Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 - Karl Bohm (1999)

Posted By : bakuman | Date : 29 Jul 2010 16:05:49 | Comments : 1 |

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Review :The recordings by Boehm, Jochum (Berlin or Dresden), von Karajan (Berlin on EMI), Sawallisch/Philedelphia, Tintner, and Wand are probably the elite recordings of this music. One could not go wrong with any one of them as the sole representative of this symphony. Considering the different versions available, that says a lot, though the differences between the Haas and Nowak editions are slight. Boehm (and Walter/CBS, also worth noting)gives a wonderfully wrought account of the Nowak edition, played with strength and obvious affection by the Vienna Philharmonic, which has a noble tradition of making up for its bad treatment of Bruckner until late in his life. The sound is rich and richly detailed. Criticism to the contrary is not born out by the sound of this disc.

The cymbol crash in the 4th movt. (Jochum recordings)is a holdover from the Loewe edition of the score, one of many revisions of several symphonies Bruckner's pupils urged on him after Levi rejected the 8th of 1887. That revised version is available in recordings by Furtwangler, Knappertsbusch, von Matacic and Steinberg. There are other touches of the cymbol, pp, in the coda of the 4th movt., which is heavily cut, as is the scherzo. The dynamics are also sandpapered, trombone parts in the 1st movt. are slurred in place of the original marcato chords, etc. The version sheds light on the sound world of his friends and admirers who hoped to make Bruckner more accessable.

Tintner has the advantgage of a low price, excellent digital sound, and a dedicated orchestra; Boehm has excellent analog sound and the Vienna Philharmonic. Tinter uses Haas's edition that replaced clarinet with oboe in the scherzo's trio section among other, minor details of orchestration.

In Boehm's case -- in all cases here -- the problem of editions dissappears in the quality and dedication of the performance.

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Tracklisting

1. Symphony no 4 in E flat major, WAB 104 "Romantic" by Anton Bruckner
Conductor: Karl Böhm
Orchestra/Ensemble: Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1874; Vienna, Austria

Date of Recording: 11/19/1973
Venue: Sofiensaal, Vienna, Austria
Length: 68 Minutes 10 Secs.
Notes: Version: 1878/80, Nowak ed.
Composition written: Vienna, Austria (1874 - 1886).