Search - Anton Bruckner, Marek Janowski, L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande :: Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 [Hybrid SACD]

This may be the finest orchestral recording I ever heard!

Bruce Zeisel | Albany, NY United States | 08/04/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I only listened to this as a surround sound SACD. What does that mean exactly? Surround sound - is that a gimmick of some sort? It can be, two labels I know of make their surround sound place you in the middle of the orchestra!



Not PentaTone! PentaTone, Telarc, BIS, Chandos, Channel Classics and almost all the others use the extra channels to transport you, the listener, from your listening room to the concert hall where you are privileged to have the finest seat in the house. In part they do this by recording the reflected sound from the side walls and the rear walls and playing it back through the rear speakers. The effect is magical. Your room's acoustics are replaced by the acoustic of the hall! (This is because the hall has a MUCH larger reverb time than your listening room)



OK what of the music making here? First it is this wonderful recording that for me finally allows full appreciation of Bruckner's 9th symphony. I have long loved other Bruckner symphonies - the 4th, 6th, 7th but the Ninth never seemed to jell with me.



Before this recording I never liked the boisterous second movement. I think I was put off by various distortions endemic to the Long Playing record and the CD.



This SACD completely eliminates (on my system at least) the overload compression and allows the full impact of and majestic sounds of the orchestra in full cry to be enjoyed. Plucked strings actually sound like plucked strings not some recorded approximation! The trumpet and massive horn section brings a feeling of elation rather than making me want to cringe. Also there are hushed passages in the opening of the first movement that now I could actually hear the detail of for the first time!



Janowski is a master conductor whose abilities far transcend his reputation. He has no reputation that I know of. But recordings like this one will soon solve that! He is a master of unfolding drama, building tension across several measures to reach astonishing climaxes.



He gives us serene beauty, drama, majesty in a tight interpretation of this otherwise rambling work. It is really wonderful.



I would never before have advised someone new to Bruckner to start out with the 9th symphony but all that changes with the arrival of this one - especially if the prospective purchaser is going to play it on a fine multi-channel SACD system!"

Janowski rediscovered

M. Zimmermann | Vienna,Austria | 04/10/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Marek Janowski is still one of the most underrated European conductors. His "Ring" on Eurodisc was the first Digital Ring-cycle on compact disc and not only the sonics but Janowski's interpretation and profound reading of Wagner's opus magnum was incredible. The Label Pentatone is finally releasing some recordings of this great artist. Among the releases is this new Bruckner 9th with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande on SACD.

With so many recordings of Bruckner's last symphony on the market it's a tour de force for every conductor to produce a new reading worth mentioning. But Janowski has added a very good Bruckner 9th to the already overcrowded catalogue and provides us with brisk tempi and a clear reading which at first will shock every Celibidache fan (like me) who's used to much slower tempi. But the great thing about Janowski is that he never loses the insight and clearness of each movement like other conductors who applied faster tempi to this music. Sinopoli's surprisingly shallow recording of the 9th stands out in comparison to this new fresh, clear but never shallow one by Janowski.The Orchestre de la Suisse Romande produce a lush and perfectly balanced sound and show us that they still (or at least AGAIN) have to be counted among the finest European orchestras, reminding us what they were once able to sound under the baton of Ansermet. Although it doesn't reach the depth of Giulini's Vienna Philharmonic recording or Celibidache's other-wordly interpretation of the third movement it's worth of being added to any Bruckner lover's collection. Let's hope for other Bruckner recordings with Janowski as this new 9th really sounds most promising!!"

Very good Bruckner-NOT A DVD!!!!!!

A. Vetter | NY | 02/09/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have come late to enjoying this symphony. While I know of a couple of completions, it seems wrong to have a mish mash of a final movement.

Owning Bruno Walter's 1960's version, I now have learned to enjoy this.

In the last month or so, I have picked up 4 new versions. Karajan is beautifully played and enjoyable. Gunther Wand is almost a final word on this symphony. Tintner is on par with both. Interpretation is dynamic and exciting. Marek Janowski has the OSR playing quite well. Brass are round and full, just enough edge for a convincing Bruckner performance.

The SACD (NOT DVD) is well recorded and very natural. The Geneva location is excellent. As is the Pentatone team. They have put out another excellent recording!!

In the end, I have come to fully enjoy this final symphonic statement from Bruckner.

If you are an afficionado of SACD, get this recording."