Bruckner 7th

[TheGSMoeller]

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

The Dohnanyi/Cleveland 7th is the only from their series I have yet to hear. And I agree with bolding Sinopoli, good one. But Karajan's EMI over his DG? Interesting.

[Sergeant Rock]

The Dohnanyi/Cleveland 7th is the only from their series I have yet to hear. And I agree with bolding Sinopoli, good one. But Karajan's EMI over his DG? Interesting.

I prefer all Karajan's EMI Bruckner (4, 7, 8 ) to his later DG recordings. Haven't heard his Vienna Seventh, though, which many think his best.

Sarge

[André]

Counting quickly, I have 41 versions, including a transcription for small forces. I am hard put to declare it one of my favourites, though. The seventh is the symphony I have most trouble with. It takes the right frame of mind to enjoy it fully. I don't  listen to it very often, certainly not in preference to 5, 8 or 9. Even though it is a beautiful work, it is also slightly flawed (finale) and unvaried in pacing (first two movements). Big contrasts are the norm in a Bruckner symphony, and this one keeps a low profile in that regard - until the Finale.

Among those that always give me a kick:

Blomstedt Dresden Staatskapelle, Giulini WP, Böhm WP, Schuricht 'Den Haag, Rögner Berlin RSO, Karajan WP.

IIRC I am also fond of Karajan BP (EMI), Haitink COA II, Knappertsbusch WP and Hindemith NYPO, although I haven't heard them in quite a while. I currently have 4 among the 41 that are waiting in the 'first listen' pile.

I don't know the Rosbaud. There's a set of 2, 5, 7 and 8 here:  http://www.abruckner.com/store/CDsandDVDs/symphonies2578hans/ . I wonder if it's the same as that mentioned above. The Amazon reviews seem to point to a stereo release. The Andromeda set is in mono.  John Berky's discography has only one Rosbaud 7th - in myriad incarnations.

[mszczuj]

also Bohm's first, wartime, VPO recording for the most touching adagio.

+1

[jfdrex]

I don't know the Rosbaud. There's a set of 2, 5, 7 and 8 here:  http://www.abruckner.com/store/CDsandDVDs/symphonies2578hans/ . I wonder if it's the same as that mentioned above. The Amazon reviews seem to point to a stereo release. The Andromeda set is in mono.  John Berky's discography has only one Rosbaud 7th - in myriad incarnations.

John Berky has posted the Rosbaud 7th as a "download of the month" here--in true stereo:

http://www.abruckner.com/downloads/downloadofthemonth/november14/

Mr. Berky notes that that Rosbaud's Bruckner 7th was in fact recorded in stereo, but for some reason it was first released in mono.  To make matters more confusing, the Turnabout LP was in "reprocessed stereo," which led people (i.e., me) to assume that the original recording was mono.

[jfdrex]

"Santa Fe Listener" (Huntley Dent) compares and contrasts Karajan's three recordings of the Bruckner 7th in a review on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/review/R393MYDVXQ6OVS/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B0009NDKV4&nodeID=5174&store=music

Not surprisingly, his review engenders a fair amount of discussion (in the post-review comments section), including mention of an editing error in the single-disk EMI release--an error apparently rectified in EMI's recent Karajan "Official Remastered Edition" containing that recording:

[asin]B00JX4IDL2[/asin]

[André]

John Berky has posted the Rosbaud 7th as a "download of the month" here--in true stereo:

http://www.abruckner.com/downloads/downloadofthemonth/november14/

Mr. Berky notes that that Rosbaud's Bruckner 7th was in fact recorded in stereo, but for some reason it was first released in mono.  To make matters more confusing, the Turnabout LP was in "reprocessed stereo," which led people (i.e., me) to assume that the original recording was mono.

Thanks ! So I gather there could be stereo incarnations out there, although most issues are probably in mono. I shall calll Benedict Cumberbatch Sherlock Holmes to investigate on this...!

[jfdrex]

Thanks ! So I gather there could be stereo incarnations out there, although most issues are probably in mono. I shall calll Benedict Cumberbatch Sherlock Holmes to investigate on this...!

Sherlock is already on the case.

http://youtu.be/ooUxWGL5svY

[VonStupp]

Now taking suggestions for great Bruckner 7ths... 

My benchmark for Bruckner's 7th, at least for comparisons sake, has long been Carlo Maria Giulini, either on DG with Vienna or Testament with Berlin, both rather different readings of the same work from Giulini.

After that, Karajan, Harnoncourt, and Tennstedt are most interesting to me.

VS

[TheGSMoeller]

After that, Karajan, Harnoncourt, and Tennstedt are most interesting to me.

VS

I agree with the Harnoncourt's 7th, I think it's a wonderfully balanced performance.

Two others I really enjoy now that don't seem to be mentioned much are Von Matacic/Czech Phil, and Venzago/Basel SO. Venzago is probably looked at as a more unconventional Bruckner conductor, but I really like his interpretative choices with the 7th, especially in the finale.

[JBS]

I'll put in my oar for this one

[André]

Böhm and Giulini WP for the big, comfortably late romantic view in gorgeous playing. For something entirely different, Schuricht with the Hague Philharmonic (sometimes called the Hague Residentie-orkest) give an abrupt, turbulent, uncouth, brassy account I find thrilling.

[Cato]

Böhm and Giulini WP for the big, comfortably late romantic view in gorgeous playing. For something entirely different, Schuricht with the Hague Philharmonic (sometimes called the Hague Residentie-orkest) give an abrupt, turbulent, uncouth, brassy account I find thrilling.

Hello Andre' !

Yes, Carl Schuricht was described by one critic in '50's or '60's as delivering straight-forward, no-frills Bruckner!

https://www.youtube.com/v/d1o0F06vqnI

[André]

That's the one. Thanks, Leo ! 

[Brahmsian]

I'll put in my oar for this one

I do really enjoy this one.

[vers la flamme]

My benchmark for Bruckner's 7th, at least for comparisons sake, has long been Carlo Maria Giulini, either on DG with Vienna or Testament with Berlin, both rather different readings of the same work from Giulini.

After that, Karajan, Harnoncourt, and Tennstedt are most interesting to me.

VS

Ayy, I was wondering if my post was the catalyst for seeing this thread bumped to the first page 

Thanks for the suggestions! Giulini looks promising... Also quite curious about Tennstedt. Which recording are you referring to?

Any thoughts on Haitink in Chicago on the CSO Resound label?

[Jo498]

Giulini/DG was my first on CD and I like it but it is very slow and lyrical (his Vienna 8 and 9 are also slow but IMO considerably more powerful). I think it is Bruckner's most beautiful piece and harder to "ruin" than some others that more easily become dragging or brutal brass orgies. I have about 10 recordings and I don't think I dislike any of them. Rosbaud or (in better sound) Gielen are good options for rather lean, fastish versions.

[André]

Gielen is indeed excellent.

[VonStupp]

Ayy, I was wondering if my post was the catalyst for seeing this thread bumped to the first page 

Thanks for the suggestions! Giulini looks promising... Also quite curious about Tennstedt. Which recording are you referring to?

Any thoughts on Haitink in Chicago on the CSO Resound label?

Yes, I thought something like Bruckner's 7th would have a lot of suggestions, so I moved it to the 7th thread.

If you want a different perspective from Barenboim, which you liked, Giulini might be just more of the same approach (big, old-school Romanticisms), so I might go with others' suggestions for differing perspectives on the Bruckner 7th.

I really like Klaus Tennstedt's traversals of both Mahler and Bruckner symphonies on LPO, although I might be alone in my enthusiasm. They are mostly live performances, and you never know what you are going to get from Tennstedt in live situations. That is what I like though, he is so spontaneous, but that also means his approaches were not always uniform or consistent, not to mention many were recorded towards the end of his life as well, so orchestral output could be variable too.

VS

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

Any thoughts on Haitink in Chicago on the CSO Resound label?

I've got it and l like it. In fact, just listened to it last week, as part of my Haitink-in-memoriam retrospective. Similar to his very good late 70s Amsterdam version, with the main differences being in the character of the respective orchestras (more plush strings in the Conc'bouw version, more powerful brass in the CSO).

Overall, I think my favorite version is Klemperer/PhilO. He balances the movements just right in terms of tempo, so everything flows nicely and the last 2 mvts. don't sound like afterthoughts. And the playing is great.