Search - Bruckner, Barenboim, Bpo :: Symphony 4

I wanted Karl Bohm/Dresden, but this is very fine.

Alan Majeska | Bad Axe, MI, USA | 10/29/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I received this recording my mistake, having ordered Karl Bohm/Dresden Staatskapelle Orchestra, a 1936 recording reissued in remastered form on Dutton. However, the supplier shipped my Barenboim, and I was not happy at first glance.



But after reading Barenboim's experience as a Bruckner conductor, both in his DG Chicago cycle, and later in Berlin for Teldec, I played this disc, and was very impressed with the gorgeous sound of the Berlin Philharmonic in this 1992 live recording. Barenboim takes expansive tempos, and has alot of nuances, especially in II and IV. Actually, IV is one of the longest I've heard, but it holds my attention well, and there is a very effective cymbal crash about 2 minutes into IV which I'd never heard in any other recording. I am pleased to have Daniel Barenboim's Bruckner 4 in my collection, and have a new found respect for his credentials in this area.

I enjoyed Barenboim's Berlin Philharmonic Schubert Symphonies, widely available in the 1980s (CBS), so knew his Berlin recordings are considered very fine in many circles.



If you buy this, keep in mind Barenboim takes 68 minutes for Bruckner's great E flat Major Symphony. Other options: Ormandy/Philadelphia (Sony "Essential Classics"); Bohm/Vienna Philharmonic (Decca "Legends"); Karajan/Berlin Philharmonic (EMI), and Bruno Walter/Columbia (CBS or Sony)."

Brilliant playing, heavy-handed conducting

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 07/31/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"When Barenboim's Brucker Fourth from Berlin came out in the early 90s, the favorable and unfavorable critics all admired its sound. The sonics are still fine, clearer and with more depth of sonority than either of Karajan's interprettions with the Berlin Phil. on DG and EMI. Comparisons stop there, however. In Barenboim's hands the symphony is often leaden and slack. He is so intent on evoking a deep, rich tone that he neglects sensitivity in phrasing, and I get little sense of inner vitality -- compare this reading with Tennstedt's recently issued live one with the London Phil. on their house label, which fairly bursts at the seams, and you will immediately hear what I mean.



The two best movements under Barenboim are the Andante, which he takes in the allegretto vein that the composer asks for, and the Scherzo, which moves quickly and without bluster. But the first and last movements are too weighted down with imposed "importance" and not enough real brio. If you primarily want to hear great sound, this CD deserves four stars. But I listen mainly for musicality, and it's not up to scratch on that account."