Bruckner 6 recommendations

[Willem Orange]

I don't know this symphony but recently read some reviews of recent recordings which spurred me on to investigate - any recommendations from those who are familiar with it????

[Herman]

Post by Willem Orange
I don't know this symphony but recently read some reviews of recent recordings which spurred me on to investigate - any recommendations from those who are familiar with it????

Nr 6 is my favorite ruckner symphony, but it is indeed hard to point to one particular recording.

I like the live Dresden one by Haitink, on Profil, but it is not perfect. Haitink, however, is a conductor who seems to be particularly interested in this work. Just like Blomstedt.

[Oscar]

Any opinions on Lopez-Cobos on Telarc?

[jrsnfld]

Post by Oscar
Any opinions on Lopez-Cobos on Telarc?

Very well played and recorded. Good conducting: you hear everything you want to hear and the flow is unimpeded, the climaxes big and grand, the balances excellent with superbly tuned and responsive playing. But I often want a bit more from Lopez-Cobos recordings that he just doesn't have--an overemphasis on something-voluptuousness or seductiveness or slyness or flexibility...or anything...that might take this the next step past tasteful, earnest, and effective. It is not, as J L-C sometimes seems, too "boring" or "cautious" or "rigid".

So, if you don't have grand expectations, you'll be grateful that this music sounds so natural with this orchestra and conductor. Amongst American Bruckner 6s, you can turn to Kubelik, Solti, or Barenboim with the CSO, Dohnanyi in Cleveland, Eschenbach in Houston, and Blomstedt in SF, and find yourself a more moving experience, a more distinguished (distinguishable?) point of view. Maybe with Steinberg or Bernstein (one of the few that didn't make me want to return for more), as well, but I haven't heard those in too long.

--Jeff

[l***@gmail.com]

Post by Oscar
Any opinions on Lopez-Cobos on Telarc?

If your equipment is up to it, this is a BRILLIANT performance by an American orchestra (TELARC Bruckner 7 is superb too) and the symphonic achievement is the equal to any Euro recording. No reason to lack this recording in your collection.

[Oscar]

Post by l***@gmail.com

Post by Oscar
Any opinions on Lopez-Cobos on Telarc?

If your equipment is up to it, this is a BRILLIANT performance by an American orchestra (TELARC Bruckner 7
is superb too) and the symphonic achievement is the equal to any Euro recording. No reason to lack this recording
in your collection.

Found Cobos's Bruckner 7 in the bins a couple days ago. Surprisingly, none of his Bruckner and just one of his Mahler recordings for TELARC are on AppleMusic or in the iTunes Store. Will listen and report back.

[Oscar]

Post by Oscar
Found Cobos's Bruckner 7 in the bins a couple days ago. Surprisingly, none of his Bruckner and just one of
his Mahler recordings for TELARC are on AppleMusic or in the iTunes Store. Will listen and report back.

Just reporting back to let the group know Lopez-Cobos's Bruckner 7 with the Cincinnati SO is really nothing special. Certainly not in the beauty of corporate string tone (meh), and it is wedded to an interpretation that is as middle-of-the-road white bread as one could hope for. Still and all, I _did_ elect to rip the CD lossless to iTunes for possible reappraisal at a future date. What can I say, I have a thing for American symphony orchestras playing the symphonies of Bruckner.

R.I.P. Maestro Cobos-Lopez (1940-2018).

[Dana John Hill]

Post by Herman

Post by Willem Orange
I don't know this symphony but recently read some reviews of recent recordings which spurred me on to investigate - any recommendations from those who are familiar with it????

Nr 6 is my favorite ruckner symphony, but it is indeed hard to point to one particular recording.
I like the live Dresden one by Haitink, on Profil, but it is not perfect. Haitink, however, is a conductor who seems to be particularly interested in this work. Just like Blomstedt.

To my surprise, I just found this recording on my to-be-filed shelf! I
don't have Haitink's Philips recording of this symphony, and I don't
remember if a Haitink Bruckner 6 is included in one of the Concertgebouw
anthologies. Either way, I cannot make a comparison among Haitink's
efforts.

The recordings I've turned to last include Tintner's on Naxos, Jochum's
on DG, and Chailly's on Decca.

Dana John Hill
Gainesville, Florida

[wanwan]

Post by Willem Orange
I don't know this symphony but recently read some reviews of recent recordings which spurred me on to investigate - any recommendations from those who are familiar with it????

Furtie's incomplete recording. Dohnanyi/Cleveland. horst stein/Vienna Phil. Blomstedt/Leipzig.

---------------
Eric

[Alex Brown]

Post by Willem Orange
I don't know this symphony but recently read some reviews of recent recordings which spurred me on to investigate - any recommendations from those who are familiar with it????

Celibidache/Munich PO on EMI (so long as you can take a slow slow movement). Klemperer/Philharmonia, also on EMI, is good.

- Alex.

[hiker_rs]

Post by Willem Orange
I don't know this symphony but recently read some reviews of recent recordings which spurred me on to investigate - any recommendations from those who are familiar with it????

I'm sure that you'll get many of the usual recs but, just as an aside, I wanted to point out a recording that I think many Bruckner 6 lovers may enjoy. That's Gerard Pesson's Wunderblock (nebenstück II) - essentially an amusing rescoring of the 1st movement of the 6th for accordion and small ensemble:

It's available at Amazon (ASIN: B001UHLPD8) but you can also listen to it online here:

http://classical-music-online.net/en/production/45292

Rich

[Willem Orange]

Post by hiker_rs

Post by Willem Orange
I don't know this symphony but recently read some reviews of recent recordings which spurred me on to investigate - any recommendations from those who are familiar with it????

http://classical-music-online.net/en/production/45292
Rich

I have read wonderful things about a Decca Eloquence reissue of a version with Horst Stein and the Vienna Phil also

[Lionel Tacchini]

Post by Willem Orange
I have read wonderful things about a Decca Eloquence reissue of a
version with Horst Stein and the Vienna Phil also

The man who conducted a performance of the 5th so slow (93mn) that the
adagio fell apart in disbelief. Or maybe it was despair.

His 6th with the VPO was much earlier though, 1972, and I haven't heard it.

I'll recommend the recent recording my Mario Venzago for a start, who
hits the right tempi especially in the first movement but also
elsewhere, thereby avoiding the all too omnipresent mystical drift which
doesn't suit this symphony.

Kubelik will also be someone to listen to in this work.

One of my favourites is the cheapest, the one played by the so-called
"Süddeutsche Philharmonie" conducted by
"Cantieri/Swarowsky/Weiss/Zanotelli/Zsoltay" (no one knows who the
actual conductor is, it's definitely not Swarowsky). You'd normally find
it in a box outside the shop on the street together with other no name
recordings. The sound is poor and the performance just right.

[Lionel Tacchini]

Post by Lionel Tacchini
I'll recommend the recent recording my Mario Venzago for a start

And I'm just finding out that his 3rd, paired with the 6th, is quite
good as well. I haven't been pleased with his recordings of the 1st and
D minor symphonies, which I found erratic and too forcingly different
for the sake of being original but this set of the 3rd and 6th is much
better. There are some idiosyncrasies in places, as I believe the
conductor likes trying things out but much of what he does is musical
and convincing - no Norrington-like straightjacket here.

The touch in the 6th is much lighter than we are used to, which I
believe is right.

[jrsnfld]

Post by Lionel Tacchini
I'll recommend the recent recording my Mario Venzago for a start, who
hits the right tempi especially in the first movement but also
elsewhere, thereby avoiding the all too omnipresent mystical drift which
doesn't suit this symphony.

I remember Keilberth doesn't put a foot wrong, either. Perhaps in similar fashion? Also I don't think Georg-Ludwig Jochum dawdles--I like the way his performance moves apace but with passion.

What do you think of Van Zweden's 6th? I've heard some good Bruckner from him, but not this recording.

Post by Lionel Tacchini
Kubelik will also be someone to listen to in this work.

I'll second that. Kubelik does well in the 6th. I'll go out on a limb and say that every 6th I've heard has brought at least some satisfaction. I don't think a first time buyer has to be too wary or picky in this symphony. One might avoid extremely slow or fast performances just to be "safe", but not even Celibidache or Blomstedt can take this too slow, in my opinion.

My early favorites, Solti and Barenboim, still work wonderfully well for me when I return to them. More "recent" discoveries like Bongartz and Skrowaczewski are great choices, too, as are Eschenbach and Klemperer. That fabulous Furtwangler 6th (mentioned earlier) missing the first movement is not to be missed.

I remember Muti's EMI recording being good, but his recent CSO broadcast was superb and let's hope it finds its way onto CD.

--Jeff

[Herman]

Post by jrsnfld
I remember Muti's EMI recording being good, but his recent CSO broadcast was superb and let's hope it finds its way onto CD.

Indeed, one would not expect this (or at least I didn't), but Muti is a good Bruckner conductor.

I heard him performing a B6 with the Berlin PO in the eighties and it was an outstanding performance.

[Phlmaestro75]

Post by Herman
Indeed, one would not expect this (or at least I didn't), but Muti is a good Bruckner conductor.
I heard him performing a B6 with the Berlin PO in the eighties and it was an outstanding performance.

I had a similar reaction to a broadcast of him leading the 6th with the NY Philharmonic a few years ago. It was one of the best Muti-led performances I've heard over the years.

[Willem Orange]

Post by Phlmaestro75

Post by Herman
Indeed, one would not expect this (or at least I didn't), but Muti is a good Bruckner conductor.
I heard him performing a B6 with the Berlin PO in the eighties and it was an outstanding performance.

I had a similar reaction to a broadcast of him leading the 6th with the NY Philharmonic a few years ago. It was one of the best Muti-led performances I've heard over the years.

is this from 2008????

[Lionel Tacchini]

Post by jrsnfld
What do you think of Van Zweden's 6th? I've heard some good Bruckner
from him, but not this recording.

I haven't heard him.

Post by jrsnfld

Post by Lionel Tacchini
Kubelik will also be someone to listen to in this work.

I'll second that. Kubelik does well in the 6th. I'll go out on a limb
and say that every 6th I've heard has brought at least some
satisfaction.

Some yes, of course, it is a Bruckner symphony after all ;-)

Post by jrsnfld
I don't think a first time buyer has to be too wary or
picky in this symphony. One might avoid extremely slow or fast
performances just to be "safe", but not even Celibidache or Blomstedt
can take this too slow, in my opinion.

Here I must disagree. Bruckner's music is difficult to assimilate and
some approaches make it harder as well as changing the character of the
music so much that many people simply walk away.

I see tempo as an essential characterisation of music and Bruckner
"interpretation" sees such variations in this regard that they often go
from allegro to andante (or slower) for the same movement and
indication. In the case of the 6th, the first movement is an alla breve
(barred C, 2/2 time); if the beat is "majestoso", the felt tempo remains
swift. Kubelik does it right, others like Klemperer just ignore this and
do it at about half speed, drastically changing the character of the music.
Then there is the trick with the 3rd subject which almost no ones does
as requested, as fast as the 1st. But Venzago does it, to great effect
(at 4', just check it out on Spotify). He's just great in the whole
movement, expressively phrased, flexible in the whole work and the
orchestra, this time it is the Berner Symphony Orchestra, is large
enough unlike the Tapioletta Sinfonia or whatever pub band he got for
the 1st and D minor.

The 6th, of all the symphonies, is the one which may not be slowed down,
not expanded into a fantasised requiem (hey, even Mozart masses are
played faster than Bruckner symphonies, isn't this silly?).

The 6th needs bite and flashing eyes. "Die Keckste" halt.

[Willem Orange]

Post by Lionel Tacchini

Post by jrsnfld
What do you think of Van Zweden's 6th? I've heard some good Bruckner
from him, but not this recording.

I haven't heard him.

Post by jrsnfld

Post by Lionel Tacchini
Kubelik will also be someone to listen to in this work.

I'll second that. Kubelik does well in the 6th. I'll go out on a limb
and say that every 6th I've heard has brought at least some
satisfaction.

Some yes, of course, it is a Bruckner symphony after all ;-)

Post by jrsnfld
I don't think a first time buyer has to be too wary or
picky in this symphony. One might avoid extremely slow or fast
performances just to be "safe", but not even Celibidache or Blomstedt
can take this too slow, in my opinion.

Here I must disagree. Bruckner's music is difficult to assimilate and
some approaches make it harder as well as changing the character of the
music so much that many people simply walk away.
I see tempo as an essential characterisation of music and Bruckner
"interpretation" sees such variations in this regard that they often go
from allegro to andante (or slower) for the same movement and
indication. In the case of the 6th, the first movement is an alla breve
(barred C, 2/2 time); if the beat is "majestoso", the felt tempo remains
swift. Kubelik does it right, others like Klemperer just ignore this and
do it at about half speed, drastically changing the character of the music.
Then there is the trick with the 3rd subject which almost no ones does
as requested, as fast as the 1st. But Venzago does it, to great effect
(at 4', just check it out on Spotify). He's just great in the whole
movement, expressively phrased, flexible in the whole work and the
orchestra, this time it is the Berner Symphony Orchestra, is large
enough unlike the Tapioletta Sinfonia or whatever pub band he got for
the 1st and D minor.
The 6th, of all the symphonies, is the one which may not be slowed down,
not expanded into a fantasised requiem (hey, even Mozart masses are
played faster than Bruckner symphonies, isn't this silly?).
The 6th needs bite and flashing eyes. "Die Keckste" halt.
--
Lionel Tacchini
"Ach, Du lieber Augustin, alles ist hin ..."

I have located an upload of a Bruckner 6 conducted by Muti in Chicago last year which might fit your description

[Herman]

Post by Willem Orange
I have located an upload of a Bruckner 6 conducted by Muti in Chicago last year which might fit your description

http://cso.org/ListenAndWatch/Details.aspx?id=24797

[Willem Orange]

Post by Herman

Post by Willem Orange
I have located an upload of a Bruckner 6 conducted by Muti in Chicago last year which might fit your description

http://cso.org/ListenAndWatch/Details.aspx?id=24797

I checked and there are a number of Asahina performances floating around - I found at least three

[jrsnfld]

Post by Willem Orange
I checked and there are a number of Asahina performances floating around - I found at least three

The only one I have (and have heard) is Osaka Philharmonic, from Sept. 1, 1977--on Jean-Jean. If you get it--or any Asahina 6th--I'm sure you will find his careful balancing and somewhat spacious tempi yield fundamental rewards that transcend mere clarity and flow. The music is etched, gently but firmly, into your ears and into your heart in a way that might make you think of a warmer, more sensitive Klemperer or a more surgical, intellectual Giulini. Asahina delivers irresistibly endearing and intelligent Bruckner.

Speaking of all those qualities--plus an extra edge of existential angst--do check out the Bruckner 6 conducted by Hans Rosbaud on YouTube. It's hard to find words that do justice to performances with such penetrating emotional, musical intelligence, but an immediately striking example is the oboe solo at the opening of the second movement. The inflections and the snap of the dotted rhythm is special, and echoed throughout the movement. A little hesitation here, a little bounce there, and you have something totally new--gestures that flesh out a character whose fortunes you can follow vividly throughout the movement. The heightened sensitivity between the soloists and between sections to sustain that character. Just what you'd expect from a Rosbaud performance.

--Jeff

[Ray Hall]

Post by jrsnfld
Speaking of all those qualities--plus an extra edge of existential angs

t--do check out the Bruckner 6 conducted by Hans Rosbaud on YouTube. It's

hard to find words that do justice to performances with such penetratin

g emotional, musical intelligence, but an immediately striking example is

the oboe solo at the opening of the second movement. The inflections and

the snap of the dotted rhythm is special, and echoed throughout the
movement

. A little hesitation here, a little bounce there, and you have something

totally new--gestures that flesh out a character whose fortunes you can

follow vividly throughout the movement. The heightened sensitivity between

the soloists and between sections to sustain that character. Just what
you'd

expect from a Rosbaud performance.

Post by jrsnfld
--Jeff

Rosbaud's 7th on Vox has long been my favourite recording of the work. A
lot of warmth in the reading.

As for the 6th then Horst Stein is worth checking out. I don't connect
with Klemp's recording at all.

Ray Hall, Taree

[Herman]

Post by jrsnfld
Speaking of all those qualities--plus an extra edge of existential angst--do check out the Bruckner 6 conducted by Hans Rosbaud on YouTube. It's hard to find words that do justice to performances with such penetrating emotional, musical intelligence, but an immediately striking example is the oboe solo at the opening of the second movement.

One's mileage may vary. I find that Rosbaud perfomance ultimately tiresome in its didacticness and lacking in musicality. It's like a demonstration of what's in the score, rather than music as a voice speaking.

[maready]

Post by jrsnfld

Post by Willem Orange
I checked and there are a number of Asahina performances floating around - I found at least three

The only one I have (and have heard) is Osaka Philharmonic, from Sept. 1, 1977--on Jean-Jean. If you get it--or any Asahina 6th--I'm sure you will find his careful balancing and somewhat spacious tempi yield fundamental rewards that transcend mere clarity and flow. The music is etched, gently but firmly, into your ears and into your heart in a way that might make you think of a warmer, more sensitive Klemperer or a more surgical, intellectual Giulini. Asahina delivers irresistibly endearing and intelligent Bruckner.
Speaking of all those qualities--plus an extra edge of existential angst--do check out the Bruckner 6 conducted by Hans Rosbaud on YouTube. It's hard to find words that do justice to performances with such penetrating emotional, musical intelligence, but an immediately striking example is the oboe solo at the opening of the second movement. The inflections and the snap of the dotted rhythm is special, and echoed throughout the movement. A little hesitation here, a little bounce there, and you have something totally new--gestures that flesh out a character whose fortunes you can follow vividly throughout the movement. The heightened sensitivity between the soloists and between sections to sustain that character. Just what you'd expect from a Rosbaud performance.
--Jeff

I didn't realize the Rosbaud Bruckner Six had 'made it' to YouTube. YES --- this is a must-hear. If it's ever released commercially, it will go to the top of my shortlist immediately, side-by-side with the Kubelik. It is to be hoped that Rosbaud's almost-complete Bruckner cycle ("only" 2-9), recorded in the wonderful acoustic of the SWF radio under studio conditions, is boxed and released sooner rather than later. Every one of the symphonies are performed at the level of the long-available Seventh.

[maready]

Post by Lionel Tacchini

Post by Willem Orange
I have read wonderful things about a Decca Eloquence reissue of a
version with Horst Stein and the Vienna Phil also

The man who conducted a performance of the 5th so slow (93mn) that the
adagio fell apart in disbelief. Or maybe it was despair.
His 6th with the VPO was much earlier though, 1972, and I haven't heard it.
I'll recommend the recent recording my Mario Venzago for a start, who
hits the right tempi especially in the first movement but also
elsewhere, thereby avoiding the all too omnipresent mystical drift which
doesn't suit this symphony.
Kubelik will also be someone to listen to in this work.
One of my favourites is the cheapest, the one played by the so-called
"Süddeutsche Philharmonie" conducted by
"Cantieri/Swarowsky/Weiss/Zanotelli/Zsoltay" (no one knows who the
actual conductor is, it's definitely not Swarowsky). You'd normally find
it in a box outside the shop on the street together with other no name
recordings. The sound is poor and the performance just right.
--
Lionel Tacchini
"Die Sechste ist die Keckste"

The Venzago is very good --- he really gets the tempo relationships right. The 2nd and 6th are my favorites of the on-going Venzago cycle.

And the 'Zsoltay' really is very, very good! My copy came coupled with a pretty fine Mahler Sixth on an Intercord LP set. Who was this mystery conductor (and orchestra)?

[Terry]

Post by Willem Orange

Post by hiker_rs

Post by Willem Orange
I don't know this symphony but recently read some reviews of recent
recordings which spurred me on to investigate - any recommendations
from those who are familiar with it????

I'm sure that you'll get many of the usual recs but, just as an aside, I
wanted to point out a recording that I think many Bruckner 6 lovers may
enjoy. That's Gerard Pesson's Wunderblock (nebenstück II) - essentially
http://classical-music-online.net/en/production/45292
Rich

I have read wonderful things about a Decca Eloquence reissue of a version
with Horst Stein and the Vienna Phil also

...and you have been well informed, in my opinion.

[maready]

Post by hiker_rs

Post by Willem Orange
I don't know this symphony but recently read some reviews of recent recordings which spurred me on to investigate - any recommendations from those who are familiar with it????

http://classical-music-online.net/en/production/45292
Rich

Your recommendation is highly seconded for the Pesson piece; --- any Brucknerian should have a listen to the unlikely-sounding prospect. Pesson's piece is, indeed, an arrangement of the first movement of the Bruckner Sixth for accordion and orchestra. This may sound like a one-joke idea, but the actual effect of hearing it is (for someone familiar with the Bruckner movement) curiously moving. Pesson is a sort of Gallic Helmut Lachenmann, for those familiar with contemporary music, meaning that he uses the orchestra in an unconventional manner but with slightly less of the sturm and drang of Lachenmann. And it should be clarified that 'Wunderblock' isn't a free arrangement of a couple of themes, but a recomposition of the entire movement, bar-by-bar.

As for favorite Bruckner Sixths, there is one that I think is miles above all the rest: the Kubelik/BRSO DVD that was issued on Dreamlife. Hard to find (it's a Japanese label), but it can be seen (and heard) on YouTube. Other favorites: Keilberth (Teldec) Haitink/Staatskapelle Dresden (Annssler/Profil), Leitner/SWF Baden-Baden (Orfeo) and Leitner/Suisse Romande (Accord) --- I also enjoy all the Eugen Jochums (DGG, EMI, Tahra). And, as many have already said, Celibidache/Munich on EMI is a gorgeous performance that is well within normal tempo ranges for the work.

One oft-cited recommendation has always perplexed me: Klemperer on EMI gets just about everything wrong, especially the devilishly difficult polyrhythmic first movement. On the basis of the EMI Sixth and the torturous late recordings of the Fifth and Eighth, I unjustly ignored Klemperer's EMI-era Fourth and Seventh, both of them excellent. (Especially the live BRSO Fourth.) (I am a Klemperer fan in general, to the extent that I truly enjoy his late Cosi Fan Tutte and Mahler Seventh. But overly-slow tempos and Bruckner are anathema to me, with the ever-present exception of Munich-era Celibidache, who is sui generis.)

[Bob Harper]

On Saturday, October 19, 2013 4:48:11 PM UTC-7, maready wrote:
(snip)

Post by maready
As for favorite Bruckner Sixths, there is one that I think is miles above all the rest: the Kubelik/BRSO DVD that was issued on Dreamlife. Hard to find (it's a Japanese label), but it can be seen (and heard) on YouTube.

I don't know it, but will look for it on You Tube. right now I'm listening to a live CSO/Kubelik recording downloaded from the net, and it's wonderful.
Timings are 15:13, 16:03, 9:13, and 14:55 (which may include applause)
I think this performance is analogous to his Mahler 1 and 4, i.e. 'light' by comparison with some, but he gets everything right.

Bob Harper

[Bob Harper]

Post by Bob Harper
(snip)

Post by maready
As for favorite Bruckner Sixths, there is one that I think is miles above all the rest: the Kubelik/BRSO DVD that was issued on Dreamlife. Hard to find (it's a Japanese label), but it can be seen (and heard) on YouTube.

I don't know it, but will look for it on You Tube. right now I'm listening to a live CSO/Kubelik recording downloaded from the net, and it's wonderful.
Timings are 15:13, 16:03, 9:13, and 14:55 (which may include applause)
I think this performance is analogous to his Mahler 1 and 4, i.e. 'light' by comparison with some, but he gets everything right.
Bob Harper

And this performance nw appears to be on You Tube:

that's the first movement; whether the rest if there or not I haven't yet discovered.

Bob Harper

[Phlmaestro75]

I learned the piece from the Klemperer recording. In fact, that was the first Bruckner recording that really clicked for me.
But once I discovered the Celibidache, the Klemperer remained on my shelf. In fact, I might pick the Celi sixth as my single favorite recording of any of the Bruckner symphonies.

[Alex Brown]

Post by Phlmaestro75
I might pick the Celi sixth as my single favorite recording of any of the Bruckner symphonies.

For me, a candidate for best recording of anything ever.

- Alex.

[Randy Lane]

Post by Phlmaestro75
I might pick the Celi sixth as my single favorite recording of any of the Bruckner symphonies.

For me, a candidate for best recording of anything ever.

- Alex.


CD or DVD?

[Alex Brown]

Post by Alex Brown

Post by Phlmaestro75
I might pick the Celi sixth as my single favorite recording of any of the Bruckner symphonies.

For me, a candidate for best recording of anything ever.
- Alex.
CD or DVD?

I heard the (Sony 88691952709) DVD recently and didn't register any great difference in the sound. As I understand it both are from November 1991 but EMI assembled their recording from performance(s) that differed from those used for the video product?. I may be imagining it (or affected by the visual aspect) but I thought the opening movement on DVD had slightly more grandeur even than the CD, but overall the CD version just edged ahead. Whatever, the difference - if any - seem slight.

- Alex.

[Willem Orange]

Post by Alex Brown

Post by Alex Brown

Post by Phlmaestro75
I might pick the Celi sixth as my single favorite recording of any of the Bruckner symphonies.

For me, a candidate for best recording of anything ever.
- Alex.
CD or DVD?

I heard the (Sony 88691952709) DVD recently and didn't register any great difference in the sound. As I understand it both are from November 1991 but EMI assembled their recording from performance(s) that differed from those used for the video product?. I may be imagining it (or affected by the visual aspect) but I thought the opening movement on DVD had slightly more grandeur even than the CD, but overall the CD version just edged ahead. Whatever, the difference - if any - seem slight.
- Alex.

Is this is the one on you tube????

[Orchman]

I don't know this symphony but recently read some reviews of recent recordings which spurred me on to investigate - any recommendations from those who are familiar with it????>>

Solti/Chicago SO - great performance - electric energy right from the start, all the way thru...

[Randy Lane]

My fave is the Keilberth/BPO on Teldec.

[Russ (not Martha)]

The relatively compact 6th, with its gorgeous slow movt and fascinating scherzo, is the work I would recommend to someone who is just getting his/her feet wet with this composer. Looking forward to the Lang-Lessing / San Antonio Symphony performance this season.

The versions I have are the Keilberth / BPO on Teldec and the Steinberg / BSO from a Tower Records Japan TWCL reissue in which I tweaked the EQ a bit and edited in a correction to a jarring trumpet clam towards the end of the scherzo.

Has anyone mentioned, and has anyone an opinion, of the Chailly / Concertgebouw version, attractively coupled with 4 orchestrated Wolf lieder?

Russ (not Martha)

[Alex Brown]

Post by Russ (not Martha)
The relatively compact 6th, with its gorgeous slow movt and fascinating scherzo, is the work I would recommend to someone who is just getting his/her feet wet with this composer. Looking forward to the Lang-Lessing / San Antonio Symphony performance this season.
The versions I have are the Keilberth / BPO on Teldec and the Steinberg / BSO from a Tower Records Japan TWCL reissue in which I tweaked the EQ a bit and edited in a correction to a jarring trumpet clam towards the end of the scherzo.
Has anyone mentioned, and has anyone an opinion, of the Chailly / Concertgebouw version, attractively coupled with 4 orchestrated Wolf lieder?
Russ (not Martha)

Yes! I think it's the most successful of his cycle. It's quite "cool" like the other Bruckner recordings he made at the time, but it is just *so* beautifully played and recorded that it compels attention. I seem to remember when it came out there was some criticism of Chailly's adherence to performance traditions which were out of favour, including some dynamic effects in the 1st movement; for me these don't really matter.

- Alex.

[Juan I. Cahis]

Post by Russ (not Martha)
The relatively compact 6th, with its gorgeous slow movt and fascinating
scherzo, is the work I would recommend to someone who is just getting
his/her feet wet with this composer. Looking forward to the Lang-Lessing
/ San Antonio Symphony performance this season.
The versions I have are the Keilberth / BPO on Teldec and the Steinberg /
BSO from a Tower Records Japan TWCL reissue in which I tweaked the EQ a
bit and edited in a correction to a jarring trumpet clam towards the end of the scherzo.
Has anyone mentioned, and has anyone an opinion, of the Chailly /
Concertgebouw version, attractively coupled with 4 orchestrated Wolf lieder?
Russ (not Martha)

Celibidache on EMI, the one Symphony in this set that I like very much.

[RVG]

Post by Willem Orange
I don't know this symphony but recently read some reviews of recent
recordings which spurred me on to investigate - any recommendations
from those who are familiar with it????

First thing to know is that it was Bruckner's favourite piece of work:
never fixed, never corrected, no problems with what edition to prefer -
there's only one.
Second thing is to disregard recordings longer than one hour. This means
a romantic/analytic approach that doesn't fit this symphony and usually
the adagio movement is played so slow it falls apart.

If you want the very best: Furtwängler. But monophonic with the sound
quality of the time. Then Sawallisch: very similar approach in hifi
stereo, and there's a copy on Youtube in good quality though not HQ here

If you like it, check Amazon for the availability of the best remastered
edition available.

[Alex Brown]

Post by RVG
If you want the very best: Furtwängler.

Well, that certainly lasts for less than an hour - it's missing its first movement!

- Alex.

[Lionel Tacchini]

Post by RVG

Post by Willem Orange
I don't know this symphony but recently read some reviews of recent
recordings which spurred me on to investigate - any recommendations
from those who are familiar with it????

never fixed, never corrected, no problems with what edition to prefer -
there's only one.

The actual reason for this is that the work was never played, apart from
the central movements once. After 1877, which saw a global update of the
first four symphonies, Bruckner revised his works when an important
performance was ahead as for the 4th or in view of their publication.
This never occurred to the 6th symphony.

Post by RVG
Second thing is to disregard recordings longer than one hour. This means
a romantic/analytic approach that doesn't fit this symphony and usually
the adagio movement is played so slow it falls apart.
If you want the very best: Furtwängler. But monophonic with the sound
quality of the time.

And a major problem in the 1st movement. Hardly the best and definitely
not as Bruckner intended :-(

Post by RVG
Then Sawallisch: very similar approach in hifi
stereo, and there's a copy on Youtube in good quality though not HQ here
http://youtu.be/B5XrFI8k-YU
If you like it, check Amazon for the availability of the best remastered
edition available.

Now that's one we haven't seen mentioned yet and which really is amongst
the best. Sawallisch has indeed given a 6th I should recommend if I have
something like an overview of my collection.

[maready]

Post by RVG

Post by Willem Orange
I don't know this symphony but recently read some reviews of recent
recordings which spurred me on to investigate - any recommendations
from those who are familiar with it????

never fixed, never corrected, no problems with what edition to prefer -
there's only one.
Second thing is to disregard recordings longer than one hour. This means
a romantic/analytic approach that doesn't fit this symphony and usually
the adagio movement is played so slow it falls apart.
If you want the very best: Furtwängler. But monophonic with the sound
quality of the time. Then Sawallisch: very similar approach in hifi
stereo, and there's a copy on Youtube in good quality though not HQ here
http://youtu.be/B5XrFI8k-YU
If you like it, check Amazon for the availability of the best remastered
edition available.
--
"Il y a un mythe du savoir scientifique qui attend de la simple notation
des faits, non seulement la science des choses du monde, mais encore la
science de cette science." - Maurice Merleau-Ponty
http://www.jamendo.com/en/list/a126129/november-child
http://jamen.do/l/a122027
http://bluedusk.blogspot.fr/
http://soundcloud.com/rvgronoff

Yes, the Furtwangler is amazing, but heart-breakingly without a first movement. I suggest, only semi-unseriously, substituting the Pesson work 'Wunderblock' mentioned by Hiker RS for the missing first movement. Pesson's take on the first movement of Bruckner's Sixth is rather ghostly and haunted, almost as if the missing Furtwangler movement were attempting to rematerialize through supernatural means.

[maready]

Post by RVG

Post by Willem Orange
I don't know this symphony but recently read some reviews of recent
recordings which spurred me on to investigate - any recommendations
from those who are familiar with it????

never fixed, never corrected, no problems with what edition to prefer -
there's only one.
Second thing is to disregard recordings longer than one hour. This means
a romantic/analytic approach that doesn't fit this symphony and usually
the adagio movement is played so slow it falls apart.
If you want the very best: Furtwängler. But monophonic with the sound
quality of the time. Then Sawallisch: very similar approach in hifi
stereo, and there's a copy on Youtube in good quality though not HQ here
http://youtu.be/B5XrFI8k-YU
If you like it, check Amazon for the availability of the best remastered
edition available.
--
"Il y a un mythe du savoir scientifique qui attend de la simple notation
des faits, non seulement la science des choses du monde, mais encore la
science de cette science." - Maurice Merleau-Ponty
http://www.jamendo.com/en/list/a126129/november-child
http://jamen.do/l/a122027
http://bluedusk.blogspot.fr/
http://soundcloud.com/rvgronoff

A strong second for your recommendation of the Sawallisch/BRSO Bruckner 6 on Orfeo. (I also greatly enjoy the First and Ninth, same label and same forces; the Fifth not so much, but the Fifth is still the most 'difficult' of Bruckner's symphonies for me.)

[m***@gmail.com]

Gielen/SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-baden und Freiburg, unassuming and unforced but gets everything I like pretty right. Stein/VPO and Haitink/Dresden are another two I like a lot.

[Lionel Tacchini]

Post by m***@gmail.com
Gielen/SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-baden und Freiburg, unassuming and
unforced but gets everything I like pretty right.

I saw Gielen conduct the 6th in Stuttgart in 1999, an expressive
performance in a flexible style which left me quite convinced as well.

[c***@gmail.com]

Post by Willem Orange
I don't know this symphony but recently read some reviews of recent recordings which spurred me on to investigate - any recommendations from those who are familiar with it????

Joseph Keilberth, Berlin Phiharmonic, 1964, Teldec CD. By far the best known to me. CD was not issued in USA, so if you cannot locate on amazon, try amazon.co,uk Also was available, might still be from Japan via CDjapan.

[Lionel Tacchini]

Post by c***@gmail.com

Post by Willem Orange
I don't know this symphony but recently read some reviews of recent
recordings which spurred me on to investigate - any recommendations
from those who are familiar with it????

Joseph Keilberth, Berlin Phiharmonic, 1964, Teldec CD. By far the
best known to me. CD was not issued in USA, so if you cannot locate
on amazon, try amazon.co,uk Also was available, might still be from
Japan via CDjapan.

One I really want to hear is Hindemith but I haven't been able to obtain
a copy.
Does anyone here have this?

[g***@gmail.com]

Post by Willem Orange
I don't know this symphony but recently read some reviews of recent recordings which spurred me on to investigate - any recommendations from those who are familiar with it????

Recent list of recommended recordings:

http://www.musicweb-international.com/mwi-recommends.htm

[g***@gmail.com]

Post by Willem Orange
I don't know this symphony but recently read some reviews of recent recordings which spurred me on to investigate - any recommendations from those who are familiar with it????

Klemperer is recommended in this recent article on top Bruckner recordings:

https://www.gramophone.co.uk/feature/top-10-bruckner-recordings

[c***@gmail.com]

Post by g***@gmail.com

Post by Willem Orange
I don't know this symphony but recently read some reviews of recent recordings which spurred me on to investigate - any recommendations from those who are familiar with it????

https://www.gramophone.co.uk/feature/top-10-bruckner-recordings

But not in this one, if I may immodestly draw attention to it

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2018/Jan/Bruckner_sy6_article_CH.pdf

[Alan Dawes]

Post by g***@gmail.com

Post by Willem Orange
I don't know this symphony but recently read some reviews of recent
recordings which spurred me on to investigate - any recommendations
from those who are familiar with it????

https://www.gramophone.co.uk/feature/top-10-bruckner-recordings

You have fallen into the trap of gramophone "features" that they are not
comparison reviews but just reprints of reviews of individual recordings
without knowing who made the selection. The review of the 6th is by Deryck
Cook written for the LP release in 1965 as printed at the end of that
gramophone review - there have been 53 years worth of releases of new
recordings since then plus a number of earlier ones have become available,
which unless claivoyant, Cook could not have compared the Klemperer
recording with!

Alan

[Herman]

For ggg 1965 is "a recent article".

[dk]

Post by Herman
For ggg 1965 is "a recent article".

At least he is not going
back to Thucydides! ;-)

[Herman]

Post by dk

Post by Herman
For ggg 1965 is "a recent article".

At least he is not going
back to Thucydides! ;-)

Solid Bruckner fan, Thucydides.

[g***@gmail.com]

Post by Willem Orange
I don't know this symphony but recently read some reviews of recent recordings which spurred me on to investigate - any recommendations from those who are familiar with it????

According to this:

Recordings of Bruckner’s Sixth Symphony

There are some excellent recordings of the underperformed but likable Sixth Symphony, which the BSO will be performing in mid-April. I love von Karajan’s recording from his box set (although for some this would be a controversial choice), but given the cost of the individual disc, it would be more affordable to spend a few dollars more and get the whole box set. Blomstedt’s recording with the Leipzig Gewandhaus orchestra (his second of this symphony) is a wonderful performance in excellent SACD sound. Horst Stein’s performance of the Sixth with the Vienna Philharmonic is also deservedly well-loved. Two other performances are wonderful but not available as standalone recordings: Heinz Bongartz and the Leipzig Gewandhaus (albeit in vintage 1964 Eastern Bloc sound), and Eugen Jochum and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (included in Jochum’s first Bruckner cycle on DG).

My picks

(* denotes a definitive performance)

1*: Eugen Jochum, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (BPO), DG: A legendary performance that deserves its accolades, and that still makes the jaw drop 50+ years later.

2*: Herbert von Karajan, BPO, DG: The greatest performance this symphony will ever receive, revealing a profound, deeply moving masterpiece that most others just miss.

3*: Remy Ballot, Altomonte Orchester St. Florian, Gramola: An extreme interpretation of the original 1873 version (running nearly 90 minutes), not universally beloved, yet which stuns me.

4*: Herbert von Karajan, BPO, DG: There are many great Fourths out there, but Karajan gives us a reading that is perfect and profoundly moving. Listen to the BPO play—wow!

5: (tie) Herbert von Karajan, BPO, DG and Eugen Jochum, Concertgebouw (live 1986), Tahra: Both are truly great performances of this monumental work. Unlike most, they nail the key second movement.

6: (tie) Heinz Bongartz, Leipzig Gewandhaus (various labels) and Herbert von Karajan, BPO, DG: I have yet to hear a perfect Sixth, but both of these come closer than any others.

7: Herbert von Karajan, BPO, Warner/EMI (remastered version): Karajan’s first recording stands apart due to a slightly slower tempo that produces greater intensity, and impressive sonics in its remastered sound (recorded 1971 in the Jesus-Christus church in Berlin).

8: Herbert von Karajan, Vienna Philharmonic (VPO), DG: From the mid-1950s onward, Karajan performed the Eighth (his favorite) every single year, somewhere, until he died. This recording of it, made in Vienna just months before he passed away, is perhaps the best.

9*: Carlo Maria Giulini, Vienna Philharmonic, DG: Yannick Nezet-Seguin, among others, has called this the greatest recording of any work ever made by anyone. It is a performance for the ages of the horrible, beautiful, magnificent, disturbing, profound journey that is Bruckner’s visionary Ninth Symphony. But to be sure, the work is not recommended as a starting point into Bruckner. Come to it only after you’ve digested several others, including at least the Seventh.

https://www.classical-scene.com/2017/04/06/bruckner-lofty/