The Ninth was my “gateway “ into Bruckner. The first Bruckner I encountered was the Fourth, when I was in College about 4 decades ago. It was entertaining but one can only take so much medieval knights jousting background music. I heard the Seventh in concert and was bored to tears except the Scherzo. Finally I heard a Gunter Wand CD of the Ninth and was blown away. I really hate the completions of the Ninth, not only because I am used to the 3 movement torso, but because anything that winds up coming after those final mystical chords just seems to cheapen the experience.
I don’t listen my to the First two Symphonies, let alone the 0 and 00. Of the Te Deum, my only recording is one that is tacked on to the end of Ninth as a Choral completion. As I mentioned I hated any completion of the Ninth so I haven’t spun that CD for a couple of decades. I did hear the Te Deum recently on the radio (I listen to Radio Venice, and the Bluesound App will identify the composition but not the performers), and liked it quite a bit, so I would also be interested in recommendations there.
Karajan Bruckner is very polarizing. Most critical opinion that I have read is negative, and it was only relatively recently that I began to investigate for myself. I love it. When Von K felt sympathy for a Composer he could do great things, and the playing of the Berlin Phil. Is breathtaking.
I have heard good things elsewhere about Venzago. Time to check Qobuz for his recordings.
I listened to the Jochum/Dresden Sixth a few weeks back. Maybe not as much rubato as I remember, or perhaps he tones it down in that relatively restrained work. I will have to respin that cycle.
Bruckner doesn’t consistently interest me as much as the composer with whom he is frequently compared and contrasted, namely Mahler, but in a few spots he really strikes gold. He also is perhaps the most challenging Composer for an audio system, and therefore a great composer to discuss on Agon.
I don’t listen my to the First two Symphonies, let alone the 0 and 00. Of the Te Deum, my only recording is one that is tacked on to the end of Ninth as a Choral completion. As I mentioned I hated any completion of the Ninth so I haven’t spun that CD for a couple of decades. I did hear the Te Deum recently on the radio (I listen to Radio Venice, and the Bluesound App will identify the composition but not the performers), and liked it quite a bit, so I would also be interested in recommendations there.
Karajan Bruckner is very polarizing. Most critical opinion that I have read is negative, and it was only relatively recently that I began to investigate for myself. I love it. When Von K felt sympathy for a Composer he could do great things, and the playing of the Berlin Phil. Is breathtaking.
I have heard good things elsewhere about Venzago. Time to check Qobuz for his recordings.
I listened to the Jochum/Dresden Sixth a few weeks back. Maybe not as much rubato as I remember, or perhaps he tones it down in that relatively restrained work. I will have to respin that cycle.
Bruckner doesn’t consistently interest me as much as the composer with whom he is frequently compared and contrasted, namely Mahler, but in a few spots he really strikes gold. He also is perhaps the most challenging Composer for an audio system, and therefore a great composer to discuss on Agon.