La discothèque idéale de Diapason Vol. XI

La discothèque idéale de Diapason Volume XI is dedicated to symphonies and massess composed by Anton Bruckner.

Its contents were listed in my last post. As you can see, they are mainly historical recordings and have all been released commercially before.

In this post, I've included pictures of their previous corresponding releases, most being original releases, on LPs and/or CDs. From these pictures, you can see that this box is a real bargain in the sense that many of these recordings are not easy to obtain in the past. The selections are all worthy of their place. I can boldly say that this is the best Bruckner box set released in 2017.

This box has the generic design from this series.

Bruckner 1: Georg Ludwig Jochum (1956)

Bruckner 2: Franz Konwitschny (1951)

Bruckner 3: Kurt Sanderling (1963)

Bruckner 4: Hermann Abendroth (1949)

Bruckner 5: Hermann Abendroth (1949)

Bruckner 6: F Charles Adler (1952)

Bruckner 7: Karl Böhm (1943)

Bruckner 7: Eugen Jochum (1952)

Bruckner 8: Wilhelm Furtwängler (1944) (CDs)

Bruckner 8: Wilhelm Furtwängler (1944) (LPs)

Bruckner 9: Eduard van Beinum (1956)

Bruckner 9: Wilhelm Furtwängler (1944) (CDs)

Bruckner 9: Wilhelm Furtwängler (1944) (LPs)

Bruckner Mass No. 3: Eugen Jochum (1962)

La Discothèque idéale de diapason: Bruckner (Intro)

Now it is Anton Bruckner's turn in the La Discothèque idéale de diapason series.

New release of another historical Bruckner box set:

La Discothèque idéale de diapason Volume XI: Bruckner symphonies et messes.

Contents:

B1: Georg Ludwig Jochum

B2: Konwitschny

B3: Kurt Sanderling

B4: Abendroth

B5 (2 versions): Abendroth & Eugen Jochum

B6: Adler

B7 (2 versions): Eugen Jochum & Karl Böhm

B8: Furtwängler

B9 (2 versions): Furtwängler & van Beinum

Te Deum (2 versions): Karajan & Andreae

Overture: Adler

Mass 1: Adler

Mass 2: Marcus Creed

Mass 3: Eugen Jochum

Quintet: Amadeus Quartet

Physical discs appear to be available only from France at the moment. In other areas, streaming is available online.

Two consecutive nights of sheer magic from two venerable Brucknerians -- Skrowaczewski and Haitink

Lady Luck has graced me with two Bruckner concerts on consecutive nights by a nonagenarian and an octogenarian respectively.

14 March 2014

Bruckner 3 (1889 version)

London Philharmonic Orchestra / Skrowaczewski

Royal Festival Hall, London

Sheer magic from a nonagenarian.

Skrowaczewski has made me love Bruckner 3 even more. When people are criticising the 1889 version of Bruckner 3, mainly due to the extensive cuts in the Finale, Skrowaczewski has magically made the Finale work, what with balancing the different parts of the Finale with fine adjustment of tempo (e.g. by adopting a slower tempo then usual in B) and what with gelling different parts, especially in the development, with tension and momentum. These only form part of his magic.

The LPO plays magnificently. The lower strings just sing in the opening movement and the Adagio.

A truly unforgettable experience. Mr Ken Ward and his friends all heap praise on the performance.

This concert is apparently recorded and will most probably come out on an LPO CD.

 

The London Eye under the moon.

15 March 2014

Bruckner 4

Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra / Haitink

Philharmonie, Berlin

This concert marks the 50th anniversary of Haitink as a guest conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. When he first conducted the BPO in March 1964, he was only 35 years old. Now he is 85.

Haitink has given us a beautiful reading of Bruckner 4. The Berliners give him all and their joy in playing for him is almost palpable. The solo horn at the beginning of the first movement has such delicate nuances that right from the start you know it will be a special occasion. The Andante is lyrical and the Scherzo has a certain vigour and power that is rather special from Haitink, unlike his previous readings, e.g. his live recording of his concert with the LSO a couple of years ago. The Finale is crowned with a marvellous coda that shows how controlled the power of the brass of the BPO -- it is simply gorgeous and grand but never unpleasantly overbearing to the ears.

Then there is the attraction of the Berlin audience all through the years. All of them arrive BEFORE the concert starts and settle down quietly at least 10 minutes before the orchestra enters. The concert starts punctually. They are quiet apart from the inevitable coughs. 

They wait for many seconds for the music to die out before they applaud. Apparently nobody is trying to be the winner in a who's the first to scream Bravo competition.

Two nights in mid-March 2014 which I'm privileged to be present and which will remain in my memory forever.