Bruckner: The Complete Symphonies [BOX SET] [LIMITED EDITION] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REISSUED]

Anton Bruckner (Composer), Eugen Jochum (Conductor), Dresden Staatskapelle (Orchestra)

Product Details

• Orchestra: Dresden Staatskapelle
• Conductor: Eugen Jochum
• Composer: Anton Bruckner
• Audio CD (November 7, 2000)
• SPARS Code: ADD
• Number of Discs: 9
• Format: Box set, Limited Edition, Original recording reissued
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: EMI Classics
• ASIN: B00004YA0T
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #18,207 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Here's a welcome box of all Bruckner's numbered symphonies led by a distinguished specialist renowned during his lifetime for his identification with the composer. Neatly laid out with each symphony on a disc of its own (no annoying midsymphony changeovers) and in top-quality late-1970s sound, this is an irresistible bargain for such superb performances. Jochum's Bruckner was spontaneous-sounding, with generally swift tempos tempered by flexible rhythms and slow movements that squeeze all the juice from this heartfelt music. The Dresden orchestra is a marvelous instrument for these works, with a beefy, warm sound and brass players that can whip up the excitement in the grand climaxes. Individual conductors, whether vintage greats like Furtwängler or more recent Brucknerians such as Wand on RCA and Tintner on Naxos, may equal or better Jochum in individual works, but taken as a complete traversal of these massive scores, Jochum's is second to none. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

85 of 87 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jochum's Fabulous Bruckner, February 14, 2002

By	T. Beers (Arlington, Virginia United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This set is a wonderful bargain, preserving the second of Jochum's integral recordings of the Bruckner symphonies. On Lp these performances, recorded in Dresden's Lukaskirche in the 1970s, sounded a little diffuse when compared with the Bruckner Jochum recorded for DGG in the '50s and '60s. Digital remastering has brought admirable focus to the EMI analog masters and these recordings now sound as good or better than their DGG counterparts. The performances are quite similar, except that the Dresden Staatskapelle plays with a warmth and tonal lustre that is superior to the Berlin and Munich orchestras featured in the DGG set. In all cases, Jochum is the conductor for those people who enjoy the Schubert in Bruckner: melodic lines are flexibly projected with an inerrant sense of how they should relate to the structural argument. Some might find that Jochum's lyrical approach scants the rigors of Bruckner's architecture, that it's too "soft." They should seek out Klemperer and others. But for most people, Jochum is one of the three or four greatest Bruckner conductors ever and his recordings are, if not the last word on Bruckner interpretation, "must buys." Three things to note. First, throughout his career, Jochum only played the canonical Bruckner symphonies, 1 thru 9; you won't find symphonies "0" and "00" in this set. Second, Bruckner exists in different peforming editions, the most famous being those prepared by scholars Robert Haas (in the 1930s and '40s) and Leopold Nowak (in the 1950s). I should point out that Jochum consistently favored the Nowak editions. (The differences between Haas and Nowak aren't really important except to scholars. But Amazon's description of this set claims that Jochum used the now-discredited Schalk editions. Not true!) Third, setting aside whose edition you play, Bruckner himself prepared various versions of many of his symphonies and these differences matter. Mostly, Jochum plays the Bruckner versions that have come to be regarded as standard. But, in the case of the Third Symphony, Jochum, like most conductors of the old school, plays Bruckner's 1889 (third and final) version. Most conductors today favor Bruckner's second version from 1876-1877. (On Naxos, Bruckner maverick Georg Tintner prefers Bruckner's even more expansive first version from 1873. See my review of the new [2/2002] Naxos 'White Box' collection of all Tintner's Bruckner performances, also available at a budget price!) The 1889 version is the one I grew up with and Jochum's performance is superb; but, like many people, I have come to prefer the more expansively argued 1876/1877 version. OK, back to the set. Sound quality is fine throughout, and the price is fantastic. And about the packaging. Bravo, EMI, for ending the lunacy of gigantic boxes of jewel trays that look ugly and take up half a foot or more on your shelf! This soft box format is slim and elegant. The individual CDs are held safe and snug in rigid cardboard envelopes, and the box itself is nice to look at and plenty sturdy. In other words, unless you use your CD boxes as hockey pucks, I don't see any reason to believe that the packaging won't last longer than you do. But hey, if you really need to own those old, clunky, plastic jewel boxes and multiples, look elsewhere. If you're interested in the music, this set is a fabulous bargain!

43 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Holy Grail!!!! Should be 10 stars!, July 1, 2004

By	Charles Emmett "Chas in the boonies" (Oroville, California (the boonies)) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have just finished listening to the complete cycle for the second time. This is the Holy Grail of Bruckner Symphonic recordings. I like it better than the BPO recordings, with him that I used to have. I have put away all of the other 'favorite' recordings of the symphonies to never to be listened to again, no matter how sumptious, idyosncratic or whatever.

After listening and then reading about Maestro Jochum's growing up with this music and holding it to himself as he would the Bible shows his mastery of these works. My old criteria was to listen to a performance of the 9th as compared to Bruno Walter's 60's performance done for Columbia/Sony. Jochum blows him away and the Staatskapelle of Dresden is marvelous. Maybe not as sumptious as the BPO or PHO, but the brass!!! Oh, the brass! What wonderful a sound. Is it the cathedral or the section itself? Such power and such a beautiful, dark even mysterious sound. I loved it.

If there was a tiny weak spot it had to be the sixth. Maybe I just need to listen to it more. The construction of it seemed to be a little weak. As I say, it might be just me and I am willing to listen to it until it becomes more familiar to me. I had thought the fifth to be the 'quirky' one before, but Maestro Jochum brings about a different approach to the themes and juxtaposes them either slow or faster, softer or louder or much more expressive than the other recordings I have. The result is the most awesome and powerful performance of the lot.
To me, the fifth was his first great symphony and Jochum brings it forth as no other. The seventh, eighth and ninth are also so marvelous to almost be beyond describing.

I HAVE JUST ADDED THIS IN!! WHAT PLANET WAS I ON WHEN I LISTENED TO THE 6TH SYMPHONY THE FIRST TIME!!? How magnificent!! This could be the hidden gem in the whole lot! Bruckner was a monumental mover of blocks of music. That is the only way I can state this. The magnificent way he uses descending scales against ascending scales, and they seem to move upward together. I guess what threw me, the first time, was the melodic construction. The fifth was a curiosity until I heard the awesome, magnificent recording on this set. But, hearing the 6th for the third time now I think this is Bruckner's homage to Wagner. I thought I heard praises to the 'Ring' here and the 'Liebestod' in the adagio. Very beautiful music in this symphony. The finale is the most ecstatic expression, in my mind, of any of the symphonies, yet since I have received this set, these symphonies are the only music I listen to. His music is so holy, to me. A man's expression of ultimate love of the Creator (or whatever one calls him/her/energy/spirit-all of the above) and his effort to make universal music grasped by all lovers of deep, spiritual expression in music. His music is, truly, like no other composers' and it is worth the listening and re-listening to ingrain the inner movement it creates.

One of the reviewers says that if you have heard one Bruckner Symphony you have heard them all. That may be true and what we may be hearing is the composer's inexorable movement toward perfection and a cyclic expression of it. I seem to have heard threads of earlier symphonies in the later compositions, and it seemed to me to be a complete whole expression of them all. I hope that makes sense. We know that he was constantly revising his work and it works because his music, as idiosyncratic as it is, develops into a surprisingly coherent whole.

Bruckner's music is like no other's. I think that Sibelius may be the only one to approach the monolithic style of him. I read, one time, Bruckner's music being compared to other composers and the comment was that other's were composed to bring joy and whatever. Bruckner's was to move mountains and this set proves it.

I recommend this set the highest of any other that I have on this venue before. An absolute must for any library. Play it when you want to feel close to God or whoever you believe or worship because it will move your heart and soul.

Maestro Jochum, thank you for moving this humble man to his very heart and soul

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best edition of this set yet before the public, July 6, 2001

By	Howard G Brown "brownswan" (Port St. Lucie, FL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have heard these recordings on both Angel and EMI lps, on the first cd boxed set issue, on the more recent "twofer" issues (3 and 7, for example) and on Seraphim cd (4 and 9). This new compilation has by far the best sound. This is absolutely beautiful Bruckner, and I don't know how the riches of these recordings eluded the engineers till now.

I just finished listening to symphonies 1 through 3 and the warmth and balance of the sections of the Dresden orchestra remind me of Dutch painting from the 17th century. Everything glows, and seemingly glows from within! The sheer weight of the sound at the end of the Second Symphony first movement amazed me, and that is just one example.

I'm not sure if these were all originally analog recordings or part analog, part digital as in the von Karajan DG set. Frankly, I don't care. I'm just glad they got it right this time!