Bruckner 7th

[PerfectWagnerite]

There is just something so human and sincere about Jochum's conducting of Bruckner. This music almost sounds like a human voice. It is amazing that he could barely stand and he still conducts this music like nobody else.

[DarkAngel]

I will have to agree with others here and say that the Karajan/VPO/DG is my favorite version.

I have owned it for many years but only recently have I realized it's greatness, good example is the climax conclusion to first movement, just a massive crushing tidal wave of sound is generated, talk about cathedral of sound.

The only other conductor that matches this massive glorious vision for me is the Guilini/VPO/DG 9th. A tragic state of affairs that HVK's crowning performance of Bruckner would also be his last, the stuff that legends are made of. Also even though HVK's other Bruckner 7ths are some of the best ever recorded they are eclipsed by his final performance

[FredT]

I really like both the Tintner and Skrowaczewski 7ths. They are beautifully shaped performances, thoughtful of the structure and cheap! Recently, I purchased the 10 cd box from Documents, a Ormandy retrospective. The box has the first Bruckner recording made in the US 1935, a 7th with the Minneapolis Symphony. It's stunning, really exciting and has a "premiere" type feel to it.Worth seaching out. There used to be a very fine Pittsburgh Symphony recording under Steinberg on LP. Wish it would surface on CD. Magnificent work from the Pittsburgh players!

[Renfield]

Speaking of American Bruckner 7ths, I think there's also a Toscanini recording of the work in existence. My eye caught it in a recent issue of Gramophone, and I've been intrigued by the prospect since...

Incidentally, Ormandy certainly recorded a very fine Bruckner 4th, although much later than the 7th you speak of.

So he is something of a known suspect for quality Bruckner, if you will.

[Drasko]

Speaking of American Bruckner 7ths, I think there's also a Toscanini recording of the work in existence. My eye caught it in a recent issue of Gramophone, and I've been intrigued by the prospect since...

Prospect of what? It has been discussed here before, or it was the prevoius board. It has few bits missing due to changes of the recording discs and Toscanini indulged in some reorchestration, most notably second theme of the IV movement was given to horns instead of strings.
It's still available for download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/32783616/AT_Bruckner_7_Lossless.rar.001.html
http://rapidshare.com/files/32797062/AT_Bruckner_7_Lossless.rar.002.html

[Lilas Pastia]

Some versions are worth hearing. That means that most often a single hearing - or maybe two - will suffice. Others are worth knowing. Add one more spin. (Toscanini for example). But other than that they will probably not be heard again.

Then there are those that arose real interest. We mentally promise another run in the future. And then there are the ones we really like, often in competition with equally good but different versions. And finally there are the favourites. They are those that teach, challenge, move, please and thrill.

[Renfield]

Prospect of what? It has been discussed here before, or it was the prevoius board. It has few bits missing due to changes of the recording discs and Toscanini indulged in some reorchestration, most notably second theme of the IV movement was given to horns instead of strings.
It's still available for download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/32783616/AT_Bruckner_7_Lossless.rar.001.html
http://rapidshare.com/files/32797062/AT_Bruckner_7_Lossless.rar.002.html

The prospect of listening for myself how Toscanini would handle Bruckner.

Which I now will. Thank you.

[M forever]

There used to be a very fine Pittsburgh Symphony recording under Steinberg on LP. Wish it would surface on CD.

How hard is it to go to amazon.com and type in the words "bruckner" and "steinberg"?

[jwinter]

Last night I listened to Bruckner 7 from this:



The Mravinsky is excellent, I think, with decent though not stellar sound (better than I expected honestly).  I'm still searching for a favorite 7th.  I like Bohm, Skrowaczewski, Walter, Kegel, Furtwangler... I may pick up Giulini some time this week, and give that a try...

[AB68]

I own many versions of this symphony.
My favorite is Barenboim's recording with the BPO.
Very poweful, and the orchestra plays gorgeously.
The end of the first movement is the most poweful and hair-rising I have heard on CD.

[TheGSMoeller]

Bumping this six year old thread...

Now that we have a bunch of different users, I say we discuss the great/favorite recordings of the 7th again. I'm finally moving away from the 6th for a short while and turning my focus here.
Going through my inventory of the 7th and here's what I have...

Barenboim/Berlin
Solti/CSO
Tintner/RSNO
Sinopoli/Dresden
Wand/Cologne
Karajan/Vienna
Harnoncourt/RCO
Chailly/RSOBerlin
Herreweghe/Elysees
Skrow/LPO

The finale is always the step-child of the piece for me. Not particular my favorite movement, but with the right interpretation (as usually the case is) it can be magnificent and even match up with the majesty of the two opening movements. But how should the finale be treated? How fast should it taken? And how much should those brass climaxes slow down? Time to upload a score. 

I'm just now starting to re-listen to these recordings and will also search Spotify for others, and will be posting my thoughts and opinions as I go. But would love if others would post their choices for the 7th, and possibly even discuss why they chose them.

[Karl Henning]

Ray told me to get Giulini/Vienna in the Seventh, and he was right!

(Of course, I have few comparisons to make.)

Well, and Jens told me to get Haitink/CSO, and he was right, too!

[North Star]

I recall liking Nagano a fair bit, in addition to Chailly & Wand (the ones I own), and Giulini of course. Bernard Michael O'Hanlon gave Nagano 3/5, which is probably a sign that it is really 5/5 or 1/5, whichever is more opposite to his view..

[Jo498]

Giulini/Vienna was my first recording and I still like it although it is on the slow and lyrical side. It is among my favorite Bruckner pieces, but I do not listen so frequently anymore to Bruckner so I have not done any comparisons recently. I found the more flowing and maybe slightly "cool" readings of Rosbaud (late 50s) and Gielen (late 80s) also very interesting. (I also have Klemperer, Skrowaczewski, Van Beinum, Matacic and maybe another one.)

The Karajan/Vienna (his last recording) is legendary, but I have never heard it.

[J.A.W.]

The ones I have:
Klemperer/PO
Walter/Columbia SO
Van Beinum/CO Amsterdam
Haitink/CO Amsterdam (2 recordings)
Haitink/VPO
Abbado/VPO
Chailly/RSO Berlin
Karajan/BPO
Karajan/VPO
Szell/VPO
Harnoncourt/VPO
Wand/BPO

I don't have a particular favourite, they all have their merits.

[jfdrex]

I imprinted on the Rosbaud--the first recording of anything by Bruckner I ever purchased--in its LP incarnation, some 40  years ago:

[asin]B00AXR80YS[/asin]

Having heard a good four or five dozen recordings as well as live performances since then, I still find that the Rosbaud holds up extremely well.  Apparently this incarnation has the best sound among various cd reissues, though it comes in tandem with lesser interpretations (by other conductors) of several other Bruckner symphonies:

[asin]B001E1DHFO[/asin]

The way the solo flute trails the strings in the second movement's central melody is absolutely heartbreaking.

On the other hand... I'm probably the only person who also loves Klemperer's Philharmonia recording, included in this box:

[asin]B008YKRRH2[/asin]

Klemperer's tempi in are as glacial as Rosbaud's are swift, but (in Klemps' own words) you will get used to it.

And of course I would not want to be without Jochum (Berlin & Dresden), Wand (Cologne & Berlin), Walter, Sanderling, and Schuricht (Hague & Stuttgart), to name but a few among many.

Hmm... Time to give Celibidache a listen.

[Jo498]

The Klemperer is actually not that glacial (unless one takes Rosbaud as reference), except for the finale his is faster than Giulini, Matacic and Skro...

[Drasko]

Czech Philharmonic / Lovro von Matacic for Matacic's unerring sense for pacing and the sound of the orchestra, if I had to chose only one, also Bohm's first, wartime, VPO recording for the most touching adagio.

Other than these I generally tend to like swifter ones, like Schuricht with BPO or HaagRO, Boulez/VPO, and maybe Rosbaud/Baden-Baden or Kabasta/MunichPO.

Looking forward to hearing Fischer.

[psu]

This one is fantastic ...

Eichhorn

[asin]B00006ALCS[/asin]

http://www.amazon.com/Bruckner-Symphony-No-7-Anton/dp/B00006ALCS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416862458&sr=8-1&keywords=eichhorn+bruckner

[Sergeant Rock]

My Sevenths, favorites in bold.

CHAILLY/RSO BERLIN
KLEMPERER/PHILH
SKROWACZEWSKI/SAARBRÜCKEN RSO
JOCHUM/SOBR
JOCHUM/STAATSKAPELLE DRESDEN
KARAJAN/BERLIN PHIL (EMI)
KARAJAN/BERLIN PHIL (DG)
WELSER-MÖST/LPO
CELIBIDACHE/MUNICH PHIL
CELIBIDACHE/STUTTGART RSO
BARENBOIM/BERLIN PHIL
DOHNÁNYI/CLEVELAND
FURTWÄNGLER/BERLIN PHIL
TINTNER/ROYAL SCOTTISH NAT O
NORRINGTON/RSO STUTTGART
SANDERLING, KURT/RSO STUTTGART
MAAZEL/SOBR
WAND/BERLIN PHIL
WAND/KÖLNER RSO
SINOPOLI/STAATSKAPELLE DRESDEN
KREIZBERG/WIENER SYMPHONIKER


Sarge