In Volume 32 of their Edition Staatskapelle Dresden (PH09025), Profil went back the history lane to the 1930's when Böhm made the first recordings of Bruckner Symphonies 4 & 5. These 2 recordings have been issued by numerous companies, but what is so special about them is that they were recorded in the old Semper Opera House before it was destroyed by bombing and subsequent firestorm in 1945. They were said to have captured the acoustic of the old building. These historic recordings have established the credentials of Böhm as an outstanding Brucknerian.Update: The original CD release contains a poorly edited Fifth, q.v. Berky's site.
Another release, of previously unpublished content, is the second box-set of Wand's DSO recordings (PH10046). As far as Bruckner is concerned, Symphonies No. 6 and 8 are included. The 5th and 6th symphonies of Beethoven and Tchaikovsky are also among the selections in this 8-CD set. The cover art shown above is an early draft and the listing is a little weird and apparently does not correspond fully to the actual contents of the CDs. (Update: the picture above is now replaced by the final cover with the correct listing). I have got news of this release almost two years ago in a previous blog entry.
I'm sure they must be worth waiting for.
P. S. (25 Jan 2012) Now that I have more time to blog, here is the detailed listing of this 8-CD box-set which is divided into 5 volumes:
Vol. 1: Beethoven Symphonies Nos. 5 and 6 with rehearsal excerpts (Beethoven workshop in Berlin), recorded in the Berlin Schauspielhaus (later renamed Konzerthaus).
Vol. 2: Stravinsky The Firebird Ballet suite for orchestra (1945 version); Tchaikovsky Symphony No.5.
Vol. 3: Mozart Symphony No. 40 (K550); Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6.
Vol. 4: Bruckner Symphonies Nos. 6 and 8 (Haas version).
Vol. 5: Haydn Symphony No. 76; Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition; Mozart Serenata notturna K239.
The repertoire is very much bread-and-butter Wand, seen in NDR recordings from BMG and Munich Philharmonic ones from Profil before.
Hi,
ReplyDeletethis is my first time at this blog and I'm amazed at the detailed and comprehensive coverage of Bruckner CDs.
I haven't read all the posts, but as a first time visitor, I felt the lack of an overview post or two, perhaps advising non-Bruckner fans how they might approach him better. Maybe you've written about that already, then maybe a category like that?
Otherwise the post are excellent, especially if one already is a Bruckner fan.
I'm not particularly. He always seems to be included without question among the greats, while other symphonists are left out.
I think I've always listened to him for the big sound really. When I was younger I really liked the first movement of the Sixth. And of course I've been exposed to the 4th quite alot.
What I am worried about is that I'm a Shostakovich fan, and my intuition always was that Bruckner was always too much of a different sound, so that being a fan of the two would be incompatible, ha, ha.
Anyhow, I hope that doesn't all sound like a criticism, and in any case, it's written in a constructive spirit.
Overall though the blog is great and I'll probably re-read a few of the entries too as the the writing is very enjoyable too.
Cheers!
Hi Sheerbol,
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for your kind words and suggestion. Your idea of an overview post is very good and I'll try to do one when I have enough time. However, I need to bear in mind that there are many excellent articles introducing Bruckner's music, in print or on the web, already :)
Warm regards,
Horace
Hi,
DeleteThe Profil Bruckner/Bohm recording has suddenly appeared on the streaming site Spotify, and I'm listening to the 4th right now. If what I'm hearing is actually the recording it purports to be, the sonic, for 1936, is astonishing; it almost sounds current! Do you know the street date for this release?
Best,
Gordon Thomas
Dear Mr Thomas,
DeleteThanks for visiting my blog.
I haven't listened to this release although I had these two recordings issued by other companies. Your listening experience is another reason (or excuse?) for me to acquire this set. It has been released in the UK, and according to Amazon, it'll be available by the end of February in the US.
Warm regards,
Horace
A word of warning: I see from John Berky's site that one of the Bohm symphonies has had a few minutes edited out (accidentally?) - which is a pity, especially as I was really looking forward to buying this set! I may wait a little to see if anything changes...
ReplyDeleteHi David,
DeleteThanks for the warning. I also noticed that from Mr Berky's site. The recording of the Fourth had a very good transfer in the Dutton disc and partly because of this reason I have no urgency to acquire this defective set at this moment.
Best,
Horace