Excellent performance and recording
Mogulmeister | Boston, MA | 07/29/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"What a find this is! A year ago I had never heard of Horst Stein, and now I own his recordings of Bruckner's 2nd and 6th. This is a tremendous performance and recording, and it's a shame it is not better well known. Stein uses the Haas edition, and it is a great choice. The Vienna Philharmonic play their hearts out for Stein (which is a bit ironic because they reportedly didn't show the same level of commitment when Bruckner premiered the work with them). Stein's interpretation is more driven and urgent than any other performance of this work I've heard, and it mostly works--with the exception of the 2nd movement (which is the key to the whole symphony, unfortunately). I get less of the spirituality in this performance than I do in Karajan's with the Berlin Philharmonic, even with its far inferior sound, and Karajan's for me remains a clear first choice. But this is not far behind it, boasts far superior sound, and offers a compellingly different interpretation."