the impression that the climax will be reached but instead it just calms down until the wee end. Again, the brass dominates. At one point, the horn players manage to delude the timpani. Quite a feat.

The glorious fourth movement. Glorious for me, anyhoo. Wow. Solti does a marvellous job here. *The Solti Treatment* (TSM) {TM} serves the work well. A bit louder than Karajan, to the point of doubt. But rest assured, they're unfounded. For example [musically untrained, hence the minute mark], the notes on 02:00 are played with power and thunder but that thunder somehow manages to give the feeling that instead of melting, the timpani may be a bit overpowered by the horns. A minor caveat.

Otherwise, an exhilarating performance! Ties with the 1970s performance of the work from Karajan and his BPO (on DG) as my favorite interpretation. After the sour experience of his abysmal Beethoven cycle from the 1970s, this cycle made me re-assess Solti and my final verdict is clear: Bravo!

Also recommended:










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*Recommended Performance:*​
Karajan/BPO/DG:​









What is there to say? Karajan at his prime. Silky smooth strings. Orgasmic finales. And the veteran instrumentalists of Berliner Philharmoniker.


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

Celibadache for me is the winner on the Bruckner . Nice, slow tempi with grandeur.


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## Lord Lance (Nov 4, 2013)

albertfallickwang;bt3350 said:


> Celibadache for me is the winner on the Bruckner . Nice, slow tempi with grandeur.


The important question is, however, which one? DG/SWR? EMI/MPO? Or the performance on tape?


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

DG/SWR is my favorite. On CD/iTunes.


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## michaels (Oct 3, 2014)

@albert - Is the DG your fav because it's on iTunes? Or for some specific reason or set of as aesthetics?


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