Anton Bruckner (1824-1896)

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bookslover

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This evening, I listened to Bruckner's Mass No. 1 in D Minor for Soloists, Chorus, and Orchestra (1864).

Edith Mathis, soprano
Marga Schiml, contralto
Wieslaw Ochman, tenor
Karl Ridderbusch, bass

Bavarian Radio Chorus
Josef Schmidhuber, Chorus Master

Elmar Schloter, organ

Bavarian Symphony Orchestra
Eugen Jochum, conductor

Recorded at Hercules Hall in Munich, Germany
January 7-8, 1972
Produced by Gunther Breest
Engineered by Klaus Scheibe

Deutsche Grammophon Records
Catalogue No. 447 409-2

Wonderfully, wonderfully gorgeous music. The German conductor Eugen Jochum (1902-1987) was known as a Bruckner specialist. The DG reissue includes Jochum's recordings of Bruckners other two masses, also.
 
Finally, a fellow Bruckner Lover. Yippeee :up::up::up::up::up::up::up: I have the same recording that you are talking about, but I prefer Jochum's version of the F minor mass. that brings tears to my eyes, especially the Hosanna in Excelsis.

The D minor mass version that I prefer was and is the recording made by the Corydon singers and the Cordydon Orchestra under Matthew Best on the Hyperion label. This CD also has the Te Deum. Man, that is probably the greatest choral piece ever written. The opening is like a blaze of sunshine with the heavy accented chord in C with the chorus and the orchestra united, "Te Deum Laudamus, ti Dominus Confitemur, Te aetermum, Patrem omnis terra veneratur" - We praise thee O God, we acknowledge Thee to be the Lord, All the earth doth worship Thee, the Father everlasting"

Then the women section comes in sweetly and melodically, "Tibi omnes angeli, tibi coeli et universa potestates"- To thee all angels cry the heavens and all the powers therein.

Beautiful, just beautiful.

Anyway back to the D minor mass. Just glorious. The opening bars are so simple, but highly symphonic in origination, then it builds. just beautiful, just beautiful.
 
Tonight, I'm listening to Bruckner's Symphony No. 8 in C Minor (the 1890 version edited by Lowack). This was recorded by the Cleveland Orchestra, the redoubtable George Szell, conducting, in Severance Hall, in October, 1969 - the year before Szell's death, I believe.

I read somewhere recently that someone said that listening to Bruckner's symphonies is like listening to a man thinking to himself - turning over ideas in his brain, keeping some, rejecting others, but thinking all the time. It wasn't meant as a put-down, either, but as an attempt to describe Bruckner's music.
 
I have the same CD. They paired it with his 3rd in d minor. I think George Szell has the best recording of the 8th out there. The tempo is consistent throughout and it gives the music proper direction.

And the Finale. When I first heard that that made me christened this symphony as the greatest one ever written (nothing towards my boy Beethoven).

As for Bruckner's music and the way he develops it. I likened it to a grand feast. Bruckner lays out everything perfectly and minutely. Nothing is rushed, everything is well ordered. The man is so brilliant, I named my son after him.
 
Sorry but there is only one way to listen to Bruckner...

Solti...

Chicago...

Same goes for Mahler and Wagner
 
KMK said:
Sorry but there is only one way to listen to Bruckner...

Solti...

Chicago...

Same goes for Mahler and Wagner
Click to expand...

Normally, I'd agree. But Eugen Jochum (1902-1987), the German conductor, was known as a Bruckner specialist, and his recordings are very good, also. His name, by the way, is pronounced oigen yoke-um.

Next up, for me: Schubert's complete symphonies, by the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, conducted by its founder, Sir Neville Marriner.
 
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