# Bruckner Symphony No 4 recordings



## Brahmsianhorn (Feb 17, 2017)

I didn't see a separate thread for this symphony. It was the first Bruckner one I learned back in college. I have since come to appreciate the later symphonies more, but surveying recordings the past few weeks has renewed my love for the melodies and structure.

No surprise, Furtwangler came out on top again for me. It feels as you're listening like he knows every nook and cranny and exactly what to do.

I did not respond to Karajan's versions quite as much as in the later symphonies. A little harsh and missing some charm, though the EMI version is very beautiful.

And I finally found a Bruckner recording by Stan the Man to make my essentials list, though it was not from his Saarbrucken cycle but rather the harder to find Halle version. A special, inspired performance.

A couple struck me as uninspired duds: Chailly and Dohnanyi

The list:

*Wilhelm Furtwängler/Vienna PO (10/29/51) (Orfeo, Decca, Archipel, Music & Arts, Andromeda)*

In Furtwängler's hands the monumental greatness of the works shines through with masterful thought and attention applied to the work's architecture, to overwhelming effect. The live recording is fairly present though there is some extraneous audience noise. The same forces were also recorded a week earlier (available on DG and Music & Arts) in a somewhat less inpired performance, though many prefer it for more present sound quality.

*Karl Böhm/Vienna PO (1973) (Decca)*

Böhm and the VPO are warmly atmospheric, with the power coming through in a very natural, ethereal way. This is an interpretation where everything just inevitably sounds right, and the sound quality is excellent, full and wonderfully detailed.

*Eugen Jochum/Berlin PO (1965) (DG)*

Jochum's is a deeply probing interpretation, poetically lyrical and majestically warm.

*Otto Klemperer/Bavarian RSO (1966) (EMI)*

Klemperer's live 1966 recording is full of energy, excitement and strength. The sound is very present and full.

*Sergiu Celibidache/Munich Phil. (1988) (EMI)*

With Celibidache the music is presented as one majestic arc from beginning to end, trancelike in its effect though at a slower pace and with less general variation than conventional performances. Nevertheless, this is one of the most powerful renditions with excellent, detailed sound quality.

*Günter Wand/Berlin PO (1998) (RCA)*

Wand presents a warmly affectionate reading which flows naturally, enhanced by beautiful sound.

*Herbert von Karajan/Berlin PO (1970) (EMI)*

Masterful sense of architecture and ethereal beauty are hallmarks of Karajan's Bruckner interpretation and are much in evidence in his earlier BPO recording, particularly in the eloquent finale.

*Stanislaw Skrowaczewski/Hallé Orch. (1993) (IMP, Carlton Classics)*

Wonderfully inspired account communicating an excellent understanding of the work.

Further listening:

Wilhelm Furtwängler/Vienna PO (10/22/51) (DG, Music & Arts)

Hans Knappertsbusch/Vienna PO (1955) (Testament, Decca)

Franz Konwitschny/Czech PO (1952) (Supraphon, Preiser)

Hermann Abendroth/Leipzig RSO (1949) (Berlin Classics, Profil, Urania)

Otto Klemperer/Philharmonia Orch. (1963) (Warner/EMI)

Klaus Tennstedt/London PO (1981) (LPO)

Günter Wand/NDR SO (1990) (RCA)

Herbert Blomstedt/San Francisco SO (1993) (Decca)

Karl Böhm/Sächsische Staatskapelle (1936) (Dutton, EMI)

Lovro von Matačić/Philharmonia Orch. (1954) (EMI, Testament)

Eliahu Inbal/Frankfurt RSO (1982) (Teldec)

Günter Wand/Cologne RSO (1976) (RCA)

Bernard Haitink/Vienna PO (1985) (Philips)

Franz Konwitschny/Czech PO (1952) (Supraphon, Preiser)

Eugen Jochum/Staatskapelle Dresden (1975) (EMI)

Herbert von Karajan/Berlin PO (1975) (DG)

Rudolf Kempe/Munich PO (1975) (EMI Great Conductors)

Bruno Walter/Columbia SO (1960) (Sony)

Wolfgang Sawallisch/Philadelphia Orch. (1993) (EMI)

.


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## vincula (Jun 23, 2020)

Very nice list. I've got quite a few on those on my shelves. I'd add a couple of renditions I enjoy from Herbert Kegel/MDR, both live recordings. 3/rd April 1960 in mono and 21th Sept 1971 in stereo.

















I like Van Beinum's rendition too, but the SQ can be challenging.

Regards,

Vincula


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## Knorf (Jan 16, 2020)

Nice list! More than a few new ideas for me to investigate some day. 

Are you a disliker of Abbado? I ask because I found Abbado's account with Vienna very good, musical, beautifully paced, and dramatic, not far from Wand actually. Blomstedt/Gewandhousorchester Leipzig is really good as well. 

If you ever happen to hear it, I'd also be curious what you think of Enoch zu Guttenberg/Klangverwaltung München.

The only other recording I'd suggest that you didn't mention would be Muti/Berlin, although my guess is that Muti's wouldn't rise too high on your list, actually. But there are a few insights there I have found nowhere else.

Oh, also: no Barenboim? I mean, I don't rate him very highly in Bruckner, myself, but he definitely formed his interpretation using the Furtwängler mold.

For me, this is one Bruckner symphony that no conductor has ever totally gotten a grip on, so I rotate through several. The top of my list are Karajan/Berlin (DG), Abbado/Vienna, Blomstedt/Leipzig, Skrowaczewski/Saarbrücken.

ETA: oh, another great one is Klemperer/Concertgebouw, from one of their big boxes of live recordings, grouped by decade.


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## Skakner (Oct 8, 2020)

I would add young Barenboim's Chicago recording (1972) as a non-so-mainstream alternative. 
Hot, almost heavy metal-esque with ''noisy'' brass. Not for Brucknerian scholars but attractive in it's own way.


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## Simplicissimus (Feb 3, 2020)

Knorf said:


> The only other recording I'd suggest that you didn't mention would be Muti/Berlin, although my guess is that Muti's wouldn't rise too high on your list, actually. But there are a few insights there I have found nowhere else.


Muti/Berlin from 1986 on Seraphim is the first Bruckner recording that I purchased on CD. A friend who was a Bruckner fanatic put me onto it. That was about 20 years ago, before I bought the Chailly cycle. I agree that the Chailly 4th is not very interesting. I have always loved Muti/Berlin for this work. It's transparent and tender without being insipid. I'm not very experienced with recordings of this symphony, but from what I've heard, Muti and Berlin recorded a winner.


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

I enjoy a lot of 4ths, including Chailly! But if I could only keep one version, here it is:


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## Knorf (Jan 16, 2020)

Simplicissimus said:


> Muti/Berlin from 1986 on Seraphim is the first Bruckner recording that I purchased on CD. A friend who was a Bruckner fanatic put me onto it... I have always loved Muti/Berlin for this work. It's transparent and tender without being insipid. I'm not very experienced with recordings of this symphony, but from what I've heard, Muti and Berlin recorded a winner.


Yes, I agree. The Sixth from them in that era is also very fine.

It's only that from what I think I know of Brahmisanhorn's tastes in Bruckner, this recording might not be quite to his preference. But I'm glad to have it on my shelf, even if I revisit it rarely.

In general, I think Muti's Bruckner is underrated. I wish he'd record more, especially with the CSO. You know, once the pandemic has run its course. I heard Muti/CSO do Bruckner 9 (the truncated 3- movement version though), and it was transcendent. Muti's way with Bruckner is a little different than anyone else, and I appreciate that.


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## Brahmsianhorn (Feb 17, 2017)

Haven't heard Muti, Kabasta, or Barenboim. Thought I could now move on to hearing other things, but thanks to you guys no.


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## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

2 favorites, both mentioned already:
BARENBOIM/CSO- DG- great recording, splendidly recorded by DG (the complete Barenboim/CSO set has the best-sounding version I've heard)....great dynamic contrasts, the great CSO brass in top form...
Walter/ColSO - my first intro to the work....still measures up most favorably.


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

I wrote about my first Bruckner Fourth experience in the "Blind" Purchases thread below. It was a puzzling experience with a less than admirable recording. Turned me off to Bruckner for years.


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## flamencosketches (Jan 4, 2019)

Tie between Barenboim/Berlin Philharmonic/Teldec and Celi/Munich/EMI. Also good is Tintner/RSNO/Naxos. I ought to hear more. I bought Karajan/Berlin/EMI a few months ago but still have yet to hear it; I'm taking a break from Bruckner.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Barenboim on Teldec/Warner is one of my absolute favourites, not mentioned at first. There's a good Suitner too.

There's a big difference between Celibidache/EMI and Celibidache/DG.

A not unimpressive, stereo Konwitschny exists with the Gewandhaus too, yet possibly mostly or only available on LP.

The most original version of the 4th, in this case very different from the later versions, was recorded by, among others, Inbal and Young. But the later versions are the ones to focus most on, IMO, and more rewarding.


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## Knorf (Jan 16, 2020)

I listened to the Muti/Berlin recording of Bruckner 4 again yesterday, since I hadn't heard it in a long time and wanted to refresh my thoughts. Here they are:

*The Good*
Muti is truly excellent at sustaining the _Gesangsperiode_. He is able to float the long melodic lines with wonderfully supple phrasing and a continuity and sensitivity that certainly holds my attention. He also is excellent at pacing the symphony in general: I'm most critical of certain conductors who blast every _fortissimo_ to smithereens, as if it were the last in the universe. No: _not_ all climaxes are equal. Anyway, Muti doesn't do that and indeed (rightfully, in my view) treats some climaxes as more significant to the musical drama than others. There is no persistent scenery chewing with Muti; if that means some spots will sound a bit restrained compared to certain other conductors, the payoff is worth it because the truly most intense sections matter _more_.

*The Not So Good*
In general, the Berliner Philharmoniker sounds as fabulous as it usually does, but there are a few things that betray what must have been a short rehearsal period and very limited number of recording takes. It's really not quite as tidy as one might expect from these performers and conductor.

The opening of the first movement, for example, isn't very good. (I don't call it an introduction, although some do, because for all it's hesitancy this is primary melodic material.) In this recording, Muti doesn't generate a particularly arresting musical atmosphere at all, and, worse yet, the intonation of the winds slides shockingly out of tune, to the degree that the sourness at the melodic entrance of the strings makes me wince. It soon gets better, and everybody gets on the same page pitch-wise, and nothing else in this recording is as rough as this bit, but the damage is done. It's really not a great place to mess things up.

TL;DR-Muti's ability to draw out a long, ever-renewing melodic line and pace everything convincingly is top shelf. However, some important moments fail to generate much frisson, and the performance is a bit rough in patches. Overall, I'd still say it's well worth hearing for the positive elements, but this recording is unlikely to be on many people's all-time favorite Bruckner lists.


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## Zhdanov (Feb 16, 2016)

I. Bewegt, nicht zu schnell




II. Andante quasi allegretto




III. Scherzo: Bewegt




IV. Finale: Bewegt, doch nicht zu schnell


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Yes, Rögner is often very good, as shown by for example his Mahler 3rd or Beethoven ouvertures. His Janacek on the other hand is provincial and under-rehearsed. His Bruckner is often fresh and swift; I only have his 7th, 8th and 9th, but will get this 4th if I see it, which sounds good too, cf. above.


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

Lots of very good ones mentioned. Too many conductors are so-so and safe in Bruckner 4. Honeck and Pittsburgh take it by the scruff of the neck and give it a good shake. Excellent performance. Stan and Saarbrucken slightly improve on his Halle performance but that one is a very good one too. I've gotta say I'm a sucker for Barenboim's thunderous Chicago Bruckner 4. Now that is far from safe and is probably one of my favourites in this symphony. Blomstedt and Dresden are equally superb in the 4th too. Kubelik / BRSO knock out an excellent live 4th btw. You should try that one if you can. For true modern* recordings Sado / Tonkunstler is a tremendous performance.

* we are in the 21st century. 

edit: I forgot to mention Simone Young's excellent performance if you can handle the earlier edition.


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## mparta (Sep 29, 2020)

I find myself wandering in a dark wood when thinking to differentiate Bruckner performances. I think the music allows for such a variety of approaches that very disparate takes can still work. And Bruckner symphonies have certainly been awash these days, multiple cycles from Barenboim, Wand, Jochum. Bruckner is a composer I have worked on for years and really now consider a favorite. I've pursued live performances and heard some remarkable playing. But for a recording that has done something different for me, the Jochum from the box of the complete symphonies shared with his brother Georg. This 4th with the Concergebouw has things that made me sit up and listen afresh. Great performance, I think my favorite now.
Now that I think of it, the 4th has been low on my radar and I don't recall hearing a performance for more than 30 years, that by Maxim Shostakovich and the New Orleans Philharmonic (I think that was the name of the orchestra then). Wow.


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## savae (Oct 31, 2021)

The fourth is the most recorded of Bruckner's symphonies. Almost all the ones I listened to I liked.
I will not vote for Furtwängler, nor for Celibidache. In Bruckner's case, they are on another planet. Everything is referential.
Of course they don't have a secret key or a magic wand. You like them or not.

01. Knappertsbuch 1955 Viena Studio (Testament);extraordinary mono sound
02. Böhm 1974 Viena Studio (iso Universal)
03. Wand 1998 Berlin Live (iso Sony BMG)
04. Matacic 1954 PO Studio (Testament);extraordinary mono sound

05. Kubelik 1968 Bavarian RSo Live (Bells of St. Florian)
06. Keilberth 1968 Tokyo Live (King Records)
07. konwitschny 1961 Viena Studio (iso Tower)
08. Jochum 1965 Berlin Studio (iso Tower,HDTT)
09. Karajan Berlin 1970 Studio (iso Esoteric) & 1975 (iso DG)
10. Tennstedt 1984 Tokyo Live (iso Tokyo FM)

I also really like Walter and Kegel. And in sound SACD XXI century Blomstedt and Simone Young.


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## RobertJTh (Sep 19, 2021)

Can't add much to the excellent choices by everyone else here.
My first encounter with the 4th was Klemperer on vinyl (quite a marvel that they managed to get the whole symphony on one disk, thanks to Klemperer's zippy tempos too). And it still holds up so well. It's without doubt Klemperer's best Bruckner, maybe only beaten by his even livelier live version with the Bavarian RSO.









In the rest of my top 3, Böhm/VPO gets second place and for #3... Konwitschny's 1961 stereo version, with that red-hot intense finale.
As for the historic/mono choices, I must confess that Furtwängler's various 4th's never really convinced me, the way his other Bruckner recordings do. For a Furtwänglerian performance that out-Furtwänglers Furtwängler, I choose Abendroth. Or maybe Kabasta. Van Beinum is wonderful too in a completely different way. Too bad G-L Jochum never did a 4th (or did he?)


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

The Bruckner Fourth (along with the Seventh) ranks with my all time favorite symphonies by anyone anywhere. Since I enjoy the work so much I tend to collect recorded versions by various conductors and orchestras and have currently a couple dozen versions in my collection.. Frankly, I enjoy this piece so much I don't believe I've ever heard a "bad" performance. And I hold off naming a "favorite" performance simply because my desire to explore the music further will lead me onto new and unfamiliar versions, which I am always eager to encounter. Besides, I like them all. To my ears, this Fourth Symphony is one of the "great works".

It's comforting to know others share a love of this fine Romantic symphony.


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## Ulfilas (Mar 5, 2020)

This performance gets better as it goes along:


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## Ulfilas (Mar 5, 2020)

I've come to appreciate some of Mariss Jansons' Bruckner - more the later recordings with the BRSO.

His Fourth gets better as it goes along!


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## Beeps (Jul 28, 2020)

The first recording I've heard when I was a kid for preparing for a performance was Christoph von Dohnányi / Cleveland Orchestra / London. I've somewhat imprinted on it and return to it occasionally. Maybe worth mentioning.


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## GraemeG (Jun 30, 2009)

This was my intro to Bruckner too, back 40 years ago or so. That was the Karajan/DG LP, which I adored. I haven't felt compelled to re-acquire it though (since getting rid of all my LPs a few years ago), although amongst the 8 recordings I currently own is the Karajan/EMI/1970 version, which I think is it's equal and probably better recorded.
The others I have are Bohm/VPO/Decca, which was my standard CD version for many years. My Jochum/DG was in the full-cycle box and I never liked it much v Bohm.
But then I bought Celibidiche/EMI/1988 and the world changed. Everything else seemed rushed. This view I pretty much stuck with. I wasn't as convinced by a later Celi performance (Sony/1989/MPO in the Musicverein). Thanks to box sets I've acquired yet a 3rd Celi - a DVD of MPO/1983 which I haven't watched yet!. In other box set acquisitions I picked up Wand/BPO/1998/RCA which I haven't listened to either (naughty!) and Kertesz/LSO/1965/Decca which is quite swift and dance-like. His solution to the Finale was to speed it up, whereas Celi's was to slow it down.

I seem to have evidence of hearing it live only 3 times: Tennstedt/LPO in London in 1989, which was pretty special, and the other two here at the Sydney Opera House - Eschenbach/VPO/2011 which was really good, just missing the 'Celi magic' in the finale, and Dohnanyi/SydneySO/2016 which was very good indeed. It's probably a hard piece to murder in concert.

For some reason I've never felt compelled to investigate any of these multiple Barenboim cycles, nor the dodgy-sound versions from the 50s and earlier. Maybe one day if someone can convince me they're really worth it...?


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## Ned Low (Jul 29, 2020)

My favourites : Wand(Berlin), Klemperer, Kertesz, Bohm(Vienna), Barenboim(Chicago). There's also a new, live performance by Blomstedt, which is great :





Incidentally, i think this symphony is rather overperformed or overplayed like Beethoven's 5th. I'm not insinuating that something is wrong with it ; it's a fantastic symphony(particularly the finale), yet these days i tend to prefer other Bruckner symphonies to this one.

Edit: Forgot to mention Jochum (Berlin).


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## larold (Jul 20, 2017)

I don't know why this wasn't mentioned in the heading but Furtwangler's famous 1951 Stuttgart recording of the symphony is the Loewe edition that contains a different movement than the familiar Nowak and Haas editions. It is so different it sounds like a different symphony. Under Furtwangler's astute hand it also sounds more inspired than most others.

This is hardly a "Germanic" reading. Far from being a stuffy, hard-headed German, Furtwangler often mercurially pushes the music ahead as if quicksilver. At other times, he conducts as if each note is a step toward heaven in a slow march. You hear this most dramatically in the second movement andante quasi Allegretto. Furtwangler never slogs in the trenches and is always alert to the Bruckner's changing emotions. The notes tell us Furtwangler believed this symphony represented the happiest of Bruckner's creations and you hear that in this interpretation.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Ulfilas said:


> This performance gets better as it goes along:


One hopes so ...


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## jim prideaux (May 30, 2013)

larold said:


> View attachment 160963
> 
> 
> I don't know why this wasn't mentioned in the heading but Furtwangler's famous 1951 Stuttgart recording of the symphony is the Loewe edition that contains a different movement than the familiar Nowak and Haas editions. It is so different it sounds like a different symphony. Under Furtwangler's astute hand it also sounds more inspired than most others.
> ...


Just realised I have this same recording...thanks for the reminded ( I have also found Klemperer/Philharmonia and am reminded I have the Wand)


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## jim prideaux (May 30, 2013)

jim prideaux said:


> Just realised I have this same recording...thanks for the reminded ( I have also found Klemperer/Philharmonia and am reminded I have the Wand)


Oh and the Abbado.......

So I will give this lot a listen over the next few days.....


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

An excellent list in the OP with many accounts I love and a couple I don't but still recognise as great. It is interesting to me to see the word "architectural" used in relation to some Bruckner performances. I recognise the approach but mostly as one that turns me off. I suppose we are meant to think of cathedrals but the architecture I hear in, say, Karajan's Bruckner is a rather hectoring, alienating and cruel form (not quite Nazi architecture but in the same ballpark). I am not sure such an approach is true to Bruckner. Give me the excitement of Klemperer or the flow of Wand or the magical arc of Celibidache or the cool sanity of Haitink and Bruckner's greatness is clear to me.


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## Brahmsianhorn (Feb 17, 2017)

“Architecture” to me is another way of saying “holding together” as opposed to interpretations where there are episodic moments but things lose their way from time to time. This is a particularly important trait in Bruckner where it’s so easy for the music to become mundane and meandering.


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## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

Brahmsianhorn said:


> "Architecture" to me is another way of saying "holding together" as opposed to interpretations where there are episodic moments but things lose their way from time to time. This is a particularly important trait in Bruckner where it's so easy for the music to become mundane and meandering.


Absolutely!! good point....with Bruckner, esp, a bad performance can become a series of episodes. no momentum, no connection between segments....the silences, the pauses, must still retain forward motion, or the music becomes disconnected, tedious, even.


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## RobertJTh (Sep 19, 2021)

Heck148 said:


> Absolutely!! good point....with Bruckner, esp, a bad performance can become a series of episodes. no momentum, no connection between segments....the silences, the pauses, must still retain forward motion, or the music becomes disconnected, tedious, even.


Indeed. And it's good to see the younger generation of Bruckner conductors are starting to realize this again. Faster tempi, a focus on the overarching structures instead of just the big climaxes, playing Bruckner without any false mysticism or grandeur that gets in the way of the natural flow of the music.
Of course there have been "golden age" conductors who realized that already. Take Schuricht for example. The 8th was one of my least favorite symphonies, since I grew up on a diet of Wand and Haitink. Schuricht showed me how it should be done properly, and since I heard his VPO recording, I mistrust most recordings that don't fit on a single cd.

Haitink continues to surprise me. He made more recordings of the 8th than anyone else, and he must have known the score better than anyone else too. Still, his performances are uniformly dull as dishwater, for all the reasons listed above. Episodic, disconnected, tedious.


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## Brahmsianhorn (Feb 17, 2017)

Disagree completely. Understanding the natural tempo fluctuations, like a flowing river brook, is the opposite of tedium. Schuricht bores me for the exact reason that his interpretations are so monotonous in their constant forward momentum. 

The key is you have to be a conductor - Furtwängler, Jochum, Karajan, Wand, Haitink - who understands how to pace everything just right, when to push, when to pull, so that it all makes sense.

For example, Haitink’s superlative, acclaimed 2010 BRSO Bruckner 5th has this slowing gear shift towards the end of the finale which is just brilliant, finishing with one of the most powerfully cumulative codas I’ve ever experienced.


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## Knorf (Jan 16, 2020)

There is more than one way to do it.

The only approach that in itself leaves me cold is Celibidache, when he engages his farcical-spiritual _sempre largo molto e grave_ mode. I get bored. Really bored.


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## Brahmsianhorn (Feb 17, 2017)

Knorf said:


> There is more than one way to do it.
> 
> The only approach that in itself leaves me cold is Celibidache, when he engages his farcical-spiritual _sempre largo molto e grave_ mode. I get bored. Really bored.


Yes, great point. We're getting into generalizing which is unhealthy. I love Schuricht's Bruckner 3rd even though his 8th leaves me cold.

I too think Celi stuffs the music into his agenda, though his 4th and 6th are uniquely powerful renditions if not my top choices.


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## Knorf (Jan 16, 2020)

Indeed, I am on record as appreciating Celibidache's Bruckner 6 on EMI. 

I mean, I also can be a total sucker for the big-brass, high-grandeur approach; I admit that. It really only becomes an problem for me, as for others in this thread, if it leads to something that is too episodic or disconnected. But of course where and when that happens is a totally subjective experience.

But I also find intriguing very different interpretations where Bruckner's rustic rhythms and Schubertian influence are in the foreground.

Bottom line: as with all great music, it is totally impossible for one single conductor or performer to have all of the answers.


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## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

Knorf said:


> Bottom line: as with all great music, it is totally impossible for one single conductor or performer to have all of the answers.


Be careful, that is heresy in some corners :lol:


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## Aries (Nov 29, 2012)

There are many great recordings of the 1878/1880 version of the 4th symphony. Much less great recordings exist of the 1874 version. But I think it is much worth to talk about this version.

So why to care for the 1874 version? Bruckner improved many parts of the symphony in later versions (especially in the Finale I would say). But on the other hand there are parts of the symphony which are imo clearly better in the first version. Lets talk straight about two passages:
- the first group of the recapitulation of the first movement
- the climax of the second movement

the first group of the recapitulation of the first movement

The beautiful melody of the violins at the beginning of the first group of the recapitulation is longer, more dreamy and more pronounced compared to the later versions. In the later versions it is really much more restrained. The climax is different too. There is some truly exceptional excitement in the climax of the first version compared to the later versions. i miss it in the later versions. The climax in the later versions is relatively cozy compared to the first version. Imo this section is superior in the first version and one of my favourite passages, but unfortunately it is often conducted in a very suboptimal way.

Here are some really good recordings of this section:

best recording:
Kurt Wöss, Münchener Philharmoniker: 




faster, but very clear and with good understanding:
Michael Gielen, SWR Symphony Orchestra: 




still very good:
Gennadi Rozhdestvensky, USSR Ministry of Culture Symphony Orchestra: 




Beside this and compared to this it is rather disappointing. Many conductors rather fail at this section. It is often too rushed and expressionless and the climax sounds often haphazardly and muddled. Some examples:

Simone Young: 



Dennis Russel Davies: 



Daniel Harding: 




the climax of the second movement

The climax of the Andante in the first version is like two climaxes on top of each other with a completely overwhelming effect. It is much longer, bigger and greater than the climax in the later versions.

Again Gennadi Rozhdestvensky with the USSR Ministry of Culture Symphony Orchestra did a great job: 




Eliahu Inbal with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra puts more More emphasis on the violins, but what these violins do at the climax is abolutely amazing :


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## Bruckner Anton (Mar 10, 2016)

This masterpiece could be Bruckner's most accessible symphony. We have a lot of great recordings in the stereo era. My favorites are:
1. Wand BPO 1998 RCA
2. Bohm VPO 1973 Decca
3. Haitink VPO 1985 Philips


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## JTS (Sep 26, 2021)

There was a program about Bruckner on Sky Arts last night which I’ve recorded. They are often repeated so watch out for it!


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## Bone (Jan 19, 2013)

MarkW said:


> I wrote about my first Bruckner Fourth experience in the "Blind" Purchases thread below. It was a puzzling experience with a less than admirable recording. Turned me off to Bruckner for years.


My first experience with Bruckner was similar: CSO/Solti playing #4. I was in a loud brass phase of listening and playing so of course I enjoyed that…but the music appeared to be only loud and soft with nothing interesting otherwise. Once I heard HvK #8 with VPO I understood exactly what could be heard in the music if a competent musician led the orchestra. Currently enjoying the Maazel #4 with BRSO as I type this: super underrated Brucknerian in my opinion and except for NYPO every orchestra he has conducted play their hearts out for him. Really touching, actually.


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