# SS 10.01.15 - Bruckner #5



## realdealblues

A continuation of the Saturday Symphonies Tradition:

Welcome to another weekend of symphonic listening!

For your listening pleasure this weekend:*

Anton Bruckner (1824 - 1896)*

Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major, WAB 105

1. Introduction (Adagio) - Allegro
2. Adagio. Sehr langsam
3. Scherzo. Molto vivace
4. Finale (Adagio) - Allegro moderato

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Post what recording you are going to listen to giving details of Orchestra / Conductor / Chorus / Soloists etc - Enjoy!


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## realdealblues

Ah, Bruckner's fifth. I do enjoy a good Saturday with Mr. Bruckner. I'll go with an old favorite this weekend.

View attachment 60633


Eugen Jochum/Staatskapelle Dresden


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## JACE

realdealblues said:


> Ah, Bruckner's fifth. I do enjoy a good Saturday with Mr. Bruckner. I'll go with an old favorite this weekend.
> 
> View attachment 60633
> 
> 
> Eugen Jochum/Staatskapelle Dresden


Jochum/Staatskapelle Dresden for me too. :cheers:

Jochum's my man when it comes to Bruckner. But if I have time, I might also give Wand's Kölner RSO version a spin:


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## Mahlerian

Welser-Most/London Philharmonic Orchestra


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## D Smith

I'll be listening to Haitink and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra here.


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## elgar's ghost

What a work! This was my introduction to Bruckner's music and it was love at first hear. It's only fitting that I should play my first recording of it (and still one of my favourites):


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## shadowdancer

One of the works that I think is old Herbie's ground.


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## AClockworkOrange

realdealblues said:


> Ah, Bruckner's fifth. I do enjoy a good Saturday with Mr. Bruckner. I'll go with an old favorite this weekend.
> 
> View attachment 60633
> 
> 
> Eugen Jochum/Staatskapelle Dresden


I'll join Jace and yourself with this recording :cheers:

I'm going to make time for two recordings so I can also squeeze in Claudio Abbado's performance with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra - my introduction to this particular Symphony.


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## DavidA

tremendous performance from Karajan.

For an alternative try Dohnanyi


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## csacks

I am not a big enthusiast of this 5th symphony. I do certainly prefer the 4th, but Klemperer version is a good and monumental interpretation.


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## clara s

aha
a masterpiece which Bruckner never heard, as I know.

last week I spent some time listening to Bruckner's eighth.
discussing it later with a friend of mine, I was telling him,
I was going to listen to the fifth soon.

he told me he had a recording with BBC orchestra
with conductor Jascha Horenstein, which I should not miss. 
so, tonight I called him and he is bringing it here.

ready to listen to Bruckner's fantastic symphony
"a spiritual journey", as many brucknerians have said


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## Haydn man

I am keen to listen to Wand so am going for this via Spotify


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## Balthazar

Mahlerian said:


> Welser-Most/London Philharmonic Orchestra


I will be listening to this rendition as well.


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## Lord Lance

Haven't heard Bruckner's Fifth more than once. Going to fall back on a good one:
View attachment 60658


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## omega

elgars ghost said:


> What a work! This was my introduction to Bruckner's music and it was love at first hear. It's only fitting that I should play my first recording of it (and still one of my favourites):


I have not got into this symphony yet. I will give in another try with this recording...


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## Guest

I'm with RealDealBlues, JACE and AClockworkOrange on this one, though I can also vouch for Dennis Russell Davies/Bruckner Orchestra Linz (November 16, 2006).


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## Guest

clara s said:


> aha
> a masterpiece which Bruckner never heard, as I know. [...]


I vaguely recall reading that he in fact heard *a two-piano performance* provided by his loyal disciple Joe Schalk and another musician whose name escapes me for the moment (maybe the brother, Franz?).


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## Skilmarilion

If I can find the time, I'll roll with Wand for this epic.


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## shadowdancer

I wonder why nobody mentioned Celibidache.. For sure, another champion at Bruckner`s works...


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## Lord Lance

shadowdancer said:


> I wonder why nobody mentioned Celibidache.. For sure, another champion at Bruckner`s works...


Because Celibidache can grow weary on the ears for the untrained one. Even a fan might switch to good ole Wand. Just my opinion. Most people just gasp at the length and quit while they are ahead. _Too _ahead. That's why his interpretations are classified as underground-mainstream (TM).


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## CyrilWashbrook

I've been looking forward to this week. This is one of my favourite symphonies. The fifth was the first Bruckner work I listened to. It grabbed me from the opening passages and _compelled_ me to seek out the rest.

Like AClockworkOrange, my introduction to the fifth was the excellent performance of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra under Abbado. That one is probably still my favourite.

This time, though, I'm going to listen to Celibidache's recording with the Münchner Philharmoniker. I do enjoy his expansive tempi and this is a fine recording.


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## Alfacharger

I'll be a bit sacrilegious and play this.










A taste of the finale coda conducted by Knappertsbusch.


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## Guest

Alfacharger said:


> I'll be a bit sacrilegious and play this.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A taste of the finale coda conducted by Knappertsbusch.


Dear Alpha, it's not sacrilegious at all, it's a fascinating look at a slice of historical time.


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## Marschallin Blair

Alfacharger said:


> I'll be a bit sacrilegious and play this.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A taste of the finale coda conducted by Knappertsbusch.


I love Knappy's _power_-- I just wish the tempo was faster.


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## brotagonist

Abbado/Wien


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## Mika

Now playing:


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## Skilmarilion

Quote on Bruckner's 5th, from the *Jeanius*:

_"Yesterday I heard Bruckner's B-flat major symphony and it moved me to tears. For a long time afterwards, I was completely transformed."_


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## GreenMamba

Inbal and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony. I've heard this symphony before, but don't really know it.


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## clara s

TalkingHead said:


> I vaguely recall reading that he in fact heard *a two-piano performance* provided by his loyal disciple Joe Schalk and another musician whose name escapes me for the moment (maybe the brother, Franz?).


yes, sorry

he never heard it played by an orchestra, I should add

Franz Zottmann was the other pianist together with Joseph Schalk


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## ahammel

I have to say that Bruckner 5 has never really spoken to me. We'll see if Furtwangler and the Berliner Philharmoniker can do anything about that.


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## Vaneyes

*Bruckner*: Symphony 5, w. BBC SO/Horenstein (Prom 52, 1971). 1970, 1971 were the pinnacle years of Jascha Horenstein. Mahler 3, Mahler 4, Bruckner 5, all standard-bearers.

View attachment 60780


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## Kevin Pearson

Pulled out my Solti box set for this one. I love Solti's interpretation of most Bruckner symphonies. The Chicago Symphony has its own distinctive sound and color. There is a "brightness" to the CSO that is lacking in other orchestras and that is used to good effect in the Bruckner symphonies.


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## ahammel

ahammel said:


> I have to say that Bruckner 5 has never really spoken to me. We'll see if Furtwangler and the Berliner Philharmoniker can do anything about that.


Huh. Yeah, that about did it.


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## Bas

I will do this a day later then 'prescribed', will be listening to the only set I own, which I believe has unconventional slow, moderate tempi. But it is also a set I know has unconventionally great sound, and incredibly great windwood playing and absolutely beautiful inter instrumental group balance: mr. Sergiu Celibidache's / Municher Philharmoniker's set.


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## Guest

clara s said:


> yes, sorry
> He never heard it played by an orchestra, I should add
> *Franz Zottmann was the other pianist together with Joseph Schalk*


Thanks for that info, Clara S, Zottmann it was!


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## Mika

Continued SS on Sunday. Now with Herbie. Anton sure was a brass dude


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## Markbridge

Here was my choice:









Harnoncourt with the Vienna Philharmonic via AirPlay


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## Autocrat

Not Saturday, but later on I'll be listening to Neeme Jarvi/Residentie Orchestra the Hague.


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## Triplets

ahammel said:


> Huh. Yeah, that about did it.


Can you elaborate?


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## ahammel

Triplets said:


> Can you elaborate?


I can try 

The 5th has always struck me as a bit one-note and dull (plink plink plink plink plink *HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORNS* repeat). The Furtwangler seems to bring out the middle voices and give a bit more colour to the whole operation. Or maybe I was just paying more attention this time, I dunno.

I find Bruckner's scherzi in particular have a kind of headlong rushing wackiness that benefits from a little Furtwangling. The scherzi of the 5th and the 8th in particular are a lot more fun with those Furtwangler-esque broad contrasts in tempo.


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## maestro267

Mika said:


> Anton sure was a brass dude


Bruckner's brass writing is extraordinary, especially in the Fifth. In the finale's spectacular coda, when the chorale blazes out in a wall of glorious sound, it sounds like every single trumpet and trombone player in the world is standing up and giving it everything. A truly goosebump-inducing moment.


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## Admiral

I played the Furtwangler 5 (Vienna Phil 1951) and the adagio from the 1942 recording last Friday.

Okay, I played the whole Furtwangler Bruckner box from the Legacy set last Friday.


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## GKC

I bought the LP's about a month ago; first time I've heard this (I've known and love nos. 3,4,6,7,8,9 for years). Don't know why I waited so long.


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## Orfeo

Try Eugen Jochum's December 4th, 1986 recording with the Concertgebouw Orchestra reissued by Tahra. It would be his last recording before his demise in March 1987. The performance was so successful yet special that the great maestro re-played the last movement as an encore.


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## TurnaboutVox

Sorry I'm a bit late (I was busy last weekend)

These are the two versions I own, and I went with both this afternoon:

*Bruckner
Symphony No. 5 in B flat major, WAB 105*

(i) RSNO, Georg Tintner [Naxos, 1997]










(ii)Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Riccardo Chailly [Decca, 1999]


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## phlrdfd

dholling said:


> Try Eugen Jochum's December 4th, 1986 recording with the Concertgebouw Orchestra reissued by Tahra. It would be his last recording before his demise in March 1987. The performance was so successful yet special that the great maestro re-played the last movement as an encore.


I'd also go with this one. It's been my favorite for a number of years. The tempos are a bit more expansive than in Jochum's earlier performances of the fifth. I think the performance comes in at about 83 minutes. But those tempos seem perfect in the hands of Jochum and the Concertgebouw Orchestra.


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