Search - Eugen Jochum, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, Anton Bruckner :: Bruckner: Symphonies [Complete]

The Glorious Reissue Game

J. F. Laurson | Washington, DC United States | 11/21/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"As the previous review stated correctly, this is indeed the EMI set of Jochum (his second, with the Dresden Staatskapelle) - and for good meassure BRILLIANT threw in the "Nullte" (0) with Skrowaczewski. That being established, it gets a hearty recommendation because you get an additional (and very well performed) Bruckner symphony for less money. Jochum's Bruckner is nothing if not very good and reliable... ever consistent (there is little give or take between this and the earlier Munich/Berlin cycle on DG) and respectful to Bruckner. Jochum's is the safest of recommendations in complete Bruckner sets - and that's not damning with faint praise, either. I may prefer Guenter Wand or Celibidache (an extroverted choice if you haven't already come well acquainted with Bruckner) but I never mind returning to Jochum.



The EMI set can easily be had for less than $81 dollars, taking the edge of this set's price advantage... then again, you should soon enough see this set for far less than $62, too. We can only assume that these recordings have been licensed from EMI (why would EMI do that, when their set is still on the market?) - if not, grab it now before they win another lawsuite (as in the case they settled with Naxos, causing Naxos to withdraw all their recordings based on 50+ year old EMI/Polygram recordings)



Don't be afraid of this set's low price - it's not "so cheap, it can't be good". This is - as often (if not always) with Brilliant - some of the finest that there is to offer and no one would regret the purchase. Those who have thought about getting the EMI cycle on top of the DG cycle have now 21 more arguments to do so, too."

5 stars for the ninth alone

William Michaels | Hillsborough, NJ United States | 11/09/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have probably heard about 15 different recordings of Bruckner's 9th, one of my favorite works of music, and thought I would NEVER hear a version better than the Horenstein/Vienna Symphony. But Jochum's appropriates the crown. His grasp of the symphony is equal to Horenstein's, but his orchestra and ability to present detail are superior, as is the recording itself.



This set also contains probably the best version of the Fifth I have ever heard, and has no weak links that I know of. The version I am thinking of, though clearly the same recording, does not have the "Nullte." All the more reason to get its newer incarnation."