Bruckner: Symphonies [Box set, Import]

This is the budget re-release of the greatest set of the complete Bruckner symphonies ever recorded. I paid more than twice this amount when I purchased the set back in the early 1990s, but even at that it has been worth every penny. If you are interested in a complete Bruckner set, do yourself a favor and without hesitation throw this into your shopping cart ASAP.

I have posted an earlier review of the original set, but to summarize, Karajan is the greatest Bruckner conductor of all time, to my ears. I am in total awe of what Karajan achieved with this set, and I can't think of any other recorded legacy that is more important. Every single symphony except for #1 receives a compelling performance, and symphonies 2,4,5,6,7,8, and 9 receive *exceptional* performances (#3 is a fine enough performance, but Karajan uses the highly edited 3rd version, and I prefer the unedited first version in Tintner's exceptional recording). Karajan's interpretations are magnificent and go right to the soul of this deeply moving music (and without disruptive eccentricities). And the playing of the Berlin Philharmonic has to be heard to be believed--the balance, the tone, the beautiful sonorities--it's hard to not think that this represents their finest hour(s), so to speak. The Berlin Philharmonic's playing in this set is the greatest orchestral playing I have ever heard--in any works. What an achievement for Karajan and the orchestra, and what a great gift to all of us, to have this amazing set that goes right to the soul of this deeply moving music.

There are some criticisms of the sound, mostly justified (except for #5 and #9, whose sound I would not touch). The good news is that because the performances are so compelling and the orchestral playing so stunning, not only does your ear quickly adjust, but before long you are never even questioning that the sound is an issue. Would this set have benefited from a remastering? Without doubt. Will the sound as it is prevent you from treasuring these recordings? Absolutely not.

In the end, the final bow must go to the master, Anton Bruckner. It is almost inconceivable to me that any human being could have conceived of, let alone successfully executed, the creative ideas that Bruckner puts forward and then successfully resolves in his symphonies (particularly #2,4,5,7, and 9). Hans-Hubert Schonzeler said it better than anyone ever will: "Bruckner's symphonies are in reality one gigantic arch which starts on Earth amidst suffering humanity, travel up to the Heavens to the very throne of grace, and return with a message of peace."

I hope this music provides you comfort, wisdom, beauty, and joy, as it has me.

I know the title is a little mis-leading. But those that really know Bruckner know exactly what I mean.

Bruckner's symphonies have been hampered by various conductors and musicologists editing these symphonies because of their duration or sometimes just musical taste. Bruckner did not help the situation by creating different versions of the same symphony. I am not going to bore you with a long dissertation on Bruckner's symphonies (I did that in college). What is important to know is that the 2 most famous editions are the Haas and Novak versions. The Haas editions are essentially hybrid versions where he went about to bring together the original versions with the revised ones. His intent was to create a definitive version of each symphony for performance purposes. Classic case in point is the 8th which is largely the revised version with passages from the original edited back in.

The Novak editions, however, restores each symphony and its various versions into their original state; an edition I personally prefer.

What does this mean here? Karajan leans toward Haas for his recordings. Superior recordings they are, BUT (generally speaking...err...writing) they are not the symphonies as Bruckner actually wrote them. Since this was the only edition available to Karajan in his early years, it is understandable why he used them and would continue to do so.

For those who wish to hear Bruckner as he actually wrote his symphonies, one must seek out the sets my Eugen Jochum. He recorded these symphonies a number of times; the Fifth he did about half-a-dozen times (give or take). There are 2 complete versions of the numbered symphonies; a superlative account on DG with the Bavarian Radio and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestras from the late-50s to the 60s and a 2nd on EMI with the Dresden Staatkapelle. Check-out the reviews on Amazon for these recordings.

From a purely technical standpoint, none of the sets above are of his complete symphonies. Bruckner wrote 2 others; the "Study" (#00) symphony and the Symphony #0 "Die Nullte". Both are generally consider curiosities and not found in any of the major sets of complete symphonies. I recently found 3 exceptions for the "Study" Symphony: Inbal/Frankfurt RSO on Teldec; Skrowaczewski/Saarbrucken RSO on Arte Nova; and Tintner (1917-1999)/Royal Scottish NO on Naxos. There are 4 recordings of the "Die Nullte" that I am aware of; the Skrowaczewski and Tintner mentioned before plus Haitink/Concertgebouw on Philips and Barenboim/Chicago SO on DG. The Haitink and Barenboim are, also, complete sets and are generally available individually. I would opt for the single disc of the Study and Nullte and go with Jochum (or, if you prefer, Karajan) for the rest.

All current recordings of the 8th Symphony are of the revised or the Haas revised version. There are two exceptions. Inbal and Tintner made the only recordings of the original version of the 8th. That version is longer and has definite textual differences. This version is not as successful as the revised version, but it is a fascinating look at what was Bruckner's original vision.

For those that are not particular about which version to listen to, you cannot beat this set. The performances are spectacular and virtually unrivalled.

I've listened to this set about twice now over the last week and I am amazed at the sheer brilliance of Karajan when it comes to Bruckner. He is the ultimate Bruckmaestro. When I first started listening to Bruckner some 10 years ago I was put off by the constant repetitions, the starts & stops, the transitions, the relatively simplistic music (felt to me like that at that time) etc. Then I discovered Karajan's rendition of Bruckner's 8th with BPO. That changed things for me. Karajan made Bruckner so much more accessible to me. I then listened to Karajan's Bruckner-7th and liked it within the 3rd hearing. From there on, my Bruckner collection started growing with Karajan's reading of Bruckner. I very deeply feel that there is no conductor who owns Bruckner's symphonies 7, 8 and 9 like Karajan does.

The 9th is a symphony I came to quite late. Why are the 5th, 7th and 8th more popular symphonies out of Bruckner's symphonic output? I feel that the 9th is the jewel of them all. It is the pinnacle of Bruckner's compositional achievement, the manifestation of years of Bruckner's acquired unique compositional technique. Karajan's rendition shines like a giant in the 9th. This symphony (left incomplete by Bruckner) even with it's three movements is like an epic. If Wagner's ring and Tolkien's Lord of the Rings are epics, this symphony with just it's three movements invokes a deep emotional response in me. This symphony under Karajan is majestic. I feel I am listening to Wagnerian operatic music. Karajan conducts the 9th with a measured tempo where you can feel this brilliant beast of a symphony's beating heart. The 9th symphony is like a massive towering gothic structure or a massive cathedral in my mind's eye. Karajan brings this massive structure to such an acoustic manifestation, it just blows my mind. I compared Karajan's 9th with Guilini's 9th, Karajan's shines through. Karajan extracts such a rumble from the orchestra, the brass blasts out, the basses groan and rumble, the tempo just right, the orchestral weight heavy and thick. The 9th by Karajan feels like a bark of a 1000 year old tree, massive giant, majestic, powerful.

With my purchase of this CD set - the 1st, 3rd and 9th were new to me. I was listening to them for the first time. Why aren't the 1st and 3rd more popular? I found the 1st to be a gem. You can see traces of Bruckner's style-to-be although faint. It is more springy, has the impression of being lighter but when you listen to it, you realize it isn't a light work at all. I believe Wagner was sent Symphony 2 and 3 and Bruckner asked Wagner to decide which he preferred to be dedicated to him. Wagner chose the 3rd. It is easy to see why; it is just a brilliant work with homage paid to Wagner's music. There is no bummer on this set. Only Karajan's Bruckner-6 did not wow-shock me. I also think Wand's Bruckner-5 is better than Karajan's rendition. That being said this is a magnificent set to own. If you are Bruckner fan, just go for this one. You need this set in your Bruckner CD shelf. You cannot do without this. This is the set every Bruckner cycle should be/will be/was being/is being judged against.

PS: I love Karajan's Bruckner but recently heard Wand's Bruckner - Symphony 5. I must say Wand is a wonderful Bruckner interpreter. Wand conducts Bruckner's score literally, with no embellishments & with clean straight lines. I am torn between Wand and Karajan. Who is my ultimate Bruckner conductor? I need to listen to more Wand. Is there only one ultimate way to play Bruckner or are there mulitple pathways to Bruckner Bliss?