Search - Anton Bruckner, Günter Wand, Munich Philharmonic Orchestra :: Bruckner: Symphony No. 5

A Fine Bruckner Fifth

J Scott Morrison | Middlebury VT, USA | 10/31/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This 1995 recording of Wand conducting the Munich Philharmonic in a performance of the Bruckner Fifth Symphony was never before released because it would have been in direct competition with his earlier easily available versions (among them the 1974 recording with the NDR Symphony, and one from the 1980s with the Berliner Philharmoniker) and with other Bruckner Fifths from the Munich Philharmonic itself. The orchestra had been recording its concerts (and even its rehearsals) for years but had not made any Wand-conducted live performances generally available commercially. With this release Günter Hänssler's Profil label is beginning a 'Günter Wand and the Munich Philharmonic' series, and since he had been closely associated with this fine orchestra for many years, this is exciting news.



This performance is both solid and exciting; Wand uses the original 1875-78 version, the only version he ever conducted. The orchestra itself is in fine estate with especially fine brass, so important in this symphony, and rich strings. If anything Wand takes rather broader tempi than in his earlier recordings and there is deeply felt emotion here. He tends to downplay the overtly sacred overtones of the symphony and emphasizes its expressive human qualities. Wand's way with the music is intense but not driven like that of some Bruckner conductors.



I'm not prepared to say this is the finest Bruckner Fifth on record but it joins the upper echelon of recordings that include those of Karajan, Sinopoli and Horenstein. Sound is excellent with both clarity and depth.



This one is worth hearing.



Scott Morrison"