Customer Reviews

Bruckner: Symphony No. 5 (with Excerpts from the Rehearsals) [Hybrid SACD]

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Over the past half century I've owned upwards of three dozen recordings (on LP, tape, and CD) of the Bruckner 5th -- every one, in fact, I could lay my hands on.

Harnoncourt's is -- to my great surprise -- far-and-away the best. The tempi are perfect; the dyamics are perfect; the playing, especially in the strings, is perfect.

Among many other highlights of this recording: the beautifully paced chorale in the 2d movement, the sensible contrast between the scherzo and trio sections in the 3d movement, the stately pacing of the fugue in the 4th.

Knowing Harnoncourt mostly from his recordings of the complete Bach cantatas (alternating with Gustav Leonhardt), I was much impressed by his recording of Bruckner's 9th. It is very good. But his recording of the 5th exceeds anything he has done outside Bach.

The Fifth is probably the least known of Bruckner's symphonies and certianly the hardest to hold together. Its sprawling structure too easily breaks down into disjointed segments, all the more when you consider how often he repeats the same material or uses the same devices. It's a rare conductor who can make the work sound completely coherent and convincing. Harnoncourt does so superbly. He approaches every section with his own expressive ideas, shifting tempos, massaging the phrase, and applying generous rubato. These personal touches heighten dramatic contrast, which would seem on the surface to be jsut the thing a disjointed symphony doesn't need.

But for works of high Romanticism like Bruckner's symphonies, strong personal expression is in fact authentic. By gripping us emotionally and keeping us on the edge of our seats, Harnoncort does what Bruckner wants. Add to this the magnificent Vienna Phil., the premiere Bruckner orchestra in the world, and you have a study in perfect style. RCA's hybrid SACD sounds very fine through a regular stereo system, but be aware that the dynamic range is huge, and it takes patience to accommodate music that whispers one moment and thunders the next.

In sum, this is a great addition to Harnoncourt's Bruckner discography, the most impressive since the era of Karajan.

Disclaimer: I have just completed listening to this rendition. I will have to listen to this several more times to fully understand what Harnoncourt is trying to do, but am writing this "First Thoughts" posting in the hope that it will give prospective buyers some preliminary guidelines.

Not surprisingly, Harnoncourt has taken the "Text" to the cleaners and has completely rethought the partitur with the collaboration of Benjamin Gunnar-Cohrs. One fascinating example of this is the revelation of the relevance of Mozart's contrapuntal technique in his Requiem on Bruckner's composing method. The endlessly rewarding rehearsal CD that comes with the actual performance (or "performances", since this is the usual cut and paste job done over several live recordings) explicates this in some detail.

There are several new and wonderful things that Harnoncourt has brought out in this the most structurally perfect Bruckner symphony. I will post some musings on how they work after repeated listenings. But my overall impression is that, in the end, (and please bear mind that this is a first listen on my part) Harnoncourt has done the work of a master restorer (and I mean that as the highest praise) in revealing the inner workings of this great score, but has somehow fallen short of illuminating the canvas as a whole.

It is too early to compare this rendition with the acknowledgedly great recordings of Horenstein, Wand (NDR), and Sinopoli, but this is a CD that you should give very serious consideration. I feel that it is a rendition that will reveal its truths slowly but surely.

The playing of the VPO is, despite an uncharacteristic horn flub in the last movement and the usual over-bright trumpets, generally first-rate, with some magical moments in pianissimo playing that only this orchestra can summon.

Happy listening!

This recording of Bruckner's 5th with Nikolaus Harnoncourt and the Vienna Philharmonic features superb playing and recorded sound of an enormous dynamic range. The orchestra is presented as both transparent and weighty, such as the timpani strokes, which have great clarity and presence. The soundstage is also very deep and immersive, and the pianissimo parts are practically inaudible while the fortissimo (and beyond) is almost overwhelming.

This quality really supports Harnoncourt's interpretation, which is one of contrasts throughout -- both in dynamics and tempi. His handling of this difficult work, particularly the complex fugal finale, is extremely persuasive. This performance is definitely a must if you're a fan of this great symphony, or if you're unfamiliar and wish to discover it. The bonus CD of the rehearsal excerpts is also very interesting and should help you brush up on your German...

My very first Bruckner was an audio cassette of Herbert von Karajan conducting the 4th Symphony. I listened to it on repeat, again and again and again, walking through the Sierra Nevadas with my dogs and my Sony Walkman. Just us, a cheap set of headphones, a clear blue sky, and God's inextinguishable majesty. I can't think of a better way to fall in love with music, or with life itself for that matter. And Bruckner made a perfect soundtrack.

Have you ever been haunted by particular tastes or smells from childhood, unable to replicate them no matter what you try? Well, I have subsequently encountered hundreds of phenomenal Bruckner recordings, but none of them have ever really taken me back to that special place. I mean, don't get me wrong, but not even the likes of Celibidache or Wand or Kabasta or Klemperer or Schuricht or Furtwangler or Welser-Most or Solti or Thielmann or Barenboim or Chailly or Bernstein or Giulini or Horenstein or Tennstedt or Jochum have been able to entirely take me back to that very special place. Trust me, I've tried, desperately. Not even the original Karajan recording could do it for me anymore, the same exact recording which was responsible for this infatuation in the first place.

And then today I received in the mail a used CD of Harnoncourt's 5th. With his omnipresent sense of sculpting, frenetic phrasing, and extreme care for architecture and harmony, I was almost instantaneously ripped from the couch of my apartment in New York City back to the canyon hill-tops of Tehachapi, California. This special place of mine may be a little too savage and brutal for a permanent stay, let alone frequent visits, but it's nice to know it still exists.

Nikolaus Harnoncourt's 2004 live recording of the Bruckner 5th Symphony performed by the Wiener Philharmoniker is among the finest available. It is definitely the most interesting release now, simply because Harnoncourt, as the fine musicologist that he is, has done a superb job in tying in all of Bruckner's musical influences, most notably Mozart's (For those interested in seeing how he's transformed his scholarship into actual practice, this recording includes a bonus CD of excerpts from rehearsals with the Wiener Philharmoniker, which some listeners may find more rewarding than the actual entire recording of the symphony itself, simply for giving them some important insights into Harnoncourt's musical scholarship and how he has translated it into intriguing, often successful, performances with many of Europe's great orchestras.). He has also relied on the most recent published corrected version of Bruckner's score. But, for those concerned primarily with performance, is this indeed the most exciting version available?

Long-time fans of Bruckner's music - of which I admit that I'm not with the notable exceptions of this symphony, the 4th, 7th, and maybe the 9th symphonies too - may find more rewarding Eugen Jochum's celebrated accounts with the Berliner Philharmoniker and the Dresden Staatskappelle. Speaking of the Dresden Staatskapelle, Giuseppe Sinopoli's 1999 recording may be the best recent recording, with a brash, bold interpretation that many may regard as far more interesting than Harnoncourt's. At best, Harnoncourt's interpretation is rather lush and warm, due of course to the exemplary musicianship demonstrated by the Wiener Philharmoniker. Primarily for these reasons I am a bit hesitant to mention Harnoncourt's interpretation of the Bruckner 5th Symphony as a definitive one, but it certainly merits attention from potential purchasers as among the most intriguing, best-performed accounts currently available.

This 2004 recording by Nikolaus Harnoncourt displaces my previous favorite--Jascha Horenstein's 1971 Proms Concert with the BBC Symphony. Horenstein has neither the best orchestra nor the best recording, but he enthralls the listener (and the live audience) as his performance proceeds, seemingly inexorably, for almost an hour and a quarter to its majestic, fugal conclusion. Now comes Harnoncourt, with the same drive and emotion, a better orchestra (the Vienna Philharmonic), and incomparable modern sound (SACD). Classics Today rates Harnoncourt 10/10 for both artistic and sound quality, and the top rating is fully deserved. The brasses in the final chorale will sweep you away. Although one Amazon reviewer claims that the performance is slow, its total timing is almost identical to Horenstein's and slightly faster than Chailly's (with the Royal Concertgebouw on Decca). Without doubt, a five-star recording.

I was moved very deeply by Harnoncourt's interpretation of Bruckner's 5th in this SACD like no other conductor. Harnoncourt has not only captured the structure and held it together, but he has also captured the heart and spirit of it was well. He builds the edifice slowly with loving hands. Overall he uses slower tempi than most conductors with a few important exceptions, such as during the adagio and sections of the scherzo which is genius. Strangely this works to great effect. This symphony was written during great turmoil in the composer's life. And Harnoncourt captures that termole with sudden bursts and great dynamic range. The recorded sound is superb with the reverberation of the Musikverein captured very well. The orchestra is very well balanced unlike some conductors like Zander who like to have the brass all on the right side (see his Bruckner 5th), Harnoncourt balances the orchestra very well. The final movement being the crowning achevment. Harnoncourt's interpretation gave me goose bumps and tingles down my arms and spine and moved my heart to emotional euphoria that no other conductor has as well with Bruckner's music.

This new Bruckner 5th from Harnoncourt and the Vienna Philharmonic enters the ranks of the finest recent recordings. The late Giuseppe Sinopoli's renowned 1999 live recording with the Dresden Staatskapelle is bolder, and the late Gunter Wand's 1996 live recording with the Berlin Philharmonic is nobler, but Harnoncourt and the VPO (also recorded live) reveal a lush, elegant, even graceful Bruckner.

The 5th has been called the most classical of Bruckner's symphonies, the most perfectly symmetrical of his symphonic cathedrals, and Harnoncourt, with his deep experience in Bach and Mozart, inhabits its world easily. I agree with those reviewers who have noted Harnoncourt's tendency to focus on detail at the expense of the tempo and narrative drive and sweep (a shortcoming he shares with Gergiev), but that is not evident here. Harnoncourt does not radically reinterpret Bruckner in this magnificent 5th, but brings out a warm, burnished, elegant sound that is unique and deeply rewarding.

There is a fine line between madness and genius. Frustratingly, they co-exist in Harnoncourt. On one hand, we have the highly respected conductor who has always shunned the razzmatazz & egotism of his industry; he is a great man. On the other hand, he probably keeps a doomsday bomb in his garage, chases cars and cackles erratically. Most of his recordings, by and large, offer revelatory moments that make one fall to one's knees, followed - alas - in quick succession by a quirkiness that undermines the whole affair.

This is a recipe for disaster in Bruckner, where a feel for the long lines is mandatory.

If one likens a Bruckner performance to a marathon, then Harnoncourt certainly completes the course in good time, but along the way he cannot help himself: he has to stop here and there to investigate the surrounds. By doing so, he undermines the inherent momentum. When Bruckner becomes episodic, as in Harnoncourt's jumpy rendition of the Fifth's last movement, he becomes a rambling old bore - and the calumny that was hurled against him by Hanslick and his cronies gains legs.

Be it this traversal of the Fifth or his other Bruckner recordings, Harnoncourt remains true to himself and therefore unlistenable in the final analysis. It does not matter how well the orchestra plays (as they do in this Fifth) or if the sound engineers have excelled themselves (ditto): the 'Harnoncourt-ism' is insurmountable.

I will leave you with a maxim: in any given work, if Harnoncourt is the sole representative in your collection, exposure exists.