Bruckner: Symphony No. 7

Anton Bruckner (Composer), Bernard Haitink (Conductor), Chicago Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Chicago Symphony Orchestra
• Conductor: Bernard Haitink
• Composer: Anton Bruckner
• Audio CD (October 9, 2007)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Cso Resound
• ASIN: B000VPNK5Q
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #82,541 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars nicely played, but...., February 2, 2008

By 

Kostas A. Lavdas (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 (Audio CD)

This is a worthwhile CD for a number of reasons. On a market-related level, it is indicative of the recent tendency by major orchestras to produce own-label CDs (the London Symphony and Amsterdam's Concertgebouw are examples). CSO Resound, the Chicago Symphony's crack at the strategy, seems as noteworthy as any of the aforementioned. Turning to the music, Bruckner has of course been a Chicago favourite for many years. But for those who cherished the Chicago sound and the Chicago interpretations of the major Germanic repertory under such different conductors as Solti, Giulini, Abbado, and Barenboim, this disc will probably come as a disappointment.

The point is not simply that Haitink's Bruckner was and remains a somewhat particular approach, aimed at lighter textures and restrained expression. The main issue is that in this particular Bruckner Seventh, the anti-epic reading results in a succession of well-balanced episodes which border on the uneventful. Not surprisingly, it is perhaps the Scherzo which comes out as most convincing. Of course, the Chicago Symphony is a great orchestra. And, of course, Haitink is a master technician, delivering a product characterized by the highest professional standards.

But it is not a Germanic approach that is missing here; rather what is missing is an interpretative viewpoint, an attempt to mobilize the score in a particular manner. A splendid example of an interpretatively significant yet non-teutonic approach to Bruckner would be Riccardo Chailly's wonderfully humane account of the Seventh (Decca). Another example, offering a rare combination of interpretative authority and disregard for technical prowess, is - paradoxically - Karajan's valedictory Seventh with the Vienna Philharmonic (DG). It is a reading set apart by virtue of its introspection and, although no match for Karajan's perfectionism of the 1970s, the 1989 Vienna recording has set new interpretative standards.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Morning, September 26, 2008

By 

M. Muckler "Nwarth" (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 (Audio CD)

It was once noted to me that Bruckner is wonderful to listen to first thing in the morning. He writes as the sun rises, subtly- yet powerfully. This CD gets all of it. Is it leaner, possibly. Is it lighter, most certainly. However that doesn't mean it is bad.

I am actually a fan of Celibedache's Bruckner cycle. However this one, especially the slow movement, has a beauty to it that cannot be ignored. I have found that all of the CSO.RESOUND Cd's are of highest quality, in their own little ways. This one explores the brighter side of Bruckner- and does the job well. I find it a breathe of fresh air and give it five stars.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Haitink abandons the cathedral for an alert, lean, bright Seventh, October 9, 2007

By 

Santa Fe Listener (Santa Fe, NM USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 (Audio CD)

The CSO is America's greatest Bruckner orchestra, in part becasue Bruckner's scoring depends upon a superb string and brass section, in part because of two conductors appointed in Chicago, Giulini and Barenboim, who were personally devoted to the composer. Here on the orchestra's new house label we encounter another life-long Brucknerian, Bernard Haitink. Experience coutns when it comes to Bruckner, but Haitink doesn't give us a European, seasoned-in-the-wood perfromance. In latter years he has tended to speed the tempo up, lighten the textures, and emphasize brightness rather than shadow.

So it goes with this Sym. #7, an elegant reading that trips lightly more often than it thunders. Barenboim wants Bruckner to overwhelm the listener with power. Haitink veers toward nuance and sensitive phrasing instead -- you will be surprised at how lean the CSO actually sounds here. Haitink doesn't caress the melodic line, however -- his way with Bruckner has always been straightforward, like an ornate Catholic cathedral stripped bare for Protestants. His early Bruckner cycle with the Concertgebouw from the Seventies earned considerable praise except from those who found it too plain and lacking in spirituality.

If you equate spirituality with chruchiness, this new Seventh may not appeal to you, but for sheer musicalaity it's quite satisfying. According to objective timings, Haitink doesn't vary much from Karajan's valedictory recording with the Vienna Phil. (on DG), one of the great modern interpretations. Yet subjectively Haitink seems less grand and reverential. The CSO's clean "American" style also contributes to this feeling. I haven't heard the SACD format, but the two-channel stereo is clear and wide-ranging. Some may find the orchestra placed a bit far from the microphone for maximum impact.

In all, this is a lovely, quiet-voiced performance, its only flaw being that it feels a bit cautious, as is often the case with the unassuming Haitink.