Bruckner videos of Paavo Järvi

Paavo Järvi has shown himself to be an up-and-coming Brucknerian in his commercial CDs released so far: Bruckner 7, 9 and 5, although the last one is only a local Japanese release up to the present moment. 

 

I've blogged about his Bruckner 7 recording in 2009, and about his concert of Bruckner 8.  His concert of the latter symphony in Wiesbaden in 2012 was reported on the orchestra's official website to be used as a live recording for future release on CD. Before the wait for the CD is over, we can enjoy his Bruckner 8 in another format: a concert in Alte Oper Frankfurt on 1 October 2011 uploaded by hr-Sinfonieorchester on Youtube.

 

There is also a video of the first movement of Bruckner 6 for the concert in Alte Oper Frankfurt on 21 May 2010. Very generous offers from the orchestra indeed.  

 

 

The Bruckner cycle par excellence is about to arrive

In July 2011, I blogged the Ad Hoc Blomstedt Bruckner cycle par excellence, and now the full cycle (from Symphony No. 1 to No. 9) is about to be available by the end of this month. There will be a box-set of these 9 symphonies. What is particularly pleasing is that all the unissued symphonies will also be available separately, which means those of us who have bought these symphonies one by one over the years will not be forced to buy the whole box-set just for the remaining symphonies (Nos. 2 and 9 in this case), unlike the recent Marcus Bosch cycle which compels you to buy the whole box-set if you want his F minor and Nullte recordings.

The following picture shows Blomstedt's Gewandhausorchester Leipzig cycle up to the present moment. There are two Thirds, with the earlier one issued within a 5-CD box-set of his live recordings in 1998-2005, and the newer one just issued earlier this year. The Ninth is his last Bruckner recording issued by Decca, recorded in 1995, a very fine one indeed.

The whole Querstand cycle is in SACD format, making it easily one of the best, if not the best, sounding Bruckner cycles up to the present day. Apart from the sound, from the artistic point of view, this cycle is also easily the most satisfying as far as complete cycles are concerned. It is well known that among the previously issued cycles, there are always some weak links in the chain, but up to the present state of completion of Blomstedt's cycle, I cannot find one that is not excellent. That doesn't mean that all of them are automatic top choices for each symphony, as personal top choices are very often the result of the interplay amidst personal listening experience, preference, ethos, associated events and state of mind. However, among Bruckner cycles or box-sets for that matter, this may be the one that you don't have to look any further. Honestly I'm holding my breath for the last 2 symphonies issued in this cycle for the next 3 weeks.

 

The enviable Bruckner 9 concert at BBC Proms 2012

The partnership of Bernard Haitink, one of the great Brucknerians, and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra which Bruckner described as "the most superior" orchestra, is a potent attraction to lovers of Bruckner's music. This superb Brucknerian partnership worked wonders last night at BBC Proms 2012.

Thanks to the BBC Radio 3 broadcast, I can enjoy the opportunity to listen to this concert miles away from London. So I spent my lunch time today listening to this concert broadcast. What a mesmerising performance! Haitink, shunning histrionics and narcissism, just lets the music speak for itself. The flow is so natural. I'm fully enthralled by Haitink's soft-spoken beauty in the third theme of the opening movement and the coda in the great Adagio.  When the audience had waited for 10 seconds to begin its applause after the last note died away, what else can you ask for from a captivating concert?

Those who expect their Bruckner 9 to be full of excitement or up-front passion, however, should better stay away from this performance to avoid disappointment.

Only 7 days are left for online listening to this concert at BBC Radio 3.