Search - Anton Bruckner, Milan Horvat, ORF Symphonie Orchester :: Bruckner: Symphony No. 4

This fine version stands with the best - and it's a bargain

Neil Ford | Sydney, Australia | 01/23/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've heard this symphony conducted by Karajan, Jochum, Tintner, Wand, Bohm, Furtwangler, and probably a few others, but this remains a favourite, being the first version I owned. Surprisingly, considering how cheap this CD usually is, it's very good. The sound is not as modern as some might like, but is rich and bright and satisfying. The interpretation can stand beside any available today. Tempos are "old-fashioned" in that they are brisker than the current norm, though not as fast as Furtwangler's. The ORF (Austrian radio) Symphony Orchestra sound as good as the famous Vienna Philharmonic, very Viennese, with that characteristic sound, at once sophisticated and folkish.



Milan Horvat (or Horvath) is one of the many European conductors who did fine work but never achieve stardom. For many years he conducted the ORF (Austrian radio) Symphony Orchestra, and his relationship with this orchestra is audible in his recordings from this period. Other fine examples include Dvorak's 8th (ASIN B000002X9B), Janacek's Sinfonietta (ASIN B000002XC0), and a great version of Brahms's Haydn Variations (ASIN B000002XBB).



In this Bruckner performance, Horvat's pacing and phrasing are superb, and you never doubt his conception or his rhetorical ability. In short, he is a Brucknerian of substance, and this recording is highly recommended to collectors and to listeners who want to dabble in Bruckner without spending too much money.



(Nowak ed.)"