The deepest performances of the Bruckner symphonies.

[Mandryka]

Haitink Bavarian Radio Symphony Bruckner 8 - kind of nice to be reminded of the Haitink style at this time, this extraordinary judgement he had about exactly how long to hold a note, a pause.

[LKB]

Haitink Bavarian Radio Symphony Bruckner 8 - kind of nice to be reminded of the Haitink style at this time, this extraordinary judgement he had about exactly how long to hold a note, a pause.

Haitink most assuredly had the measure of the Eighth, and he is my favorite conductor in the piece.

[foxandpeng]

Symphony 9 (Furtwangler) or Wand (Berlin PO) I was at his final live concert in London.

Symphony 8 (Horenstein) Vox/Turnabout or BBC Legends live performance (I was there as a tincy teenager)

Symphony 6 (Klemperer)

Symphony 5 (Knappertsbusch)

Symphony 4 (Klemperer)

Symphony 3 (Szell)

Nice.

@Linz .... list us up!

[Mandryka]

Celibidache 1992 BPO Bruckner 7. It's a long long time since I last listened to Bruckner 7, so I'm greeting the first movement without presuppositions though I know the performance is divisive.

I must say, I think it's wonderful - no hint to being too slow to my naive ears - I shan't have time to listen to the rest of the symphony tonight.

[Daverz]

Symphony 5 (Knappertsbusch)

That's not even Bruckner.  I do like the Klemperer recordings, particularly the live BRSO 4th.

[Not in reply to anyone in particular]

As for the completion of the 9th, I've only heard the Wildner recording.  It was enough to hear that the material they are working with is crap and will always be crap.

In my experience when people say a performance is "deep" it's usually just slow and eccentric, or that one has to concentrate to listen "through" the poor execution or sonics. 

[vandermolen]

That's not even Bruckner.  I do like the Klemperer recordings, particularly the live BRSO 4th.

[Not in reply to anyone in particular]

As for the completion of the 9th, I've only heard the Wildner recording.  It was enough to hear that the material they are working with is crap and will always be crap.

In my experience when people say a performance is "deep" it's usually just slow and eccentric, or that one has to concentrate to listen "through" the poor execution or sonics. 

OK then, Furtwangler Symphony No.9 (Berlin 1944)

[Mandryka]

Another comment on the Celibidace BPO 7 - I'm listening now on the big electrostatics. The Berlin Philharmonic sounds glorious! I'd forgotten that sound.

[Mandryka]

In my experience when people say a performance is "deep" it's usually just slow and eccentric,

That's because when a performance is eccentric, it's sometimes because the musician  has his own perception, his own idea. The depth comes from that intersection of the musician and composer. When a performance is conventional, there's a big risk that everyone is on auto-pilot. 

As far as speed goes, it's always good to smell the roses IMO.

[AnotherSpin]

Another comment on the Celibidace BPO 7 - I'm listening now on the big electrostatics. The Berlin Philharmonic sounds glorious! I'd forgotten that sound.

Absolutely. I used to listen to various Celibidache recordings of Bruckner symphonies back when I had tube gear and those massive Apogee speakers with ribbon drivers. Later, I tried them again on more modest equipment, and the effect just wasn't the same.

[Leo K.]

I've been amazed by various recordings of Knappertsbusch's Bruckner 7 on Apple Music. It's hard to figure which are which on Apple Music, but the ones I hear are incredible (not sound wise, but performance wise).