Last night I talked to Savio about Blomstedt's new Bruckner 6th. We then went on to talk about Bruckner recordings in recent years. He admitted that after the death of Gunter Wand, he sort of cut down on listening to Bruckner symphonies.
We both agreed that Wand's Munich Phil Bruckner recordings on Profil are very good. In fact I can say that his Munich 8th is the best among his many versions with all the other orchestras, including the BPO. The deep, powerful basses are like tsunami kept at bay by the upper strings, while the woodwinds are like birds singing in the middle of the chorale sung by the brass. Savio can perceive a hint of remnants from the Celidibache era. My response was that when I was listening to Wand's Munich Bruckner, I had the mental picture of the sun rising from the sea.
What I relish most in Wand's performance is that despite all the rehearsals he demanded, and the emphasis on structural and temporal balance, he is not rigid by any standard. Far from it, his subtle rubato, especially in the strings and the woodwinds, is always so mesmerizing. This is a quintessential example of very organic music making within the confines and beauty of the structure of (modified) sonata and symphonic form.
We both agreed that Wand's Munich Phil Bruckner recordings on Profil are very good. In fact I can say that his Munich 8th is the best among his many versions with all the other orchestras, including the BPO. The deep, powerful basses are like tsunami kept at bay by the upper strings, while the woodwinds are like birds singing in the middle of the chorale sung by the brass. Savio can perceive a hint of remnants from the Celidibache era. My response was that when I was listening to Wand's Munich Bruckner, I had the mental picture of the sun rising from the sea.
What I relish most in Wand's performance is that despite all the rehearsals he demanded, and the emphasis on structural and temporal balance, he is not rigid by any standard. Far from it, his subtle rubato, especially in the strings and the woodwinds, is always so mesmerizing. This is a quintessential example of very organic music making within the confines and beauty of the structure of (modified) sonata and symphonic form.
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