It's a splendid one, definitely among my favorite Bruckner 4 recordings. I have a particular affection for this work because long ago it was my first gateway into the Bruckner realm. Those who like his music will enjoy this one, if they haven't already.
PLEASE do not say things like "... trombones playing second fiddle ..." when I'm drinking coffee unless you are prepared to come and clean up the mess you cause.
Given your definition of "Greatest Recordings Ever" (and you do a great job of defining what you mean by "greatest"), this is a very enlightening series. Thank you, and keep on teaching us about classical music recordings.
I am not much of a Bruckner fan, but I do have this recording in my collection on CD. Had that two LP edition you mentioned also. There's just something about this recording that intrigues me. Great playing has to be one of the factors. THANKS DAVE !!!
It truly is fascinating how this Greatest Recordings EVER! list comes out isn't it. A couple months before you started this series, I had wanted to create some form of "greatest recordings ever" playlist on spotify that I could download for times where I'm out of reception (not uncommon when travelling around regional Queensland). I was fascinated with what recordings ended up in there. There was a batch of about half a dozen recordings which were quick to throw in there. It may not be a reference or a personal favourite, but I put Bohm's Vienna Bruckner 4 into the list. And then I see you put the exact same recording into your list, about 30 recordings in! Perhaps there can be a consensus about what the greatest recordings are? Also in the first recordings I downloaded for the list were Bernstein's New York Mahler 7 and Fricsay's Beethoven 9. How cool is that. Others, which I'm sure we will see later, were Karajan's Honegger Symphonies and Monteux's Franck Symphony.
There are multiple recordings of the Vienna Philharmonic under Bohm where I get the impression that, under him, they play more beautiful than under anyone else! Case in point: Beethoven Sixth! And this Bruckner 4th gives me that same impression. My favorite, though, is Wand and the Berliners, but this is close.
After that intro your next video in this series has to be the Jochum Bruckner 4 in the DG Originals with the best ever Sibelius Nightride and Sunrise so you get like two greatest recordings for one! :D
I listened to Bohm’s 1970s VPO recording for the first time recently and finally heard what’s lacking in most performances of this work: namely, DRAMA. The first movement has an ominous weight that other conductors either don’t achieve don’t strive for. This can be scary music!
This is a truly great recording, and there are other recordings of this symphony that could justifiably be among "the greatest recordings ever": Wand/BPO, Barenboim/CSO, Klemperer, and Celebidache's unconventional but compelling Munich account among them. And yes, in Celi's case "unconventional " is an understatement.
Wise words in August! Vive le pluralisme musical! And I wonder who would argue against this recording's being up there with the other Bruckner greatest everrrr: Jochum's 5th (yes, I know, it's maybe just sentimental me, but I have a faible for the Ottobeuren recording, warts and all); Klemperer's 6th; Karajan's VPO 7th ("His last recording" as coined by the DG PR-people); Wand (Lübeck)/Giulini VPO 8th; Karajan VPO live/Schuricht 9th....
Dave, thank you for the entertainment, the algorithm recommended your review of Bruckner's 4th by Korstvedt and Hurska...I couldn't stop laughing. Karl Bohm is like a professional wrestler, he's the excellence of execution. I'm also a PDQ Bach aficionado, I'm vexed that his Grand Opera Schlepperello has never been recorded.
Another advantage of spreading the 4th over 4 sides was it avoided a break in the slow mvt as happened so often with Bruckner single lps, Klemperer's 4th for example. Bohm's first recording of Bruckner 4 was in the 30s with the Dresden Staatskapelle. It was the first recording EVAH of the work and took 8 78rpm discs. That one had superb horns as well.
YES, THIS! Flipping LPs was always a drage, but especially in the midst of a movement. I still remember where the side breaks are in the Culshaw/Solti/VPO Ring.
I was hoping a Bruckner symphony would make its way onto this list, and I'm happy to see No. 4. I've enjoyed expanding my listening experience with this series. Keep it up!
Klemperer and Wand are great, too. More grit (Klemperer) and more forwardly moving (Wand) than Böhm. To me, Böhm is more about beauty and nobility. And the Wiener Phil responds to that like... heaven.
Dave got me to appreciate many recordings with how the right manner of playing or conducting made the music work. I'm thankful to him for introducing me to this version already some time ago. There's always a slight but definite difference between North America and Europe in so many ways, but also between the Anglo-Saxon and the Celtic nations, etc., etc. Indeed, taking a moment to pay more attention will beget a better recording and more listening pleasure
It's the most beautiful and noble performance of Bruckner 4 that I have heard so far. Not that this means a lot, but... well... anyway, I do know that I will never tire of this recording. It's always a huge pleasure to come back to it.
Dear Dave, I am very found of your series "The Greatest Recordings EVER" and "Reference Recording", inter alia. You explained very clearly how choices were made for each category. However, I had the feeling - but it's me! - that in the case of Bruckner 4 the VPO' Bohm could have been easily chosen for both categories! Having say that, I was so pleased that you mentioned as your personal choice the CSO' Barenboïm version, through which I discovered the work on LP.
Thank you for your kind message. I'm not sure Bohm would have been the reference for Bruckner 4--I think it's likelier it might have been one of the Karajan versions (which I don't like at all), or maybe Klemperer or Jochum (DG).
