This is one volume in a multi-volume set. Find the complete box set here.

On the occasion of the Bruckner bicentenary, the Wiener Philharmoniker recorded its first ever complete Bruckner cycle under the baton of Christian Thielemann. In addition to the well-known canon of nine symphonies, the two earliest Bruckner symphonies in F minor and D minor, which are a world premiere on DVD and Blu-ray, were also recorded for the first time in the orchestra's history. This uniquely complete edition from the Musikverein and Salzburg Festival, featuring 11 symphonies, also includes extensive conversations with Christian Thielemann about each symphony and insights into his rehearsal work. “With the First, they [...] provided an hour of happiness. [...] An overwhelming event, entirely of philharmonic sound”. (Kronen Zeitung) “Thielemann conducted Bruckner's Seventh as a human drama in philharmonic splendour”. (Die Presse)

Anton Bruckner’s Ninth Symphony sums up the composer's legacy in all its purity. Ferdinand Leitner conducts this towering masterpiece in its original form, free from speculative edits to the unfinished fourth movement. The noted German conductor, Ferdinand Leitner, studied at the Music School in his home city under Fritz Schreker and Julius Prüwer from 1926 to 1931, as well as receiving instruction from Artur Schnabel and Karl Muck. Leitner became known mainly as an opera conductor. He promoted 20th-century German opera, especially the works of Carl Orff and Karl-Amadeus Hartmann. He also promoted the works of Ferruccio Busoni. His premieres include the operas Oedipus the King by Carl Orff (1959), Don Juan und Faust (1950) as well as Hamlet (1980), both by Hermannn Reutter. He succeeded Erich Kleiber as conductor of the German operas at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires in 1956. From 1969 to 1984, he was senior musical director of the Zürich Opera and from 1976 to 1980 principal conductor of the Residence Orchestra in The Hague at the same time. From 1988, he was principal guest conductor of the RAI Symphony Orchestra in Turin.

"Two visceral performances of late Bruckner as directed by Hans Knappertsbusch, a major exponent of the 'old school' of Bruckner interpretation... Knappertsbusch revered the C Minor Symphony of Bruckner and bequeathed us five inscriptions. This Vienna Philharmonic concert (29 October 1961), Kna's last with the VPO... resonates with introspective girth and massive distribution of acoustical sonority." -Gary Lemco in Audiophile Audition

This extensive 7CD overview of the German conductor Günter Wand & the NDR Sinfonieorchester concentrates its attention on Austro-German Classical and Romantic-era orchestral works. Reflecting Mr. Wand's close association with the music of Anton Bruckner (his many recordings of the Bruckner symphonies brought him late, and great acclaim), this set offers 4 of his symphonies, including the sublime 7th, the magisterial 8th, and the transcendent, unfinished three-movement 9th.

Throughout his entire life, Bruckner longed to return to the tranquility of the hilly woodland idyll that was his home in Upper Austria. That impression is perhaps most clearly expressed in his “Romantic” Symphony with its horn calls and the Landler-like dance tunes (in the clarinet) which recalled dance melodies of his childhood. Bruckner explained personally that this was the inspiration for the music for the “meal during the lunch break of the hunt”- and the chirruping of a bird “Zi-zi-bee” all of which combines to make the work a sensitive declaration of love for his childhood in that rural landscape near his birthplace of Ansfelden and the nearby Augustinian monastery of St. Florian. Founded by Prince Elector Moritz von Sachsen in 1548, the Staatskapelle Dresden is one of the oldest orchestras in the world and steeped in tradition. Over its long history many distinguished conductors and internationally celebrated instrumentalists have left their mark on this one time court orchestra. Previous directors include Heinrich Schutz, Johann Adolf Hasse, Carl Maria von Weber, and Richard Wagner, who called the ensemble his “miraculous harp.” Principal conductor since the 2012/2013 season has been Christian Thielemann.

This monumental release, which includes 23 albums, features the complete oeuvre of Austrian composer Anton Bruckner. Most known for his symphonies and masses, Profil has selected the very best recordings of these works in their catalog, featuring some of the finest ensembles in the world such as the Staatskapelle Dresden, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Philharmonischer Chor Munchen, Bach-Collegium Stuttgart, and many more. Profil's previously released Bruckner collection was beautifully received by critics and fans alike, and now this revised collection is sure to receive even more widespread accolades.

Includes work(s) by various composers.

Also available on Blu-ray

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In Anton Bruckner’s 7th Symphony, the listener encounters a music characterized by great spaciousness and profound solemnity, a music which speaks of grief and lamentation, but also of their transcendence. With its monumental architecture and intensity of sound, the symphony has moved listeners ever since its triumphal premiere in 1884.

The Guardian calls Daniel Barenboim’s London interpretation “Tremendous … Barenboim and the Staatskapelle seem to have this work in their systems, and the overall impression was of music unfolding organically at its own pace rather than of a work being self-consciously interpreted or led.

Anton Bruckner
SYMPHONY NO. 7
Anton Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 in E Major, WAB 107 (1885 version, ed. L. Nowak)

Staatskapelle Berlin
Daniel Barenboim, conductor

Recorded live at the Philharmonie Berlin, 25 June 2010

Picture format: NTSC 16:9
Sound format: PCM Stereo / Dolby Digital 5.1 / DTS 5.1
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Running time: 72 mins
No. of DVDs: 1 (DVD 9)

BRUCKNER Symphony No. 7 (1885 version) • Daniel Barenboim, cond; Staatskapelle Berlin • ACCENTUS/UNITEL 102177 (Blu-ray: 72:20) Live: Berlin 6/25/2010

It’s a bit confusing for Accentus/Unitel to refer to this Bruckner Seventh, filmed at the Berlin Philharmonie on June 25, 2010, as a performance of the symphony’s “original version.” The booklet for this Blu-ray release reproduces the title page of the 1885 Gutmann edition, which incorporated changes urged upon the composer by Franz Schalk, Ferdinand Löwe, and Arthur Nikisch, who conducted the premiere in December of 1884. In my mind, the score utilized for the first performance would be the “original version” and the only extant autograph copy already includes after-the-fact changes by Bruckner and his always-eager amenders. So, as far as is known, no “original version” of Symphony No. 7 exists. Amusingly, the Wikipedia entry for Robert Haas describes Daniel Barenboim as a proponent of the Austrian musicologist’s Bruckner editions. The most obvious feature of the Haas edition for non-specialists (such as me) is that the infamous cymbal crash (with triangle and timpani) at the climax of the Adagio is not included. The percussion is there in all its glory for this performance, as it is in Barenboim’s 1992 Teldec recording with the Berlin Philharmonic. So much for the idea of Barenboim as a Haas partisan.

With textual issues out of the way, I can report that Barenboim’s 2010 performance is a very effective one. His interpretation is less “architectural” than many others; Barenboim is happy to highlight small details in a score he knows very, very well (he conducts from memory) without at all underplaying the work’s monumentality. Some may prefer that the dotted figures in the third movement be more tightly wound—Bruckner’s scherzos work best when a maniacally insistent subject contrasts with sunny, relaxed interludes—but that’s a minor complaint. This is a coherent reading that delivers the big picture and pulls the listener in, as it clearly did the audience present at the Philharmonie.

The sound is good, though the strings are a little dull at the outset of the Adagio, as if upper partials are missing. Passages with the four tenor tubas possess a thoroughly Wagnerian sonic density—the composer’s intention, of course. Video quality is superb, with the detail provided of string instruments often eye-popping. (Unfortunately, some knuckle hair is part of the package with this degree of visual resolution.) The editing style is a little jumpy for my taste; especially with a work such as this, I’d prefer more longer takes of the conductor building his performance. Still, this is a video performance of Bruckner’s E-Major Symphony well worth considering.

FANFARE: Andrew Quint

Note: This Blu-ray Disc is playable only on Blu-ray Disc players, and not compatible with standard DVD players.

Also available on standard DVD

Also available on Blu-ray

Recorded live at the Philharmonie Berlin, 22 June 2010

Picture format: 1080i Full-HD
Sound format: PCM Stereo / DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Running time: 58 mins
No. of Discs: 1 (BD 25)

Note: This Blu-ray Disc is playable only on Blu-ray Disc players, and not compatible with standard DVD players.

Also available on standard DVD

Recorded live at the Philharmonie Berlin, 21 June 2010

Picture format: 1080i Full HD
Sound format: PCM Stereo 2.0 / DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Running time: 76 mins
No. of Discs: 1 (BD 25)

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BRUCKNER Symphony No. 5 • Daniel Barenboim, cond; Staatskapelle Berlin • Accentus 102175 (Blu-ray: 76:49) Live: Berlin 6/21/2010

Given the forces on stage here—over 100 players, with the wind and timpani parts reinforced—you might well expect to be crushed. But while there’s plenty of gleaming sonority as the 23 brass players ring out the final pages, Barenboim’s performance as a whole is less self-aggrandizing than you might expect. Indeed, while this is an installment of Bruckner: The Mature Symphonies, the series (as I’ve pointed out elsewhere) might equally well be branded “Barenboim: The Mature Conductor.” Having developed an enviable mastery through his long experience in this repertoire (his first Bruckner cycle, with Chicago, was begun more than 40 years ago), he no longer has anything to prove—and with unfailing poise, he coaxes out the music’s beauties without exaggeration and illuminates its spiritual depths (especially in his eloquent, if surprisingly quick, reading of the slow movement) without the kind of self-absorption that mars so many of Karajan’s late performances.

Will those looking for an extremely personal reading be disappointed? Perhaps. Barenboim—not as streamlined as Zander, as apocalyptic as Furtwängler, or as nimble as Kempe (whose performance is seriously underrated)—does not impose a strong interpretive profile on the music. Still, his performance, if generally temperate in mood, is anything but matter-of-fact. There’s plenty of impetus in the faster sections; there’s a fair dose of schmaltz where needed in the third movement; tempos, if never eccentric, are often quite elastic; and there are welcome jolts of humor, especially in the third movement and the quirky opening of the finale. Barenboim exhibits a superb sense of dynamics, too (quiet passages, especially well handled, offer a keen sense of anticipation)—and while the tone of the orchestra, especially in the finale, is wonderfully plush, it never muddies the counterpoint. Most important of all, there’s Barenboim’s sure sense of the symphony’s formal layout (the slow movement is especially well gauged). In tepid hands, this symphony can seem to last forever; but except in a few of the densest of the finale’s contrapuntal excursions (where, as in many performances, the rhythms seem to stall), we always know where we are and where we are headed.

The orchestra responds magnificently—the strings have a luxurious glow, and the solo winds interweave as well as on any performance I know. Kudos, in particular, to the ear-caressing first flute and first oboe—it would be worth acquiring this disc for their contributions alone. As on so many orchestral videos, I find the emphasis on close-ups and the constant motion of the cameras more than a bit distracting—but the sound is rich, detailed, and enveloping. Warmly recommended.

FANFARE: Peter J. Rabinowitz

Note: This Blu-ray disc is only playable on Blu-ray disc players and not compatible with standard DVD players.

Also available on standard DVD

Anton Bruckner
THE MATURE SYMPHONIES
(Blu-ray Disc Version)

Symphony No. 4 in E flat major, WAB 104, “Romantic” (1881 version, ed. R. Haas)

Staatskapelle Berlin
Daniel Barenboim, conductor

Recorded live at Philharmonie Berlin, 20 June 2010

Picture format: 1080i Full HD
Sound format: PCM Stereo / DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Running time: 69 mins
No. of Discs: 1 (BD 25)

Also available on Blu-ray

Christian Thielemann and the Dresden Staatskapelle are continuing their long-term Bruckner cycle with the Ninth Symphony, a work on which the composer was occupied when he died. Three movements were completed but the final movement remained unfinished. The Ninth constitutes a summation of all the composer’s earlier symphonies. Star conductor Christian Thielemann once again shows his talent for the German Romantic repertoire with a highly acclaimed interpretation of Bruckner´s popular Symphony

Running Time: 66 mins
Picture: 16:9
Sound: DTS 5.1, PCM Stereo
Booklet: English, German, French
Available: Worldwide

This new release, featuring a truly sensational Bruckner 9, is the premiere recording of the finale completed by Nors Josephson. Josephson writes of this release: “The present edition of the finale to Anton Bruckner’s Ninth Symphony is the result of a ten year-long project. I have utilised the sketches and score sketches to this movement that are found in the Oesterreichische Nationalbibliothek in Vienna, Austria, the Viennese Stadt-und Landesbibliothek and the Viennese Hochschule fur Musik und darstellende Kunst; all of these institutions kindly provided me with microfilms and photographic copies of these sources. In addition, Alfred Orel’s 1934 edition of most of these sources as part of the Bruckner Complete Works was of particular value. Thanks go to the Oesterreichische Nationalbibliothek in Vienna for sending me a copy of this edition.” Conductor John Gibbons brings a transparent and insightful interpretation to the entire work.

Riccardo Muti prioritizes beauty of sound over all else in this performance, with the result that you pay far more attention to the orchestral playing than to Bruckner’s music. Muti lavishes special care on the woodwinds, revealing much inner detail not usually heard (which is quite welcome). And he does give Bruckner’s huge pauses their full due, heightening the dramatic effect.

However, Muti’s very legato style (the arresting timpani thwack in the opening grand tutti notwithstanding), with soft attacks and rounded endings, makes the symphony sound like the meditation of an old man who has accepted his approaching end rather than the angry defiance of death you hear in Wand’s and Jochum’s last recordings. The Scherzo has sufficient energy at Muti’s well-chosen tempo, but lacks ferocity. It follows that the most moving moment in Muti’s performance comes in the Adagio’s coda, here rendered with a beguiling serenity.

Guilini’s Chicago recording makes it immediately clear what’s missing in Muti’s: the Chicago brass section resounds with its famed richness and power. And you can clearly hear the trumpets, unlike in the Muti, where they are barely audible in the first-movement coda, and practically inaudible in much of the scherzo. Also, despite his slower tempos, Giulini’s incisive conducting generates greater impact, especially in the Adagio’s great climax, realistically captured in EMI’s nearly 40-year-old stereo/quadrophonic production, which sounds better than CSO Resounds’ rather acoustically dry live recording.

In sum, this is a very beautifully played, Tristan-esque Bruckner Ninth. But, if you want a compelling Bruckner Ninth, Wand (his last RCA recording with the NDRSO), Harnoncourt/Vienna, and the Jochum/Dresden are just three of the excellent recordings available. Chicago Symphony fans would do better with Giulini or Barenboim.

– ClassicsToday (Victor Carr, Jr)