Anton Bruckner - Symphonies nos. 3-9, Mass in F minor, Te Deum (Münchner PO, Celibidache)

Sergiu Celibidache's Bruckner is like no other. Some want no part of it, to them it is just wrong. True, in his quest to find the heart of the music, Celi often slowed the tempo, and this could be extreme. Celibidache was a follower of Furtwangler in believing in the organic experience of live performance over the recording studio, and he also followed Furtwangler in viewing a composition as a living whole, and in seeing tempo as flexible, at the service of the whole rather than dictating it.

Celi led the Munich Philharmonic for 13 years, from 1982 to 1995, and the live Bruckner performances collected here span that entire range, selected as some of the best of a large number of recordings. After reading Celi's 8th called "the single best recording of anything ever made," I decided to see what could possibly attract that level of praise. What I found was practically unbelievable in its sound quality, power, and spiritual effect. (I find it fascinating that Celibidache and his Zen connected so strongly with the devout Catholic Bruckner ― there is a basic spirituality that transcends the particulars of doctrine.) The next of these recordings I heard was the 4th, and it too captured something out of the ordinary. So I took the leap and bought this entire set, thinking I might kick myself if it went out-of-print before I could decide.

Over this time of hearing more and more of Celi's Bruckner, I have heard other versions of Bruckner as well. Jochum, Wand, Harnoncourt, Bohm's 4th, Sinopoli's 5th, Klemperer and Gielen's 6ths, Boulez and Gielen's 8ths, ― there are many superb recordings. I wouldn't recommend Celi's Bruckner as the ONLY Bruckner. But if you haven't heard it, you are missing something spectacular.

Few, I suspect, will take the word of a few potentially demented reviewers, in the face of much hostile opposition. So I suggest you try my approach ― sample the 8th first. If you are unmoved, so be it. But if it has the same effect on you it has on me, I'm warning you that this set may be next...

A word on the package -- it's not a proper box, it includes 8 jewel cases, 4 of them 2-disc slimlines, for 12 discs in all. So it's quite a monster!