Search - Anton Bruckner, Eugen Jochum, Dresden Staatskapelle :: Bruckner: Symphonies 3 & 7

Go for the DG cycle if you want to hear a better Seventh

M. A. Scott | Kansas, USA | 05/01/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I kind of agree with "Santa Fe Listener" when he described this as crude. Compared to the DG cycle of the symphonies by Jochum, this EMI twofer does sound rougher and cruder, especially, in the Seventh Symphony. Buy the DG box set, and I'm sure you'll love the much smoother and spiritual Seventh on it. Sometimes the brass does come through as crude and pungent but sometimes it can be to good effect. In the DG cycle he is conducting the great Berlin Philharmonic, but this time around it's the lesser Dresden State Orchestra, so just go out and buy the DG boxed set and you'll be quite happy with that purchase."

A sampling of Jochum's loggy, uninspired Bruckner

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 05/25/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"To my ears, these Bruckner readings of Sym. #3 and #7 fall far short of the accolade "wonderful" as bestowed by the Amazon reviewer. Jochum's Third starts off mysteriously enough, until a blast of crude brass entries breaks the mood. There's a lot more brash, crude playing to come. Throughout the first and last movement Bruckner's energizing ostinato rhythms sound leaden instead of invigorating.



The Seventh is a far greater work, and therefore Jochum's pedestrian reading, mostly slow and slack in every movement but particularly lugubrious in the Andante, has farther to fall. The Dresden Staatskapelle plays with no particular distinction, and EMI's sound is average for Seventies analog. In sum, the only reason to acquire this bargain two-fer is to find out if Jochum is your cup of tea, and then you can proceed to other installments or even invest in the whole set (which is quite cheap on the used market)."