Favorite Moments in a Bruckner Symphony

[Brian]

97 times in 9 measures?! That's insane!

Make sure you're listening to the Linz version. He changed it when he revised the symphony in 1991 in Vienna.

Sarge

1991 Bruckner = Second Coming? 

[Grazioso]

97 times in 9 measures?! That's insane!

1991 Bruckner = Second Coming? 

He and Elvis should get together and write some new music.

[Brahmsian]

He and Elvis should get together and write some new music.

Somewhere, Anton & Elvis are in a donut shop, discussing their first collaboration:  Heartbreak Motets

[Grazioso]

Somewhere, Anton & Elvis are in a donut shop, discussing their first collaboration:  Heartbreak Motets

"Ach, mein lieber Herr Elvis, you must [munch, munch] try also the Linzer [munch, munch] Torte. Give me much inspiration. Eighth symphony--all Linzer Torte."

[Brahmsian]

Thread duty:  Another super 'goody bit'  - The trumpet coda at the end of the 1st movement of the 8th Symphony.

Another example of OCD Anton. 

[Roberto]

One of my favorite Bruckner moment:
http://www.youtube.com/v/8qFQY3Olty0

Although I have to admit I couldn't listen the entire performance I think. 

[Lilas Pastia]

A welcome initiative from John Berky's web site: he posts Carragan's 'timed analysis' of the first 4 symphonies:

William Carragan also provided timed analysis sheets for people to learn exactly what was happening at any given moment in a symphony. These timed analysis sheets can be found at http://www.abruckner.com/articles/articlesEnglish/carragantimed/

You need to have one of the discs he uses for the analysis (I have at least one each for the 4 symphonies he analyses). Nice. Forget about bar numbers or score letters, just mention the timing !

My own favourite Bruckner moments:

- the very start of 1:IV
- the exultant coda of 3:IV, starting with the trumpet fanfare.
- the very end of 4:I, the heroic horn calls - the only horn moment that compares with Strauss' Don Juan
- the second theme in 6:II
- the juncture between the two halves of 8:III - around 15 minutes in for a 25 minute reading: thats when the music halts, descends into inaudibility and stops before the recap starts.
- the slow, mysterious intro to 9:I gigantic coda - about 20' in vs a 25 minute reading.

Hopefully you get the idea. With Carragan's timed analysis of the symphonies (if and when he completes them) I will be able to pinpoint the exact place where I get the goosebumps 

[Daverz]

A welcome initiative from John Berky's web site: he posts Carragan's 'timed analysis' of the first 4 symphonies:

He uses rather obscure recordings.  Vaclav Neumann recorded Bruckner 1?  Who knew?

The only recording he uses that I have is the Inbal 1873 3rd.  I did have the Janowski 4th at one time, but I must have culled it.

[madaboutmahler]

4th symphony 1st movement
5th symphony, all of it! especially the fugue and finale in the last movement.
6th symphony first movement.
9th symphony first movement.

I know this is supposed to be "favourite Bruckner moments" and I have named movements, but each of the movements have so much masterful, excellent music to dismiss the movement as a whole!

Daniel

[TheGSMoeller]

5th symphony, all of it! especially the fugue and finale in the last movement.

Daniel

Good pick! That might be my favorite entire movement from a Bruckner symphony with the 7th's second movement close behind.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

He uses rather obscure recordings.  Vaclav Neumann recorded Bruckner 1?  Who knew?

Me. And an excellent performance it is, too...

[Lilas Pastia]

Indeed, Neumann's 1st is regarded by some as one of the very best. I have it and I concur, although I retain an inordinate fondness for Haitink's youthful impetuosity and his orchestra's Cadillac playing in that underrated symphony. I also have the Tintners and Lopez Cobos 4th. Too bad he didn't include the Oeser version of the 3rd. Hopefully he'll pick some Wands, Boehms and the WP Karajans. I hope he gives us both Haas and Nowak accounts of 8. I'm always trying to 'piece in' the missing parts of IV in the Nowak, only to realise the moment has passed and we're already onto something else.

[Daverz]

Indeed, Neumann's 1st is regarded by some as one of the very best. I have it and I concur,

Well, it was cheap enough on Amazon, so I ordered this one as well as the Chailly 3rd, though I'm quite happy with the selection of 1889 3rds that I have.  I don't seem to have any 1877 versions.  Also just ordered the Janowski 4th (I'm not really interested in the original 4th).

[Drasko]

  I don't seem to have any 1877 versions. 

There are two sub-versions of 1877/8: with Scherzo coda, and without it. Of those with I prefer Sinopoli/Dresden and Haitink/Vienna, of those without, live Kubelik/BRSO (most recent on Audite) is the best I've heard.

Or I've misread you and you were talking of 1877 Linz version of 1st.

[Brahmsian]

Another favorite moment:  The apocalyptic rising climax near the end of the 1st movement of Symphony No. 7.  No matter how many times I hear it, it still kind of catches me by surprise when it is coming.  Then I love the coming in of the Wagner horns.