# Recommendations for Bruckner Symphs?



## DTut (Jan 2, 2011)

HI, 

I have the 4th and like it a lot. I've seen posts that the most folks find the 7-9th most rewarding. I tried to order a used 8-9 Furtwangler but they didn't have it. So before I try it again I thought I'd check with TC. I've heard 1-3 are kind of ho-hum. I've also heard there are some strong opinions ranging from "brilliant" to "bunk". Any help is appreciated.

I've been getting into large, large scale music and have just come out of a Mahler phase. 

Thanks,

Dave


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## Vaneyes (May 11, 2010)

Schuricht, Haitink, Barenboim (Teldec) do good 3s. There's less competition for 1 & 2...my choices there are Sawallisch and Giulini, respectively. Suggestions for the rest are: 4 Jochum (DG), 5 Horenstein (BBC), 6 Nagano (Naive), 7 Karajan (DG), 8 Jochum (DG), 9 Jochum (EMI). I detest plodding in anything, but particularly for Bruckner. Giulini, normally a plodder, is delightful in Bruckner 2.


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## the_emptier (Jan 27, 2011)

Listening to Barenboim 4 & 7 and they are outstanding. 9 is by far his best though, I have yet to hear 4 of them, but still.


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## DTut (Jan 2, 2011)

Thanks for the info. I'll start digging around, especially for #9.


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## Air (Jul 19, 2008)

Wand, Celibidache, Karajan (#7), Furtwangler (#8/9). Also Giulini for 9.


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

I'd start with the lighter symphonies, Nos. 6 & 7, as 8 & 9 can be a bit heavy going & full-on (the 9th has a lot of doom & gloom)...


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

A suggested cycle:

00, Tintner
1, Sawallisch
0, Chailly
2, Giulini
3/ Gielen
4/ Bohm
5/ Sinopoli
6/ Stein
7/ Karajan (DG)
8/ Wand (with Berlin PO)
9/ Walter

I started my voyage with the 5th which probably isn't the best way in but it still remains my favourite symphony along with the 7th and 8th.


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## Xaltotun (Sep 3, 2010)

I'll recommend #7 by Furtwängler, it's the only one that I REALLY like at this point. #9 is great, too, but I still prefer #7.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

9,8,4,6,7 are the ones for me.

http://artrock2006.blogspot.com/2010/05/classics-revisited-bruckners-symphonies.html


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## Bill H. (Dec 23, 2010)

The Skrowaczewski cycle (with the Saarbrucken Radio Symphony) seems a competitive overall cycle in SOA sound. I don't have all of them, but the ones I do own are quite satisfying. 

The Furtwangler 5th (from 1942) is still my touchstone for that particular symphony. His finale moves along quite a bit compared to many more modern interpretations, but it is tremendously exciting as a result.


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

Confirmed Brucknerites love them all. from 00 on. Among those who _'can take Bruckner or leave him alone'_ there seems to be a general appreciation of the 3rd Symphony. I am a member of that group, but can only say that the 3rd 'works better' for me - which ain't much help.


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## World Violist (May 31, 2007)

The 8th is one of the greatest symphonies ever written, IMHO, and the 9th is right up there as well. For the 9th, there's a fascinating recording by Harnoncourt and the Vienna Philharmonic that has the three completed movements and a pre-concert talk about the fragments of the finale. And the performance of the three complete movements is stunning.

As for the 8th, I've never heard a performance I'm really satisfied with. There are a few that are wonderful, but they don't have something that would make it truly great in my mind. Maazel's recording with the Berlin Philharmonic is quite good, one of the better ones IMO.


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## Frasier (Mar 10, 2007)

World Violist said:


> The 8th is one of the greatest symphonies ever written, IMHO, and the 9th is right up there as well. For the 9th, there's a fascinating recording by Harnoncourt and the Vienna Philharmonic that has the three completed movements and a pre-concert talk about the fragments of the finale. And the performance of the three complete movements is stunning.


Agreed 100%. From what was left of Bruckner's manuscript, about 18 minutes of music is presented of which nearly 10 comprise the first 280 or so bars. It seems that Philips of the SPCM syndicate prepared these fragments and they are what Bruckner composed - nothing added. As Harnoncourt says, Bruckner probably needed only two more months to finish the work. The finale to all his work, really. Beautiful sound and interpretation, this 9th, and it's led me to explore more of Harnoncourt's Bruckner.


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## Sebastien Melmoth (Apr 14, 2010)

IMO: finest *complete cycle* of all time, 
*Karajan/BPO*: http://www.amazon.com/Bruckner-9-Sy...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1298505609&sr=1-1

*Individuals?*

*No. 0* *Barenboim/CSO* http://www.amazon.com/Bruckner-Symp...=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1298505689&sr=1-5

*No. 1* Linz *Karajan/BPO* http://www.amazon.com/Anton-Bruckne...=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1298505884&sr=1-4

*No. 2* *Karajan/BPO* http://www.amazon.com/Anton-Bruckne...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1298505927&sr=1-1

*No. 3* *Sinopoli/Staatskapelle* ain't bad: http://www.amazon.com/Symphony-3-Wagner-Bruckner/dp/B00000E4RL/ref=sr_1_1?
ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1298505763&sr=1-1

*No. 4* *Abbado/VPO* http://www.amazon.com/Anton-Bruckne...=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1298505992&sr=1-3

*No. 5* absolutely *Karajan/BPO*; however, if you absolutely want another, try *Sinopoli* or *Thielemans/Munich* http://www.amazon.com/Bruckner-Symp...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1298506086&sr=1-1

*No. 6* *Klemperer/Philharmonia* (London) http://www.amazon.com/Symphony-6-Br...r_1_10?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1298506138&sr=1-10

*No. 7* *Böhm/VPO* http://www.amazon.com/Bruckner-Symp...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1298506196&sr=1-1

*No. 8* give ya two greats: *Karajan/BPO 1958* http://www.amazon.com/Herbert-Van-K...=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1298506263&sr=1-4

and *Boulez/VPO* http://www.amazon.com/Bruckner-Symp...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1298506305&sr=1-1

*No. 9* some prefer *Karajan/BPO 1966* http://www.amazon.com/Bruckner-Symp...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1298506377&sr=1-1

but for me nothing could replace *Karajan/BPO 1972* http://www.amazon.com/Anton-Bruckne...=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1298506377&sr=1-2

Also, don't forget *Bruckner's String Quintet*! http://www.amazon.com/Bruckner-s-two-viola-Quintet/lm/R6QFBPLQ9D282/ref=cm_lm_byauthor_title_full


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

Any Brucknerites familiar with Marek Janowski's recordings (5, 6, 8 & 9) with the Swiss Romande Orchestra? What do you think of them?


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## violadamore2 (Mar 6, 2010)

for absolutely FREE, you can hear the last 6 Bruckner symphonies with Barenboim and the Berlin Statteskappele.

They were just posted this week at this link---
http://liveweb.arte.tv/fr/video/Cycle_Bruckner___Symphonie_n__6/

more info 
http://www.abruckner.com/editorsnote/news/barenboimsemicycle


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## Xaltotun (Sep 3, 2010)

elgars ghost said:


> A suggested cycle:
> 
> 00, Tintner
> 1, Sawallisch
> ...


I listened to Gielen's #3 a while ago and it was mind-blowing. Breathtaking, long pauses, and a general feeling of a sweeping, giant tidal wave. I love Gielen!


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## Jeremy Marchant (Mar 11, 2010)

If you're coming out of a Mahler phase and moving onto Bruckner, I would suggest trying Franz Schmidt's fourth symphony as well. (You can hear it on Spotify - search for Franz Schmidt - though unfortunately one movement is missing!)


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## World Violist (May 31, 2007)

Also look for Tennstedt's live Bruckner CDs. He has a wonderful feel for this music, and his released live performances are almost uniformly nothing short of extraordinary. There are live recordings out there of 3 (one, with the Bavarian Radio Symphony on Profil), 4 (two; one with the London Philharmonic on their house label and one with the Berlin Philharmonic on Testament), 7 (one on the LPO label), and 8 (at least two; one on the LPO label and one with the BPO on Testament).


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## superhorn (Mar 23, 2010)

Any time you have difficulty finding any classical CD, check this site :
arkivmusic.com. It's by far the best place for hard to find classical CDs and DVDs.
And their overall selection is fantastic. You can look anything up by either composer or performer alphabetically. There is a section for composers,one for conductors, and one for 
individual instrumentalists,singers,orchestras and chamber ensembles, and an entire section devoted to opera. 
There are so many superlative Bruckner recordings : You can't go wrong with the DG set of all 9 with Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic, or the Eugen Jochum sets on EMI with the Staatskapelle,Dresden or on DG divided between the Berlin Phil. and Bavarian Radio symphony. 
There are many different ones with Gunter Wand, such as the analog set on the 9 with the Cologne Radio symphony or the digital R.C.A. ones of 4-9 with the NDR symphony of Hamburg. 
Other outstanding Bruckner symphony recordings include ones by Riccardo Chailly and Solti on Decca (xcomplete sets.
And various ones by Eliahu Inbal on Teldec (original versions,often very different from the standard ones), Hans Knappertsbusch, Daniel Barenboim (sets on DG and later Telarc), and individual ones by Karl Boehm, Claudio Abbado, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Carlo Maria Giulini, Klaus Tennstedt, etc.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

These are all very temperamental and engaged performances in good sound. Inbal is highly recommendable in the earlier symphonies. Wand and Jochum/DG are generally very good.

00 Inbal
0 Inbal
1 Inbal especially. Abbado WPO/DG is unusually fast, Inbal´s phrasings are better.
2 Inbal
3 Inbal. It´s the original version of the symphony, more impressive and grand actually than the later ones. Maybe try Celibidache/DG also.
4 Barenboim/teldec. Karajan/EMI is extremely monumental, but less agile. Suitner/Berliner Classics is a bit unusual also in his phrasings. Celibidache/DG, very lively and contrasting to the slower style of his late EMI recordings.
5 Barenboim/teldec. Maybe try Celibidache/EMI, or Skrowaczewski/Arte Nova also.
6 Blomstedt, San Francisco/Decca or - Celibidache/EMI.
7 D´Avalos on ASV, Inbal, or Karajan on EMI.
8. Haitink/CtGebouw – his first digital recording. Luxurious. Wand. Furtwängler 1944 (poor sound)
9. Jochum/DG.


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## hespdelk (Mar 19, 2011)

Some musings in no particular order..

Karajan's late recording the 8th is pretty magnificent. One of my favourite recordings.

For the 9th I favour Giulini, but Furtwangler is also a strong contender. I second Harnoncourt - going in I didn't think I would like how he would handle Bruckner, but actually hearing his 5th and 9th have changed my mind.

For the 4th I would recommend Karajan's earlier rendition on EMI rather than the later DG ones. For the original version of the 4th, I've really taken a shine to Nagano's reading with the Bayerisches Staatsorchester. Nagano was a student of Karajan for a time, but his approach to Bruckner is different.

For the 7th Karajan again.. he came to concentrate on Bruckner in his later years, you really wouldn't be doing badly at all with his complete set (or Jochum's classic one).

For the 5th I actually have taken a strong liking to Harnoncourt's rendition with the VPO. Karajan and Furtwangler also very strong here.

For the 3rd there is an old live recording of Szell with the Dresden Staatskapelle that I love.. in more modern sound (and featuring the original version of the work) Jonathan Nott with the Bamberger Symphoniker are very persuasive.

For the 6th I like what Georg Tinter does, but his orchestra isn't quite top level.. Chailly with the Concdertgebouw is my other favourite, followed by, yet again in this repertoire, Karajan. I went through a minor obsession with this symphony a few years ago.. such a wonderful work.

For the 2nd Tinter and Karajan alternately do good things here.. but I haven't really found a recording of this work yet that really satisfies me. Same goes for the earlier ones, so I will refrain from making any recommendations for these.


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

hespdelk said:


> For the 9th I favour Giulini.


As of today at least, that's my favorite of the 9ths also. If you're going with the three-movement work, his version sounds like the last words of someone about to depart.


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