Dilemma for Brucknerians

[Daverz]

Karajan's 5th is stupendous, so I'd try to get at least that one.
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I suppose a "serious" Bruckner fan will have both sets.

[Scarpia]

Despite the fact that I regard Karajan as one of the truly great Bruckner conductors I would not want to have his DG/Berlin cycle as my sole or primary source.  Some of the recordings are compromised by poor engineering from DG, the problem being an overly strident sound and suffocatingly close recording perspective. 

From the cycle 5 and 6 are miraculously good - superb engineering and performances - and have no equal in my opinion.  4 and 7 are excellent but I prefer the EMI recordings (made just a few years before) because of dramatically superior sound.  8 is a superb performance, but some effort is required to ignore the engineering shortcomings.   The late VPO recording on DG is strongly preferred.  The 9 in the cycle is from the late 70's, I don't care for it, or for an earlier recording Karajan made in the 60's.  The recording of 3 is not bad, but the early digital sound is a bit strident.  The earlier symphonies were never performed by Karajan in concert and I presume they were recorded to make the cycle complete.     

If I had to pick just one Bruckner cycle to live with it would be one of the Concertgebouw cycles, Haitink or Chailly. 

I have not heard the Wand cycle, but I am seriously considering picking it up.

[Superhorn]

  Sheesh ! More false dichotomies !  I'm getting sick of these. 

[Mirror Image]

I wonder if Karl has bought the Wand set yet? If he hasn't, I wonder what's taking him so long?

[karlhenning]

  Sheesh ! More false dichotomies !  I'm getting sick of these. 

Sheesh ! More petulant misreadings of a simple poll ! I'm getting sick of these.  ; )

[karlhenning]

I wonder if Karl has bought the Wand set yet? If he hasn't, I wonder what's taking him so long?

The virtue of Patience.

[Mirror Image]

The virtue of Patience.

Nah, you either want it or you don't.

[Sergeant Rock]

The virtue of Patience.

Very Brucknerian of you, Karl.

Sarge

[karlhenning]

0 : )

[DavidW]

Sheesh ! More petulant misreadings of a simple poll ! I'm getting sick of these.  ; )

For all superbargain Bruckner cycles there is also the one on the documents label and this one of old fart recordings!

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If you make it a poll for superbargain Bruckner cycles that are actually discussed and praised, than we have on our hands a true dichotomy at this time. 0:)

[jlaurson]

Didn't Wand record 3 sets himself?

Edit: link(s) fixed

There is only one complete (well, the 8.75 symphonies One through Nine in any case) Bruckner cycle from Wand, and that's Cologne.

There are four incomplete cycles:

NDR - 1 (live @ Musikhalle Hamburg)
3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

The late 90s autumn's autumn cycle from Berlin (Philharmonic), with one of the greatest 8th ever put on record... includes
4, 5, 7, 8, 9

Munich (Philarmonic)
4, 5, 6, 8, 9

Schleswig Holstein / NDR 2000/2001 (DVD)
4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

+ Luebeck / NDR:
8 , 9
That 8th is a famous, great, reverberant recording/performance... but I prefer Berlin

In addition to that, there's a "last recording" 4th with the NDR which may (or may not) be different from the one on TDK (I think it is; very broad, beautiful reading coupled with the best Schubert 5th I've ever heard), and several Ninths... in and out of print... from Stuttgart, Japan... 5 & 9 with the DSO-Berlin (also in the box set), and I think the early Cologne 5th (EMI-DHM, back when they were partners) is not the Cologne 5th in the set... but I don't have the former at hand to compare/check recording dates. As mentioned, there's an old 8th with Guerzenich on Scribendum.

[Scarpia]

Thanks for the compliation.   Your link to the Berlin 7th actually points to a Walton Cello concerto something-or-other.

[Drasko]

Stuttgart 9th is in print on Profil, as are 5th and 9th with DSO Berlin also on Profil. And I seem to recall 8th with Gürzenich Orchestra on Scribendum .....

[karlhenning]

Thanks everyone for taking part!  And while, by all means, let the dance go on, I here announce my candidacy for President of the United States that I have pulled the trigger on the Wand set.  It is to be shipped from the UK, so I am probably looking at a mid-July delivery date.

Which affords me yet more opportunity to exerise the virtue of Patience, in which (as Sarge observes) there is a Brucknerian rightness . . . .

[Superhorn]

   Actually, I'll reluctantly vote for Wand, simply becase I haven't heard the whole Cologne RSO set.
   I have heard all the Karajan/DGs. 

[Mirror Image]

Thanks everyone for taking part!  And while, by all means, let the dance go on, I here announce my candidacy for President of the United States that I have pulled the trigger on the Wand set.  It is to be shipped from the UK, so I am probably looking at a mid-July delivery date.

Which affords me yet more opportunity to exerise the virtue of Patience, in which (as Sarge observes) there is a Brucknerian rightness . . . .

Excellent choice there, Karl. But, if you don't mind me asking, how much did you pay for that set?

[Sergeant Rock]

Thanks everyone for taking part!  And while, by all means, let the dance go on, I here announce my candidacy for President of the United States that I have pulled the trigger on the Wand set.  It is to be shipped from the UK, so I am probably looking at a mid-July delivery date.

Which affords me yet more opportunity to exerise the virtue of Patience, in which (as Sarge observes) there is a Brucknerian rightness . . . .

The vote was so lopsidedly in favor of Wand (surprises me, really) I decided to get the box set myself just to hear why people think so highly of it. Once upon a time (early 90s) I had two thirds of it but gave it away to a friend who appreciated Wand's performances more than I did (I kept 2). In Germany it's going for a mere 18 Euro so even if I don't like it nothing will be lost.

Sarge

[karlhenning]

Excellent choice there, Karl. But, if you don't mind me asking, how much did you pay for that set?

I don't mind your asking. In fact, I've paid nothing. Yet; they don't charge me until they ship ; )

I've engaged to pay ca. $23 including shipping.

[Mirror Image]

I don't mind your asking. In fact, I've paid nothing. Yet; they don't charge me until they ship ; )

I've engaged to pay ca. $23 including shipping.

That's a good price, because to get this set from a decent seller on Amazon Marketplace would be same price $23 + shipping. The main difference here is your wait time.

I normally don't buy from overseas, but I do use Amazon UK on occasion, especially it if it's a box set that I can get cheaper from them.

[karlhenning]

I've no objection to the wait time, as I have other recordings newly come in, so I've ample catch-up listening before me!

And I'm definitely slating Langgaard's Antikrist and Schnittke's Peer Gynt for the week of 18 July : )