Customer Reviews

Symphonies 1-9

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This set is rightly regarded as a classic. Jochum's approach to Bruckner is uniquely refreshing compared to much of what we hear today -- dragging and monotonous tempi under the guise of a "monumental" approach. Jochum's tempi are flexible and rarely drag. He stresses the lyrical aspects of Bruckner's symphonies, without ever losing sight of their architecture. Jochum's approach to orchestral sonority in Bruckner is also special. Like Bruckner, he started out as an organist, and he understands Bruckner's (often unique) musical markings from an organist's perspective. He draws wonderfully sonorous sounds out of the Berlin Philharmonic and Bavarian Radio Symphony strings without ever sacrificing linear clarity. The set comes with reasonably good notes, the high point of which is an abridged version of Jochum's article on interpreting Bruckner, primarily centering on the 5th Symphony, in which Jochum was famous. (He left us 3 studio recordings and 2 recorded live performances of this work.) The only drawback is that Jochum uses the 1889 version of the 3rd Symphony, which is that work's weakest version. However, I would whole-heartedly recommend this set, supplemented by a recording of the 1873 version of the 3rd (such as that conducted by Georg Tintner on Naxos, to be issued in 1999).

The passage of time has hardly depreciated this set of Bruckner symphonies, recorded during the late 1950s and 1960s, which has been reissued at full price (see ASIN: B00006YXOX). Jochum is a reliable guide through the peaks and valleys of Anton Bruckner and has influenced many later Bruckner conductors including Petri Sakari.

We does this with a magical approach to the composer's granitic music; unpredicatable and always appropriate is the way to describe Eugen Jochum's Bruckner.

Unlike Gunther Wand, he does not always project Bruckner's beloved Alps in this music. Unlike Georg Solti, he senses the inate beauty and religious fervor of the music. Unlike Georg Tintner, he does not concern himself with scores, even though Jochum was a close friend of a Bruckner annotator.

Unlike Karajan, he is not wedded to a traditional German approach to the symphonic edifices. Only Furtwangler, in recordings that stress the 21st Century ear, compares to Jochum as a Bruckner interpreter.

Jochum recorded the complete symphonies of Bruckner again later in life. While Jochum's second set on EMI enjoys better sound and a better Symphony 8, the playing is inferior and the overall concept less well defined. The early German set is the one to live with.

In the four decades since he recorded these titanic symphonies, no record, tape or CD has equalled the majesty and mystery Jochum finds in the Symphonies 1 and 2. An unerring sense of pace, anticipation and freed musical pulse characterize these early symphonies, which are often not well served by even the greatest conductors.

Few conductors sense the Bruckner architecture Jochum constructs in Symphonies 6 and 8. And since Furtwangler's death in 1954, no conductor has compared to the universal truths he projects in Symphony 5, a Jochum specialty that he recorded a half-dozen times.

What makes Jochum special? While many conductors turn Bruckner's symphonic ascensions into repetitive blather, Jochum always finds something new to say in repeating phrases, not unlike the drawers of a cabinet, each appearing exactly the same outside but containing something very different on the inside.

There have been two fine low-priced sets of Bruckner symphonies in recent years, those conducted by the late Georg Tintner and the one conducted by Stanislaw Skrowaczewski. The Tintner version enjoys special status with many critics because it uses a newer edition of the score by William Carragan, who has written extensively about the composer in American Record Guide.

Even with competition like this in sterling DDD sound, the Jochum set on DG remains your top choice in this wonderful music about birth, life, travails, death and afterlife. If you are dedicated to acquiring a uniform set of Bruckner symphonies and you find the sound of Furtwangler's 1950s recordings inadequate, you will never hear better than Jochum in this set (it has returned to circulation: ASIN: B00006YXOX.)

I concur wholeheartedly with the first reviewer's very favourable comments about this cycle, and would like to add a few personal observations of my own. Both the Berlin Philharmonic and Bavarian Radio Symphony played very well for Jochum and I could not make a clear choice as to which of the two was better. That in itself says much for the Bav. RSO, who also had the benefit of recording in the Herkulesaal in Munich. At around the same time Rafael Kubelik recorded a complete Mahler symphony cycle with the same orchestra and venue, for the same company too. Almost unbelievably, the 5th Symphony was recorded in 1958, in very early stereo, yet the sound is rich and atmospheric. Jochum allows himself free variation of tempo within a movement and given the composer's rather heavy style of writing, this interpretative approach gives the performances a bit of extra vigour and excitement without sacrificing the music's spiritual virtues. The question of which editions to perform cannot be resolved to everyone's satisfaction, but suffice to say Jochum's judgment is eminently reasonable. Those who would like to supplement the highly original performance of the Nowak edition of the 8th Symphony in this cycle could perhaps turn to the Haas edition recordings by Karajan - particularly the Viennese one - or Tennstedt or Haitink.

The 9th Symphony in this cycle deserves special praise, the Berlin Philharmonic really outdo themselves here, more so than usual. There is not one bad performance in this set. His second cycle for EMI, from what I have heard of it, has somewhat more forward sound but very similar interpretations and comparable playing.

Jochum recorded the complete Bruckner symphonies twice in stereo, the second time in the late '70s with the Staatskapelle Dresden, a few years before his death. That cycle, on EMI, has the advantages of more uniform recorded sound and easier availability compared to this one, and you wouldn't go wrong opting for that. But although the two cycles are pretty consistent with one another interpretively, this DG set has just that much more electricity and mystery. Like the other old-timers in Bruckner (Furtwaengler, Schuricht, Knappertsbusch), Jochum keeps tempi flexible and doesn't "refine" the textures. This is a Bruckner style with more passion than the "monumental" approach and more soul than the slicked-up approach, and it makes most of the newer guys sound inauthentic.

Eugen Jochum's DG cycle of the Bruckner symphonies with both the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Berlin Philharmonic was the first ever issued on LP in one set; for that reason, this set will always have its place in classical-recording history. For some, that will be enough to make this a set worth checking out. If you're looking for one representative set for your own personal collection, though...then choice is arguably more difficult.

Jochum, of course, always conducted the Bruckner symphonies in a manner that is very different from that of another famous Bruckner authority, Herbert von Karajan (whose own DG cycle from the later '70s to the early '80s I have not yet heard in its entirety). The former is more in the romantic Wilhelm Furtwangler mold, especially in his use of flexible tempi in almost all of the symphonies in one instance or another.

For those who consider Bruckner "slow" and "boring," these may be the performances to change your mind, since for the most part these are lively, well-thought-out, authoritative performance that truly bring life and passion to Bruckner's music. That said, having heard a reasonable variety of different approaches to these symphonic peaks, I must say that I find Karajan's and Haitink's steadier, more far-seeing approach preferable overall, and that sometimes Jochum's enthusiasm, infectious though it is, gets the better of him. The performances of Bruckner's 4th and 7th Symphonies suffer somewhat in this respect; his unmarked tempo manipulations don't always convince, sacrificing structural wholeness---certainly important in Bruckner's music especially---to the passion of particular moments.

And yet the whole cycle, in the end, comes off better than the sum of its parts. Throughout these performances, whatever you may think of one detail or another, there is never any doubt that Jochum is in full control, that he understands these works (in his own way), and that he truly has something to say about them. His authority shines through in these performances, and that certainly counts for something; these are far from negligible, hardly routine performances, and for that reason alone worth hearing.

The highlights: Jochum's performances of Bruckner's first three symphonies---especially the beautiful 2nd---make very good cases for these rarely-played works. Despite my misgivings about certain aspects of this performance of the popular 4th, as a whole it is also a distingushed reading, very dramatic, and with a sublime slow movement. Jochum's 9th is also very good, with a moving, long-breathed Adagio. But the absolute best performance of this set is this 1958 account of the 5th, a symphony of Bruckner's Jochum loved above the others. The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra play terrifically throughout, and the brass (with 11 added players) is simply glorious as the symphony winds down with its powerful concluding chorale. This, I think, is a better performance than either Jochum's later Dresden recording or Karajan's much-acclaimed 1976 DG take (though it doesn't quite match Haitink's 1972 Concertgebouw performance, still a personal favorite of mine).

In the end, whatever you may think of Jochum's distinctive view of Bruckner the symphonist, these are still performances of intelligence and convincing (for the most part) fervor and enthusiasm. It may not be the absolute best set available, but it deserves to be heard. Recommended.

I came to appreciate Eugen Jochum's approach to Bruckner initially by listening to both his DG and EMI recordings on long playing records. My clear preference is for this DG set, particularly because of its greater solemnity and mystery and its better execution. I'm impressed especially by the way Jochum manages to maintain the flow of Bruckner's music. In this regard, his tempo choices and avoidance of a bloated effect are noteworthy. Further, I sense his obvious love for this composer. It is demonstrated simply and without excess. With Jochum, you are rarely denied the joy and inspiration that make up such a significant part of Bruckner's musical character. He also realizes expressively the mystery, monumentality, power and silence of Bruckner with transparency, vividness, naturalness and ease. In fact, overall, I prefer not only Jochum but also Schuricht and Knappertsbusch to Furtwangler, whose mannered slower passages and extended pauses I frequently find difficult to live with...All of this notwithstanding, I agree with the sentiment expressed several years back by a reviewer in American Record Guide when he said, in reference to all the Bruckner Symphonies, " Not one is a dud."

You've all covered the points pretty well; but don't any of you notice the disturbing phasing in-and-out of stereo in the 5th, JUST as the final apotheosis gets underway? Now which of you has bought the latest re-packaging of this, and can you tell me if this blotchy sound was corrected? (It may be the unfortunate state of the master-tape; but you'd think with all the miracles with computers these days, they could fix this...)

I know some think the Karajan's boxed set is better than Jochum, but I respectfully disagree with that view. Jochum has a spirituality that he brings to his readings of the Bruckner symphonies, that really impresses me. His reading of the 4th is the best by a small margin over a few others. I would really like to talk about the superb version of the 7th. The great adagio is simply masterly in the hands of Jochum. I have been brought to tears quite a few times by listening to this version. At almost 25 minutes (a lot of versions clock in at about 21 minutes)it's not too long in the least, but paced just right. This set doesn't have the best 9th, but it's right up there with the best. I do agree with one of your previous reviewers, that the Haas version would have been a better choice for the 8th symphony, but he does a pretty bang up job using the Nowak version if you ask me. If you would like to try a definitive version of the Haas edition of the 8th symphony, try the VPO conducted by Herbert Von Karajan from the late 80's on the DG label. Some guides (like the Penguin guide) prefer the Karajan boxed set over the Jochum, but what do they know anyway. I also have the Dresden State boxed set conducted by Jochum, which does have a more full-bodied sound quality, but his insights in this earlier DG set are quite special.
DG has just re-released and repackaged this into a much thinner box with each disc in a sleeve, but I like my discs in the regular jewel cases like old times. Buy this DG set, you won't regret your decision.

I remember listening to the old lps of Jochum doing the Bruckner symphonies and can honestly say they have yet to be interpretively passed. Where others plod and linger sentimentally Jochum phrases and moves things along. In the very difficult works like Nos. 5 and 6 there is also no conductor except Klemperer who can conduct these.

The Bavarian Radio Orchestra in No.5 is easily the finest interpretation put on record. The later matching of Jochum with Dresden is fine but seems to lack the personal touch. On top of this Jochum never allows the Brass to overblow and ruin the texture of any of these works! Every nuance and texture is allowed to stand out!

No. 9 is certainly the very best performance and can sit along Walter and Karajan anyday! As for the sound it is very fine, but when all of these symphonies are given such special playing and feeling you have one of the greatest buys of all time in the classical CD World!

Because Jochum follows Nowak for Sym 8 (not Haas), this spoils the whole set, in my view. Haas is IMPERATIVE for the slow movement of Sym 8 (see Robert Simpson's book).

Sound is not wonderful in this set either (quite a bit of hiss).

But the performance of Sym 2 is great, so the set does have good bits.