Bruckner's Abbey

[Mirror Image]

Thank you Sarge and Mirror Image - I appreciate your advice. I am certainly going to get the Jochum performance that you recommended, Sarge, and the Wand performance that you, Mirror Image recommended. I have their recordings of the Bruckner 9 and enjoy each very much. Thanks!

You're welcome. I hope you enjoy Jochum more than I do. Not that it matters to me as I don't like either of Jochum's 5th performances (or any of his Bruckner recordings for that matter), but which Jochum did you end up getting? DG or EMI (errr....Warner)? I seem to recall many people preferring Jochum's DG performances to his later ones with the Dresden Staatskapelle.

[Mirror Image]

Here's a challenge for some of my fellow Brucknerians, what are your favorite performance(s) of Symphonies 1-9?

No. 1 -
No. 2 -
No. 3 -
No. 4 -
No. 5 -
No. 6 -
No. 7 -
No. 8 -
No. 9 -

[Autumn Leaves]

Here's a challenge for some of my fellow Brucknerians, what are your favorite performance(s) of Symphonies 1-9?

I'll give it a shot:

No. 1 - Karajan
No. 2 - Jochum (EMI)
No. 3 - Tintner
No. 4 - Bohm
No. 5 - Celibidache (EMI)
No. 6 - Karajan
No. 7 - Karajan (VPO)
No. 8 - Celibidache (EMI)
No. 9 - Jochum (EMI)

[jlaurson]

Here's a challenge for some of my fellow Brucknerians, what are your favorite performance(s) of Symphonies 1-9?

No. 00 -
No. 0 -
No. 1 - Skrowaczewski, Saarbrücken
No. 2 - Dausgaard, Swedish CO | Stein, WPh
No. 3 - Celibidache, MPhil | Venzago, Bern SO |
No. 4 - Boehm, WPh | Kubelik, BRSO | Honeck, Pittsburgh
No. 5 - Celibidache, MPhil | Wand, MPhil | Sinopoli, Dresden
No. 6 - Haitink, Dresden (review) | Celibidache, MPhil | Norrington, SWR RSO (review)
No. 7 - Haitink, CSO (review) | HvK, WPh | Boehm, BRSO (review)
No. 8 - Wand, BPh | Boulez, WPh | Blomstedt, Leipzig
No. 9 - Wand, BPh | Dohnanyi, Philharmonia (review) | Barenboim, BPh

Related & possibly of interest:
Bruckner: The Divine and the Beautiful
A Survey of Bruckner Cycles

[Cato]

Here's a challenge for some of my fellow Brucknerians, what are your favorite performance(s) of Symphonies 1-9?

0:)Eugen Jochum 0:) for all 9, followed by Guenter Wand on RCA for the Sixth, and Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic with the completed Ninth.

[Karl Henning]

0:)Eugen Jochum 0:) for all 9, followed by Guenter Wand on RCA for the Sixth, and Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic with the completed Ninth.

Interesting.

As for John's query, I am too neophytely to presume to have an opinion.

[Sergeant Rock]

Here's a challenge for some of my fellow Brucknerians, what are your favorite performance(s) of Symphonies 1-9?

Why leave out Die Nullte?

No. 0 - BLUNIER/BEETHOVEN O BONN
           MAAZEL/SOBR

No. 1 - WAND/KÖLNER RSO (VER.1891)
           TINTNER/ROYAL SCOT (UNREVISED 1866)
           MAAZEL/SOBR (VER.1877)

No. 2 - BARENBOIM/BERLIN PHIL
           STEIN/VIENNA

No. 3 - CELIBIDACHE/MUNICH (VER.1889)
           SZELL/CLEVELAND (SCHALK 1890)
           NAGANO/DSO BERLIN (ORIG.VER.1873)

No. 4 - KARAJAN/BERLIN PHIL (EMI)
          JOCHUM/DRESDEN

No. 5 - DOHNÁNYI/CLEVELAND
           JOCHUM/CONCERTGBOUW

No. 6 - KLEMPERER/NEW PHILHARMONIA
           DAVIES/BRUCKNER O LINZ
           NORRINGTON/STUTTGART

No. 7 - CHAILLY/RSO BERLIN

No. 8 - MAAZEL/BERLIN PHIL
           CELIBIDACHE/MUNICH

No. 9 - GIULINI/VIENNA
           HAITINK/CONCERTGEBOUW (1981 recording)
           JOCHUM/DRESDEN

[Karl Henning]

Why leave out Die Nullte?

No. 0 - BLUNIER/BEETHOVEN O BONN

No. 1 - WAND/KÖLNER RSO (VERS.1891)
           TINTNER/ROYAL SCOT (UNREVISED 1866)
           MAAZEL/MUNICH (VER.1877)

No. 2 - BARENBOIM/BERLIN PHIL
           STEIN/VIENNA

No. 3 - CELIBIDACHE/MUNICH (VER.1889)
           SZELL/CLEVELAND (SCHALK 1890)
           NAGANO/DSO BERLIN (ORIG.VER.1873)

No. 4 - KARAJAN/BERLIN PHIL (EMI)
          JOCHUM/DRESDEN

No. 5 - DOHNÁNYI/CLEVELAND
           JOCHUM/CONCERTGBOUW

No. 6 - KLEMPERER/NEW PHILHARMONIA
           DAVIES/BRUCKNER O LINZ
           NORRINGTON/STUTTGART

No. 7 - CHAILLY/RSO BERLIN

No. 8 - MAAZEL/BERLIN PHIL
           CELIBIDACHE/MUNICH

No. 9 - GIULINI/VIENNA
           HAITINK/CONCERTGEBOUW (1981 recording)
           JOCHUM/DRESDEN

Most interesting, thank you.

[Sergeant Rock]

No. 3 - Tintner

Tintner and the Scots are magnificent here (the original version of the D minor). I had a hard time choosing between his and Nagano's Third. In the end I flipped a coin 

Sarge

[Heck148]

Here's a challenge for some of my fellow Brucknerians, what are your favorite performance(s) of Symphonies 1-9?

No. 3 - Solti/CSO, Barenboim/CSO
No. 4 - Walter/ColSO, Barenboim/CSO
No. 5 - Solti/CSO
No. 6 - Solti/CSO
No. 7 - von Matacic/CzPO, Solti/CSO, Walter/ColSO
No. 8 - Solti/CSO
No. 9 - Solti/CSO, Walter/ColSO, Barenboim/CSO, von Matacic/CzPO

[Mirror Image]

Here are mine (for now):

No. 1 - Sawallisch/Bavarian State Orch., HvK/Berliners
No. 2 - Inbal/Franfurt RSO
No. 3 - Kubelik/Bavarian RSO
No. 4 - Bohm/Wiener Phil., Wand/Berliners
No. 5 - HvK/Berliners, Haitink/Bavarian RSO
No. 6 - Sawallisch/Bavarian State Orch., HvK/Berliners
No. 7 - Skrowaczewski/Saarbrucken RSO, HvK/Berliners (DG)
No. 8 - HvK/Berliners (DG), Wand/Berliners, Boulez/Wiener Phil.
No. 9 - Wand/Berliners, Giulini/Wiener Phil.

[Dancing Divertimentian]

I'm with Cato: Jochum's Dresden cycle rocks!!

For me:

1: Chailly
2: Jochum/Dresden
3: Nagano/DSO Berlin
    Kubelik/Bavarian Radio
4: Blomstedt/San Francisco (the San Franciscans really play their hearts out!)
5: Dohnanyi
6: Chailly
    Nagano/DSO Berlin
7: Blomstedt/Dresden
    Dohnanyi
8: Boulez
9: Kubelik/Bavarian Radio

[Drasko]

2 - Stein VPO
3 - Sinopoli Dresden, Bohm VPO
4 - Bohm VPO
5 - Sinopoli Dresden
6 - Stein VPO, Gielen Baden-Baden
7 - Matacic CzPO
8 - Schuricht VPO, Furtwangler VPO, Bohm VPO
9 - Mehta VPO, Furtwangler BPO, Kubelik BRSO

[Drasko]

Speaking of Drasko: Did I get your Furtwangler Choces right? With him, it's always a bit tricky in Bruckner, given the many non-official and officialish recordings that are out there.

Yes, I think you did. The VPO 8th is the 17.10.1944 recording and the 9th is the only one there is, 7.10.1944 with BPO. I have them in those pastel DG Furtwangler boxes.

[jlaurson]

Yes, I think you did. The VPO 8th is the 17.10.1944 recording and the 9th is the only one there is, 7.10.1944 with BPO. I have them in those pastel DG Furtwangler boxes.

With the Ninth, it's easy: There's only one recording, as it turns out. If you have them in Universal boxes, then I'm right about the 8th, too... the '49 recording is on EMI and the '54 recording was never released on a major label.

[Cato]

Tintner and the Scots are magnificent here (the original version of the D minor). ...
Sarge

Yes, an excellent performance which makes a good case for the original version!

I'm with Cato: Jochum's Dresden cycle rocks!!

The usual wisdom calls the Dresden orchestra "raw" or less polished, but even if one hears such a nature in the orchestra, it lends a certain power to the cycle.

And not to be forgotten:

[André]

I don't know "00" well enough to suggest there might be a top contender among the select few who recorded it.

*** is the separator from one version to the other, no indicator of a particular quality.

- "0" : Marriner, Stuttgart Radio s. O. *** Haitink, RCOA
- 1: After 40 years of listening to it (one of my fav Bruckners), Haitink RCOA stil comes up on top. *** Neumann, Leipzig Gewandhaus.
- 2: Zender, SWF Baden-Baden *** Stein, WP   *** Karajan, BP
- 3: Böhm, WP, *** Nézet-Séguin (one of his few interesting interpretations), ***Kubelik BRSO,  ***Haitink RCOA
- 4: Barenboim CSO, *** Klemperer BRSO, ***Celibidache MPO, ***Kubelik BRSO, ***Rögner, BerlinRSO, ***Konwitschny, ***Suitner Berlin RSO
- 5: Klemperer NPO, ***Wand NDRSO, ***Suitner Berlin RSO
- 6: Klemperer (NPO), ***Bongartz, ***Stein WP, ***Keilberth BP, ***Rögner, ***Swoboda, ***Leitner (2 versions)
- 7: Blomstedt Dresden, ***Schuricht (The Hague or Berlin PO), ***Giulini or ***Böhm in Vienna
- 8: any of at least ten, including Jochum in Bamberg (1982), ***Haitink RCOA 1969 (yes!), ***Celibidache MPO (more than one), ***Klemperer NPO, ***Schuricht WP, ***Böhm WP (my favourite), ***Furtwängler BPO, etc. Even Prêtre, various Wands and Karajan WP (overrated but still very impressive)
- 9: Walter, ***Leitner, ***Klemperer, ***Mehta, ***Rögner, ***Kubelik (Berlin PO), Keilberth (Hamburg and Berlin) and many others.

I have hundreds of Bruckner discs in my collection, and my taste tends to vary. Generally speaking I favour swift, direct, abrasive, no-nonsense conducting, but occasionally welcome expansive, ruminative, morose performances as long as they don't stint on the power and gravitas.

[mc ukrneal]

I don't do much comparative Bruckner listening. But I have heard several 9ths (and 6ths from the blind listening) and I would add a vote for the '81 Haitink. It's a phenomenal recording. In this, I agree whole-heartedly with Sarge.

[Daverz]

No. 4 - Böhm WPh (x4)

Beautiful sounding as this is, I'm not sure this one has ever really grabbed me the way the Klemperer/BRSO does.   

[jlaurson]

I don't know "00" well enough to suggest there might be a top contender among the select few who recorded it.

*** is the separator from one version to the other, no indicator of a particular quality.

- "0" : Marriner, Stuttgart Radio s. O. *** Haitink, RCOA
- 1: After 40 years of listening to it (one of my fav Bruckners), Haitink RCOA stil comes up on top. *** Neumann, Leipzig Gewandhaus.
- 2: Zander, Philharmonia *** Stein, WP   *** Karajan, BP
- 3: Böhm, WP, *** Nézet-Séguin (one of his few interesting interpretations), ***Kubelik BRSO,  ***Haitink RCOA
- 4: Barenboim CSO, *** Klemperer BRSO, ***Celibidache MPO, ***Kubelik BRSO, ***Rögner, BerlinRSO, ***Konwitschny, ***Suitner Berlin RSO
- 5: Klemperer NPO, ***Wand NDRSO, ***Suitner Berlin RSO
- 6: Klemperer (NPO), ***Bongartz, ***Stein WP, ***Rögner, ***Swoboda
- 7: Blomstedt Dresden, ***Schuricht (The Hague or Berlin PO), ***Giulini or ***Böhm in Vienna
- 8: any of at least ten, including Jochum in Bamberg (1982), ***Haitink RCOA 1969 (yes!), ***Celibidache MPO (more than one), ***Klemperer NPO, ***Schuricht WP, ***Böhm WP (my favourite), ***Furtwängler BPO, etc. Even Prêtre, various Wands and Karajan WP (overrated but still very impressive)
- 9: Walter, ***Klemperer, ***Mehta, ***Rögner, ***Kubelik (Berlin PO), and many others.

I have hundreds of Bruckner discs in my collection, and my taste tends to vary. Generally speaking I favour swift, direct, abrasive, no-nonsense conducting, but occasionally welcome expansive, ruminative, morose performances as long as they don't stint on the power and gravitas.

So as not to skew the tally, could I ask you to indicate THREE performances per symphony (where you have listed more) that you'd particularly want counted/think are particularly special? (i.e. as above)