If you are a fan of Bruckner's music, you must have this set. Period. No conductor has ever surpassed what von Karajan achieved in this set. Not Jochum, not Furtwangler, not Tintner, not Wand. Some conductors at their best (Jochum in #5 with the Concergebouw in 1986 just before he died, Giulini in #9 with the VPO) have surpassed these performances, but they are few and far between. The playing of the Berlin Philharmonic has to be heard to be believed. Von Karajan was a great Bruckner interpreter, perhaps most consistently the greatest of all. Even if you may have reservations about von Karajan, just listen and you will likely be blown away. The only issues with this set may have to do with von Karajan's choice of text in Symphonies #1 and #3 (Jochum's performance of #1 with the BPO is superlative, not just because of the text, and Tintner's performance of #3 is best of all recordings of that symphony that I've heard). The highlights of this set (and it's hard to call them highlights because the overall quality is incredible) are #2, and #5-9.

Let's start by stating I'm a very big fan of Sinopoli. His death is a huge loss to music, and his recording of Schubert's 8th with the Philharmonia is one of my ten favorite CDs in a collection of 1000+. I am also a huge Bruckner fan, loving Bruckner's music like no other composer. That said, I'm not sure why this CD has gotten such strong reviews. I really would prefer to like it, but I just don't. It is well played, I agree. But the interpretation is willful, unnecessarily bombastic, and not terribly respectful to Bruckner. The 5th is not an easy symphony to pull off, and this performance just seems to fall terribly short. As alternatives, and in order, by far the best single recording I've heard is Jochum's last performance of the 5th with the Concergebouw just before he died in 1986(?)or so (it was available on Tahra, and now is apparently discontinued). Von Karajan's performance of the 5th with the Berlin Philharmonic (BPO) is amazing, but unfortunately only available as part of the boxed set of the complete Bruckner symphonies (which, if you are into Bruckner, should be the first purchase you make!). I like Jochum's 1957 performance with the BPO a lot, but that is also only available as part of his (first) boxed set. Haitink's performance with the Vienna Philharmonic is pretty special, and it is now available in a budget double on Phillips. I have not heard Tintner's performance yet. Gunter Wand's reading with the BPO is not bad, but it is not preferable to any of the preceding.

While other tenors may have the name recognition, Ben Heppner has the goods. Heppner is no stranger to my CD collection, with numerous opera recordings as well as non-opera disks such as "My Secret Heart." What separates Heppner from the others is that he is ALWAYS at the service of the music. He approaches Tosti's songs in a manner that serves them, rather than imposing his voice/style on the music. This disc may not have the widespread appeal that "My Secret Heart" (should have) had for non-hardcore opera fans, but if you like this style of music, this is a fantastic recording.