Bruckner's Abbey

[Cato]

I can relate.

My own discovery of AB came via his Ave Maria, which l sang as part of a massed- choir performance at a festival. Just a bunch of high school kids, but it definitely shivered me timbers...

Fast forward a few years. I walk into the local Tower Records classical room and hear tremolo strings supporting an ascending E Major arpeggio. I didn't recognize it as orchestral Bruckner, but l was hooked all the same. 

For those not acquainted with the Ave Maria:

https://www.youtube.com/v/v01ziSiOqPw

[Mapman]

I first encountered Bruckner by checking this CD out from a library when I was in high school:


I then was at an honor band, and in free time the low brass section decided to play the opening of the finale of the 8th. I didn't know what it was then, but a few weeks later I was listening to music on shuffle and figured it out.

Over the next few years, I was able to see the Philadelphia Orchestra perform Bruckner's 4th and 8th. I still had mixed feelings about the 4th, but really liked the 8th, even if it was a bit long.

More recently, I found Richard Atkinson's video analyzing the finale of Bruckner's 5th: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuiQFwjcPVQ. It helped me understand how Bruckner constructs his music, and made it easy to get into the 7th. The first movement of the 7th is currently my favorite Bruckner movement.

[Cato]

I first encountered Bruckner by checking this CD out from a library when I was in high school:





More recently, I found Richard Atkinson's video analyzing the finale of Bruckner's 5th: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuiQFwjcPVQ. It helped me understand how Bruckner constructs his music, and made it easy to get into the 7th. The first movement of the 7th is currently my favorite Bruckner movement.

Eugen Jochum conducting as your introduction to Bruckner: you are in the club!

Many thanks for the story!

[staxomega]

7th was my first Bruckner experience too.

7th wasn't my first Bruckner symphony (that goes to 4), but it was Haitink's late 70s recording. It was like having the floor fall out beneath me. A Brucknarian for life after that!

[DavidW]

This was my first Bruckner recording:



Loved it, played it to death.  The only thing I played more often was Brahms piano concertos.

I loved all of the Bruckner symphonies immediately except the 8th.  I had Tintner and despite all the praise it was just bland.  I then bought Maazel and I liked it significantly more... but I only came to love the 8th when I heard Karajan.

[Linz]

The first Bruckner Symphony I bought was a 2 Record set I was in my early 20's searching out Classical music and one day I spotted Karajan,s 8th Intrigued by the cover I bought it Iwas enthralled by the power of the Orchestra and the Finale just floored me and that was one of the first encounters with Bruckner

[staxomega]

This was my first Bruckner recording:



Loved it, played it to death.  The only thing I played more often was Brahms piano concertos.

I loved all of the Bruckner symphonies immediately except the 8th.  I had Tintner and despite all the praise it was just bland.  I then bought Maazel and I liked it significantly more... but I only came to love the 8th when I heard Karajan.

If that is with the Staatskapelle Dresden I like those two performances as well. I can't say I've been that taken with anything from Tintner's cycle other than being able to hear editions that aren't recorded often.

[Jo498]

I love the "wing" covers of the Karajan, although the only Bruckner recordings of his I own are the late 7th and 8th from Vienna with different boring (conductor in pose...) covers.

[DavidW]

The first Bruckner Symphony I bought was a 2 Record set I was in my early 20's searching out Classical music and one day I spotted Karajan,s 8th Intrigued by the cover I bought it Iwas enthralled by the power of the Orchestra and the Finale just floored me and that was one of the first encounters with Bruckner

Another fan of the Karajan 8!  Nice! 

[DavidW]

If that is with the Staatskapelle Dresden I like those two performances as well. I can't say I've been that taken with anything from Tintner's cycle other than being able to hear editions that aren't recorded often.

Yup that is the Dresden.

[bhodges]

The first Bruckner Symphony I bought was a 2 Record set I was in my early 20's searching out Classical music and one day I spotted Karajan,s 8th Intrigued by the cover I bought it Iwas enthralled by the power of the Orchestra and the Finale just floored me and that was one of the first encounters with Bruckner

Another fan of the Karajan 8!  Nice! 

And another fan of that recording, as well as the entire cycle (which my brother once referred to as the "dead bird series" ). That was actually my second version of the Eighth; the first one was Haitink and the Concertgebouw (on LP!), which I played to death.

But in general, that Karajan/Berlin set is marvelous. Some of them, IIRC, have a few sonic minuses (not the Eighth), but overall, the cycle is quite an achievement.

--Bruce

[Iota]

7th wasn't my first Bruckner symphony (that goes to 4), but it was Haitink's late 70s recording. It was like having the floor fall out beneath me. A Brucknarian for life after that!

The 7th wasn't my first Bruckner either, but it was the one that eventually triggered a much greater connection for me with his music. The opening seemed somewhat like the magical opening of the Parsifal Prelude, with the same soaring feeling of a long journey into the unknown ahead, and such little details radiate widely in my little mind, and I was hooked.

[Linz]

What I have been wondering for some time is this set the same recordings from the Old Wing set?

[LKB]

What I have been wondering for some time is this set the same recordings from the Old Wing set?

Yes, but there's a better physical version now, which I've had for a couple years and can recommend:

https://www.amazon.com/Bruckner-Herbert-Karajan-Berliner-Philharmoniker/dp/B07NTXC6T9/ref=asc_df_B07NTXC6T9/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=366402866330&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11460427002527733677&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9031914&hvtargid=pla-781429570036&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=81880684288&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=366402866330&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11460427002527733677&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9031914&hvtargid=pla-781429570036

[Linz]

Thanks I suspected it was

[DavidW]

Yes, but there's a better physical version now, which I've had for a couple years and can recommend:

https://www.amazon.com/Bruckner-Herbert-Karajan-Berliner-Philharmoniker/dp/B07NTXC6T9/ref=asc_df_B07NTXC6T9/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=366402866330&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11460427002527733677&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9031914&hvtargid=pla-781429570036&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=81880684288&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=366402866330&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11460427002527733677&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9031914&hvtargid=pla-781429570036

Did the cds get the remaster or is it only the blu-ray that did?

[LKB]

I don't know if the CDs are remastered. I ripped the 5th and 7th onto my laptop as lossless .wav files and the sound is very good, with just the barest hint of distortion in a few places in both symphonies. So even if they don't benefit from the latest remastering technologies, they are still more than acceptable, imho.

[Linz]

There is also this set that came out before the 9CD set came out

[LKB]

I remember that one, held off on buying it though.

[Daverz]

I bought the Karajan/Berlin Bruckner 4-9 set as 24/192 FLAC downloads from ProStudioMasters.  Here's what the frequency spectrum looks like (attached).  192 kHz sample rate is overkill, but the musical signal does go up to about 48 kHz.

https://www.prostudiomasters.com/album/page/37737