Customer Reviews

Bruckner: Symphony No. 9

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

 

 

Skrowaczewski is a prince among underrated conductors, and hearing him conduct this Matterhorn of a symphony was one of my best concert-going experiences. No recording can replicate the excitement of live music, but you can get pretty close with this disc. This Bruckner 9th isn't plush and nostalgic, but tense, lean and somewhat neurotic. The first two movements are energetic and driven; the haunting final Adagio culminates in an earthquake-like climax that will tear your ears to shreds. A whole world of modern music seems to be struggling, with great anguish, to be born. If you prefer a more orthodox interpretation, Bruno Walter is a perennial favorite; but you won't go wrong with Skrowaczewski, especially if you like a modernistic approach.

Its rare to have both a recording not only sound great but also have such a superb reading of this piece. Bruckner's ninth is very special and Skrowaczewski and the Minnesota Orch. did not let me down on this. I listen to it often and enjoy it and hear something new each time. Everyone has their own tastes but generally speaking I feel the majority would love this CD. Listen and enjoy.

I just got this CD today and I can't stop listening to it. Skrowaczewski and the Minnesota Orchestra pull off what must be one of the 2 or 3 greatest recordings of the symphony. The first movement has everything: powerfully built climaxes, momentum, mystery, gorgeous strings and SUPER BRASS!! The Scherzo is as rustic and harsh as you could want it. Again, the brass section rocks. And if that wasn't enough, Skrowaczeski's Adagio is absolutely spectacular. He takes a very slow(but perfect) tempo, clocking in at 26:22. He really brings out the spiritual side of the piece like no one else. Again, the strings shimmer and the mid-movement climax is shattering. You can add the Minnesota Orchestra to the list of great Mid-western orchestras, along with Chicago and Cleveland. And the sound quality is stunning. This is truly a huge accomplishment for all concerned. If you plan to just get one recording of this symphony, get this one. Essential listening.

One thing, if you can find Gunter Wand with the Berlin Philharmonic on RCA anywhere, pick it up IMEDIATELLY. It is my all time favorite performance of this piece, with this one in a very close second.

This is very special, spiritual, music; very well played; superbly recorded. I enjoy it immensely, although I feel that Jochum in my worn-out DG LP has a slight edge on performance.

When I first heard that Reference Recordings was going to release a recording of the Bruckner 9th, I was really excited, for this unfinished piece is one of the true gems of the orchestral repertoire. Furthermore, I figured that Skrowaczewski and the Minnesota (long-time readers will remember their wonderful Vox Box of Ravel back in the '70s--it was not all disco back then!) would do an excellent job of it, as would engineer Keith Johnson.

When I first heard this CD, I was really thrilled, for my expectations had been fulfilled. This is a fine, fine recording, truly a CD to treasure. I have long owned the Walter on Columbia (although I could not find it on my shelf when I went to look for it recently--I have either misplaced it or somebody "borrowed" it) and the Giulini on DG. The latter is one of those perversely but powerfully slow Giulini performances--he takes the first movement in 28:02, as opposed to Skrowaczewski's 22:54--and one of the better-sounding pre-4D DG recordings. The DG still sounds pretty good, but the Reference Recordings HDCD-recorded sound is better.

It is truly heartening to see this kind of repertoire showing up on an audiophile label. I want to personally thank Keith Johnson, Tam Henderson, and the rest of the RR crew for making available such transcendent music in such resplendent sound.

This recording has been getting many good reviews and I can see why. The sound is very good, along with the fact that the strings are brought out more in this recording, which I feel is a definate plus for every one of Bruckner's symphonies. However, I feel that this playing is a bit of a modern approach because of the inconsistancy of the tempos. Many of the older, European orchestra recordings (such as Yoav Talmi's and the Oslo Philharmonic)have a more blended approach to the tempos and don't take them quite so literally. The first movement in this symphony is the cumilation of Bruckner's faith in the fact that his music can illustrate his beliefs. The first movement in this recording has a tendency to jump around tempo-wise and can be a little distracting. The scherzo and adagio both are quite good in their interpretations and make for a pleasent listening experience. I'd give this CD five stars if it weren't for the approach to the first movement. However, I'd have to say that this would be an excellent addition to any Bruckner recording if you already have a ninth. A- is the grade.

I agree with David Hurwoitz's review. This version is comparable to other great recordings of this wonderful symphony by Walter (Sony), Wand (RCA), and Dohnanyi (Decca) -- all of which avoid any trace of bombast or harshness in climaxes yet convey excitement, mystery and exquisite beauty.

If ever there was a symphony that calls for a huge orchestra to create its widest dynamic range, the Bruckner 9th is it. Not even Mahler can ask for more as long as a chorus is not involved. And how "pretty" this CD is; sadly, that is my main gripe. The opening stings play a lone D too loudly. Bruckner asks for "misterioso". At first I thought I had turned up my volume too far, no joke. When the first climax arrived moments later, there was a true lack of sonic impact. The entire first movement suffers from this narrowing of the orchestra's dynamic range. This surely can't be the fault of the super-duper 24 bit Professor Johnson Reference Recording can it? I must put it on the shoulders of the conductor and the strings of the Minnesota symphony. While this performance operates at a very high level of competence no matter - the congealed nature of the composition goes unfulfilled throughout its most important sections.

Skrowaczeski's approach to this most difficult piece makes everything razor sharp in terms of rhythm. This smacks a bit of Toscanini, with clipped endings and chiseled tremolos.

For a confusing change, there's a track at every tempo change - what value for money! In the third movement at least I can easily point out that at track 14, the violins lack the required sound in their profound moment on the g string. Where is the great ache in this melody?? Track 16 culminates in some of the strongest dissonances ever written into any tonal music; the orchestra simply doesn't coalesce to make a viable harmonic sound at THESE of all places. Three great outbursts are there but every choir is so distinct that one misses the requisite effect. For the real thing, try an odd choice: the live Mravinsky/Leningrad combination. The brass blow for all they've got while the strings play full tilt for this famous Tchaikovsky conductor. Leningrad may not be as perfect as the Minnesotans, but they're head and shoulders above in understanding the Ninth.

Compare this to the other worldly performance of Giulini (with Vienna NOT Chicago), or Furtwängler (you'll forgive the mono sound if you prefer music to equipment), Jochum's many incarnations, Van Beinum with the stunning Concertgebouw in glowing 1956 mono and an overwhelmingly rich, live Kubelik performance on Orfeo. The Reference Recording CD suddenly sounds like something they'd play at a "hi-fi" shop and say "Wow! Listen to the amp!" I grant there is a certain beauty to the recording, but this is not the orchestral blend from which to build a Bruckner 9th. You can even go back to the 30s to hear the Orel edition with Hausegger on a fine collection of six - nine played by Furtwängler, Kabasta as well as Hausegger to get an idea of the first commercial recordings of these symphonies. Great music is found in the EMI box set, while the sound is perfectly tolerable.

There is an old adage about "hi-fi" recordings: the better the sound, the worse the performance - because all the rehearsal time went into engineering. This rarely fails to be true, as preposterous as it sounds. I suggest you judge for yourself.