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Best Sounding Bruckner Recordings

There is a Mahler for Audiophiles thread here, but I am not sure if there is one for Bruckner.  IMO these are the two Composers that benefit the most from high quality sound.  Both Composers relied extensively upon spatial effects.  Bruckner, with his Organist background, was conscious of reverberation effects, and tended to treat the entire Orchestra as one vast Organ.  Mahler had many spatial effects built into his Symphonies.
  I listen to many historical recordings, but I find that these two composers suffer the most when sonically compromised.  I have no problem enjoying a Toscanini Beethoven Symphony, as the majesty of the music and the playing overcome sonic limitations.  However, listening to the Horenstein Bruckner Seventh from 1927 is a real trial.  Even the best restorations make it sound like it was recorded in a phone booth, and the towering beauty of the piece is missing.
  Now, with Bruckner, we have the problem of all of those multiple editions.  I am going to confess straight out that I have no expertise here .  And given that this is an audiophile site, I will concede readily that the best sounding Bruckner recordings may not necessarily be the ultimate in recorded performance.  However, I am looking for comments about great sounding Bruckner recordings that are also good performances 
mahler123

Showing 3 responses by brownsfan

brownsfan
1,508 posts
 
@mahler123, I hear what you are saying with respect to Bruckner suffering from bad recordings.  I too, can listen to Toscanini recordings of Beethoven, Brahms, Haydn, etc all day long.
I'm going to go out on a very long limb here, and no doubt loose whatever credibility I may have previously had regarding classical music. 
For years, my go to Bruckner conductor was Eugen Jochum/Dresden.  I still enjoy an occasional listen.   But I have really found myself drawn to the more recent Venzago cycle on CPO. As I listen to those recordings, I hear the influence of Schubert.  I don't hear Bruckner as a Wagner (or Mahler) wannabe.  Venzago's cycle has not, to my knowledge, been well received.  But I would be interested in what you might think of his efforts.  In my humble opinion, he brings something worthwhile, especially to the early (0-3) symphonies, which many times can be a bit of a snooze fest. 
brownsfan
1,508 posts
 
@mahler123,  What an insightful comment regarding Jochum's use of rubato!  Also interesting is your reaction to it.  Your comments resulted in me spending most of the day thinking about, but not listening to,  Bruckner.   I agree completely with your characterization of von Karajan as the anti-Jochum.  Since I have found Jochum (and Venzago) to afford agreeable Bruckner, it will not surprise you to know I am not overly fond of HvK's Bruckner.   I hear chants of "Heresy, Heresy!" off in the distance.  (I also prefer Kempe to HvK for R. Strauss- perhaps fodder for a new thread?)  HvK's Bruckner, and similar approaches to his music, inevitably make me feel unsettled, troubled, even fearful of an immanent musically induced apocalypse.  The 9th, in particular, creeps me out.  In a sense, Bruckner  (HvK) hits me as the anti-Bach.    

I don't put Bruckner in the very top tier of composers.  I also disagree with those who claim he wrote the same symphony 9 or 10 times.   BTW, my favorite Bruckner is the Te Deum, but I have yet to find a satisfactory recording.  Any guidance?
 
brownsfan
1,508 posts
 
My first Bruckner was Barenboim/Chicago #4, followed by HvK #9, followed by Jochum/Dresden 6 and 8, all on vinyl.  It was the Jochum that pulled me in on Bruckner.  Barenboim put me to sleep and HvK had me looking over my shoulder in fear. 
I really think Bruckner is done a great disservice by comparing him to Mahler.  He is never, in my opinion, going to fare well in that comparison.  I think it is much better to let him stand on his own and speak with his own voice.   
What that voice should be I leave to others who are better positioned than me to comment.  But I do think Venzago takes a stab at something different.  Elsewhere I stated that Venzago's Bruckner is for people who don't love Bruckner.  Each symphony is recorded in a different venue with a different orchestra, so recording quality varies as you work your way through the set. 
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