Mogulmeister

Has never been surpassed, July 19 2004

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… Read more

I really wish I could like this more, July 19 2004

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… Read more

Strongly recommended, Jun 16 2004

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.