Favorite 3 Bruckner Symphonies

[ChamberNut]

What can I say?  I like polls, they are meaningless fun!  I wish there was a section for all polls.

[Sergeant Rock]

My three, with favorite performance:

3 - Celibidache/Munich Phil
8 - Szell/Cleveland
9 - Giulini/Vienna Phil

Sarge

[ChamberNut]

My three are:

# 5
# 4
# 9

Currently listening to # 3 (Jochum/Staatskapelle Dresden)

[rubio]

Currently my faves are 8, 5, 9 in that sequence.

[BachQ]

My three, with favorite performance:

3 - Celibidache/Munich Phil
8 - Szell/Cleveland
9 - Giulini/Vienna Phil

Sarge

#3 in d minor is starting to grow on me; but for now:

6
8
9

[Sergeant Rock]

#3 in d minor is starting to grow on me; but for now:

It took a while for me to appreciate it too. In fact, it was the first Bruckner symphony I ever heard and it put me off the composer for five years But it, and Bruckner, eventually won me over.

Edit: just noticed the poll results. The Third has more votes than the Fourth! That's surprising.

Sarge

[marvinbrown]

  Mine are :

  0 - thats the symphony that got me hooked on Bruckner
  4
  5

  marvin

[Sergeant Rock]

Mine are :

0 - thats the symphony that got me hooked on Bruckner

Hey, Marvin. I wouldn't have bet that anyone would choose Die Nullte. Interesting. It is a good symphony. I think I'll listen to it now...it's been awhile since last I heard it.

Sarge

[Tapio Dmitriyevich]

4,5,8 --- Unfortunately there's no room for No.7. The adagio written after the death of the "master of all masters" (wagners) is the best sad music I know. But I don't like the Sym. as a whole (don't listen to the 2 final movements very often).

No.4, andante quasi allegretto was my first Bruckner experience and love. No.5: Great symphony, my fave is the adagio, the oboe (or what is that in the beginning), the rhythm at 1/2 beat, then a lamento: gooood stuff. No.8: Great adagio. Symphony is mystic and full of tension. What a remarkable conclusion of the symphony.

I know many people like the ninth. Still didn't find out how I could fall in love with it.

All Wand/BPO.

BTW, Bruckner/Wagner. I once read Bruckners letters. Funny. His sweetest secret, which he admitted a friend was a meeting with Wagner. Wagner asked him about his opinion on one of his operas. Bruckner kneeled down and told something like  "oh my master, it was marvellous" and kissed his hand.... Can't remember, but IIRC wagner also had some good words for Bruckner, I think he promised to have a look on a bruckner symphony again, in his spare time... which almost led to orgiastic feelings on Bruckners side
Also there's a very interesting letter to König Ludwig where Bruckner was talking like "I'm a worm" and the king the "highest". Cannot translate this. He's asking King Ludwig for dedication of Sym.7, mentioning the funeral music for the master wagner...

Eure königliche Majestät! Aufs tiefste ergriffen und im höchsten Gefühl der Freude bitte ich allerunterthänigst, Euere Majestät wolle allergnädigst gestatten, daß ich für die mir durch Allerhöchste Entschließung Euerer königlichen Majestät gewordene Allerhöchste Auszeichnung: die allerunterthänigste Widmung meiner VII. Sinfonie Allergnädigst entgegenzunehmen - Euerer königlichen Majestät meinen ehrfurtsvollsten, im tiefsten Herzen gefühlten Dank zu Füßen legen dürfe!
[...]
Gestatten mir Euere Majestät zum Schlusse noch die Allerunterthänigste Bitte Euere königliche Majestät wollen allergnädigst geruhen, auf dem Wege Allerhöchster Entschließung eine Aufführung von meiner Allergnädigst angenommenen Sinfonie, in deren Adagio die Trauermusik zum Andenken an des Meisters Hinscheiden ertönt,vor Euerer königlichen Majestät in königlicher Gnade gestatten zu wollen.
Gott segne! beschütze! und schirme Euere königliche Majestät! In tiefster Erfurcht verharrt
Euerer königlichen Majestät allerunterthänigster Diener
Anton Bruckner.

[Gustav]

It's really hard to limit to just 3 Bruckner Symphonies, so I'll have to go with the 3rd 5th and 6th, and 8th.

[val]

The 9th

The 8th

The 3rd

[Lethevich]

I can't believe the 6th is beating the 7th. I only voted for that one because I was so sure that the poor underdog would need some help (It's a beauty though.)

[marvinbrown]

Hey, Marvin. I wouldn't have bet that anyone would choose Die Nullte. Interesting. It is a good symphony. I think I'll listen to it now...it's been awhile since last I heard it.

Sarge

 Sarge the opening of the Nullte is very gripping! It is a very powerful symphony.  I believe it was Lilas who informed me that Bruckner composed the Nullte between Symphonies 1 and 2.  Even though it has the number 0 it is far from being a "preliminary" or "incomplete" work.  Happy Listening  !

 marvin  

[Wanderer]

All of them, with a slight preference to Nos. 3, 4, 5 and 8.

[BachQ]

I can't believe the 6th is beating the 7th. I only voted for that one because I was so sure that the poor underdog would need some help (It's a beauty though.)

6 is wonderful  0:)

What do you think of 5? (I haven't been able to embrace it yet)

[ChamberNut]

What do you think of 5? (I haven't been able to embrace it yet)

Dm, # 5 is my favorite.  I'm actually surprised you haven't embraced it yet.  Only reason I'm saying that is I've noticed we have alot of similar tastes.

Which recordings have you listened to for the 5th?

[Steve]

Difficult choice...

#4,
#7,
#8, 

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

I love them all. But I chose

2nd (Giulini, but Chailly is very good too)
5th (Jochum (Staatskapelle Dresden) and Wand (NDR))
9th (Furtwängler, Giulini, Haitink)

Could anybody answer something I never could understand - which edition is Haitink using in his second Ninth with the Concertgebouw Orchestra (from the 1980s)? In the Coda of the first movement two sets of timpani reinforce the iambic rhythm in the lower brass, an effect I have never heard in another recording. It sounds colossal.

[BachQ]

Which recordings have you listened to for the 5th?

Do you like all movements of 5?

I have Jochum/Dresden and Furtwängler.

[ChamberNut]

Do you like all movements of 5?

I have Jochum/Dresden and Furtwängler.

Yes, I do like all the movements in 5.  In particular, Mvts. I and II are some of my favorite of all Bruckner's symphonies.  I also have the Jochum/Dresden set.

Who knows?  Just keep listening, and it may some day grow on you.      As is often the case.