Search - Bruckner, Dohnanyi, Cleveland Orchestra :: Symphony No. 9 in D minor

4.5 stars- Very good playing and interpretation

M. A. Scott | Kansas, USA | 05/11/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This version is one of the first two Bruckner ninths that I ever owned. I bought this about the same time as I bought Barenboim's BPO version, and really, this and that one are almost equal but I might give the edge to the Dohnanyi version because of the superb sound quality. The Barenboim version is a live account, so, that may be why the sound quality isn't top drawer. This is played fairly fast compared to many other versions at about 57 to 58 minutes but still sounds right. Don't hesitate because I think this is selling used for under $5.00."

Dohnanyi truly rises to the challenge

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 02/15/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Dohnanyi has something to say in this Bruckner Ninth from 1988. He is in general a plain-spoken conductor, and his presiding fault, when a performance isn't working, is twofold: restraint and literalness. But when Dohnanyi clicks, his plainness reveals a deep-felt understanding of how a masterpiece should unfold. I felt that keenly in the Adagio of the Ninth. Taking the same 25 min. as Karajan and Giulini (live on Profil; Giulini's DG account is much slower, at 29 min.), Dohnanyi's quietude delivers a sense of spiritual meditaiton that held my attention every second. He doesn't exaggerate climaxes or try to live up to the Ninth's reputation by false exaltation -- this is very profound music=making without external effects.



By contrast, the first movement is written to encourage dramatic clashes, and here Dohnanyi sounds a bit literal. He still knows how to shape a long, long melodic sequence calmly and with nuanced phrasing, but the drama doesn't rise to ecstatic fulfillment (orgasm, to be blunt) the way it does under Karajan. In the Scherzo Dohnanyi takes the quickest pace on records, and his lighter touch was welcome to me -- I am quite sick of thunderous readings that try to split the earth open. Throughout the Clevelanders -- like Chicago -- produce a lean "American" sound with brilliant brass choirs, very different from the lush, indulgent European orchestral sound. Decca's enginers bring the brass far forward in swelling climaxes but not to the point of brashness. I found the string sound a bit dull on top, however.



In the end, what makes this reading is Dohnanyi's moving eloquence-through-simplicity in the Adagio. The rest is very good, but it's that one movement which lingers long in the memory."