Customer Reviews

Bruckner: Symphony No. 5

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This exceptional performance is another worthy addition to Philips' new commemorative series. The Concertgebouw Orchestra's fine playing is comparable to the Dresden Staatskapelle's in Jochum's second traversal of Bruckner's 9 symphonies, not counting Symphony "0". Credit must be given to Jochum and Philips' engineers for their inspired choice of an early medieval German abbey as a recording studio. The warm acoustics sparkle in this reissue; the orchestra's playing - most notably the wind, string and brass sections - is quite clear and crisp. Although this may not supplant Jochum's other versions of Bruckner's 5th Symphony, it will be a splendid addition to anyone's CD collection.

Bruckner's Fifth Symphony is one of his longest and one of the hardest to bring off in performance. Jochum makes all the pieces sound like they go together, the Concertgebouw Orchestra plays beautifully, and the Philips sound engineers let you hear the results. Grab this recording while it's still available. Jochum's Fifth in his Dresden Staatskapelle Bruckner cycle is OK, but this Fifth is inspired.

Jochum has championed Bruckner's works for years, his two cycles (EMI and DGG) are legendary. So, even before you put the CD into the CD player you know that you are getting a good performance. Moreover, this particular recording adds something else that is very desirable in audio recordings- a great sound, crystal clear sound that is often amiss from older recordings. Plus, this is the first Bruckner's fifth that "Spoke" to me, and certainly, if you are a beginner looking for a place to start your journey into Bruckner's world, this version of the fifth symphony is THE one to acquire.

I hear nothing special in this Bruckner fifth form Jochum, and since the five-star reviewers mention nothing in detail, I guess they have a generalized "Yay" response. What marked Jochum as a Bruckner conductor was an old-fashioned bluntness, a tendency toward arbitrary tempo changes, and a certain personal touch in phrasing. Here some of those characteristics are tamped down. the only arbitrary tempo is the jack-rabbit jump start to the Scherzo, which is then immediately puled back when the second theme enters. for all his reputation in this repertoire, Jochum's reading of the Fifth is flat and uninteresting next to the young Haitink's, also on Philips with the Royal concertgebouw. Take any movement and the comparison is always to Jochum's detriment. Haitink is warmer and richer emotionally; he gets the orchestra to play with more finesse; he holds the difficult finale together by paying close attention to the mood of each episode, whereas Jochum seems to feel that just getting through these episodes without the whole structure collapsing is good enough.

It's true that the sound is warm and realistic, and the playing isn't as rough as on Jochum's complete Bruckner cycles, especially the one on DG. Other than that, this is another typical outing for this conductor in this music.

I have 5 other versions that are light years better than this performance. Save your money.