Bruckner's Abbey

[(poco) Sforzando]

Picking up the Barenboim-Brucknerthon at Carnegie again, single tickets for non-subscribers are on sale starting August 29. As the website is a bit tedious to navigate, here's the full schedule (all performances except the Sunday are at 8PM):

Th Jan 19: K595, B1
F Jan 20: K466, B2
Sa Jan 21: K491, B3
M Jan 23: K537, B4
Tu Jan 24: K297b, B5
W Jan 25: K482, B6
F Jan 27: K364, B7
Sa Jan 28: B8 only
Su Jan 29 mat: K488, B9

At the date, I could go in and pick up tickets for those interested, to save service charges.

[knight66]

The 92 year old conductor Stanislaw Skrowaczewski has committed to disc a newly released Bruckner 5 with the LPO on their own label. It must be 30 years since I stood in choir in front of him, a birdlike man, very alert and clear to what he wanted. He has a full cycle of Bruckner symphonies on another label, but I encountered this on Spotify almost by accident. I stuck with it, so engaged, that I have ordered the CD.

Reading reviews of the concert it seems the hall was half empty, which may account for the bloom on the sound, not dry at all. He conducted from memory and stood through the full 80 minutes. The orchestra sounds superb. The performance is on one mid-price disc.

The Novak edition is used with a cut opened out and, I read, one or two slight emendations by the conductor. This is not a slowly paced performance as is clear from its fitting onto a single disc, but none of it sounds at all rushed or undercharacterised. This was the first Bruckner I ever encountered and it remains my favourite among the symphonies. This performance is distinctive and feels right in terms of the way the relationships of tempi work. The Adagio is faster than usual I think, but it feels exactly right in the contest of the performance.

I am not making any allowances for the age of the conductor, none are needed. He can't produce many more of these performances that have been marinaded for decades and decades. I find this slightly craggy 5th to be distinctive and very worthwhile. I may look for the 3rd now by the same artists, though it has never been a great favourite for me, but perhaps this conductor can change my mind.

Mike

[Jo498]

The complete cycle from the 1990s with the Saarbrücken Radio Orchestra is on Arte Nova and Oehms; there are also several single recordings of the better known symphonies with American orchestras on other (sometimes audiophile) labels. But the Saarbrücken discs can usually be found separately, they are fairly cheap as well.

[ritter]

The complete cycle from the 1990s with the Saarbrücken Radio Orchestra is on Arte Nova and Oehms; there are also several single recordings of the better known symphonies with American orchestras on other (sometimes audiophile) labels. But the Saarbrücken discs can usually be found separately, they are fairly cheap as well.

They can also be found in this 28 CD set, which is very good value for money (on some European Amazon sites):

[asin]B00EXS4OVQ[/asin]
I saw Skrowaczewski conduct Bruckner's Fourth with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia in Northwest Spain a couple of years ago, and is was a memorable performance; the phrasing, the dynamics...really top-notch. 

[Mirror Image]

I really have been enjoying HvK's set tremendously:



For me, this is a landmark set. Karajan understands Bruckner's idiom incredibly well, but I'm in the HvK camp when it comes to Bruckner anyway as I never have liked Jochum's knee-jerk, stop-and-go performances. Besides Karajan, I love Wand, Giulini, and Skrowaczewski. What does everyone think of Simone Young's cycle? I own a few of her recordings but haven't given them much of a listen.

[kishnevi]

I really have been enjoying HvK's set tremendously:



For me, this is a landmark set. Karajan understands Bruckner's idiom incredibly well, but I'm in the HvK camp when it comes to Bruckner anyway as I never have liked Jochum's knee-jerk, stop-and-go performances. Besides Karajan, I love Wand, Giulini, and Skrowaczewski. What does everyone think of Simone Young's cycle? I own a few of her recordings but haven't given them much of a listen.

That's about the only set which has made Symphonies 1-3 work for me...although 4 and later, while good, are not clearly superior to the rest.

[Mirror Image]

That's about the only set which has made Symphonies 1-3 work for me...although 4 and later, while good, are not clearly superior to the rest.

I haven't finished listening to this set, but both the 5th and 7th were magnificent. The broad sweep and the uncanny ear HvK has in shaping the musical lines is truly one-of-a-kind. He may be my favorite Brucknerian. Special note: I have never been a Jochum fan. I also don't like the super-slow Celibidache performances, which seem to be highly praised amongst listeners. Karajan also handles the transitions from loud/soft better than anyone I've heard. Only Wand can touch him in regards to these musical transitions. Anyway, this is ultimately what I'm looking for in my Bruckner performances. Also, I get tired of the ongoing 'which edition of this or that symphony is the best' and usually when someone engages me in such a conversation, I tell them I'm not interested in discussing that aspect of his music. Bruckner was notorious for editing his music and tinkering around with what to cut and what not to cut from the music. Whatever the end result is, I'm happy to hear it, because it's Bruckner and I can think of no other reason but this alone.

Sorry, I went on a bit of a rant didn't I? I'm tired, so please excuse my insanity.

[Mirror Image]

These are the kinds of articles that make me want not want to read another musical article again, especially when it comes to the British press:

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/apr/01/sex-death-dissonance-anton-bruckner-concertgebouw-orchestra

Absolutely cheap writing which seems to try nothing more than to get a rise out of people. Whatever the composer did in his personal life has no bearing on the music the composer wrote, because all good music IMHO transcends time and place. Bruckner's music appears to do this for me anyway.

[vandermolen]

Received this today.
[asin]B008YKRRH2[/asin]

[Mirror Image]

Received this today.
[asin]B008YKRRH2[/asin]

It's been ages since I've revisited Klemperer's Bruckner, but I'm going to have a difficult time getting HvK's performances out of my head. Anyway, that's neither here nor there, enjoy the set, Jeffrey! Let me know what you think of Klemperer's 8th. For whatever reason, the 8th used to give me some problems, but I just finished HvK's performance of it and am completely blown away. So far from this HvK set, I've listened to the 5th, 7th, and 8th. Now onto the 6th, which must be the trickiest Bruckner symphony to pull off well. Everything sounds good so far.

[vandermolen]

It's been ages since I've revisited Klemperer's Bruckner, but I'm going to have a difficult time getting HvK's performances out of my head. Anyway, that's neither here nor there, enjoy the set, Jeffrey! Let me know what you think of Klemperer's 8th. For whatever reason, the 8th used to give me some problems, but I just finished HvK's performance of it and am completely blown away. So far from this HvK set, I've listened to the 5th, 7th, and 8th. Now onto the 6th, which must be the trickiest Bruckner symphony to pull off well. Everything sounds good so far.

Thanks John.
I had the LP of Nos 4 and 6 which were highly rated and the box was quite cheap so I look forward to hearing what old Otto makes of the later symphonies.

[PerfectWagnerite]

It's been ages since I've revisited Klemperer's Bruckner, but I'm going to have a difficult time getting HvK's performances out of my head. Anyway, that's neither here nor there, enjoy the set, Jeffrey! Let me know what you think of Klemperer's 8th. For whatever reason, the 8th used to give me some problems, but I just finished HvK's performance of it and am completely blown away. So far from this HvK set, I've listened to the 5th, 7th, and 8th. Now onto the 6th, which must be the trickiest Bruckner symphony to pull off well. Everything sounds good so far.

The Vienna 8th and 7th are 2 of HVK's greatest recordings.

In general I do not like his complete set (the one you linked earlier) as Wand,  Jochum (either set), and Klemperer bring out more rough edges in the music rather than the soupy, beautiful in a museum showpiece sort of way that HVK's Berlin set mostly is. If you like to lavish in the playing of the BPO then I can see how you can dig this set.

[Mirror Image]

The Vienna 8th and 7th are 2 of HVK's greatest recordings.

In general I do not like his complete set (the one you linked earlier) as Wand,  Jochum (either set), and Klemperer bring out more rough edges in the music rather than the soupy, beautiful in a museum showpiece sort of way that HVK's Berlin set mostly is. If you like to lavish in the playing of the BPO then I can see how you can dig this set.

I detest Jochum's rough-and-ready, stop-and-go performances. Wand is a favorite, but I think he even pales next to HvK regardless of how good he actually is. There's plenty of edginess in HvK's 70s cycle, but I like a conductor who can deliver smooth transitions and Jochum never has been able to do this for me. I really haven't heard too many Bruckner conductors I like outside of HvK, Wand, and Giulini. Kubelik is pretty good. Haitink is also quite good. That's about it for me.

[Cato]

These are the kinds of articles that make me want not want to read another musical article again, especially when it comes to the British press:

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/apr/01/sex-death-dissonance-anton-bruckner-concertgebouw-orchestra

Absolutely cheap writing which seems to try nothing more than to get a rise out of people. Whatever the composer did in his personal life has no bearing on the music the composer wrote, because all good music IMHO transcends time and place. Bruckner's music appears to do this for me anyway.

Thanks for the link!

"Maniac" to describe Bruckner ? ? ?  Cheap writing indeed!

[PerfectWagnerite]

Thanks for the link!

"Maniac" to describe Bruckner ? ? ?  Cheap writing indeed!

Well there is not a shred of scholarship in the entire article. Whatever eccentricities the author finds in Bruckner is filtered through the eyes of the 21st century. For example in Bruckner's time it was quite normal for men to marry and have affairs with girls young enough to be their granddaughters, and pictures of relatives in their death-beds was quite normal (just watch the movie "The Others" (yes the one with the superhot Nicole Kidman)). All you have to do is read the line "Professor Butts told me..." and get to the conclusion that the author is really not interesting in doing any kind of research.

Then again the Guardian is not a real magazine.

[Mirror Image]

Thanks for the link!

"Maniac" to describe Bruckner ? ? ?  Cheap writing indeed!

You're welcome, Cato. Yes, maniac is a low blow indeed. The article certainly didn't do the composer any favors.

[Mirror Image]

Well there is not a shred of scholarship in the entire article. Whatever eccentricities the author finds in Bruckner is filtered through the eyes of the 21st century. For example in Bruckner's time it was quite normal for men to marry and have affairs with girls young enough to be their granddaughters, and pictures of relatives in their death-beds was quite normal (just watch the movie "The Others" (yes the one with the superhot Nicole Kidman)). All you have to do is read the line "Professor Butts told me..." and get to the conclusion that the author is really not interesting in doing any kind of research.

Then again the Guardian is not a real magazine.

What I gathered from the article as well. Bruckner liked younger women because he thought they represented purity (i. e. virginity). He was an incredibly pious man with a humble background. It's nothing short of astonishing that this music poured out of him. I also loved the fact that even after the backlash he received from critics, he continued to perfect his craft in the face of almost total neglect. Nobody sounds like him and no other composer ever will.

[Mirror Image]

Here's a question for everyone: what do you think Bruckner's intent was in his music? You could definitely call this music absolute music in the sense that there's no kind of program with any of the works with only the subtitle of Romantic given to Symphony No. 4 and that subtitle alone hardly tells us anything. What do you guys think the music is expressing?

[Mirror Image]

Received this today.
[asin]B008YKRRH2[/asin]

Do you own HvK's cycle, Jeffrey? If you don't, then don't hesitate! Also, if you don't own it, try and get the older set (the one with the cover I've been posting about on the 'Listening' thread) as it's a deluxe type of packaging with an attractive booklet.

[vandermolen]

Here's a question for everyone: what do you think Bruckner's intent was in his music? You could definitely call this music absolute music in the sense that there's no kind of program with any of the works with only the subtitle of Romantic given to Symphony No. 4 and that subtitle alone hardly tells us anything. What do you guys think the music is expressing?

He was deeply religious and I think that this is probably central to his music. An obvious point but true I think. Want the Ninth Symphony dedicated to God?