Symphonies nos. 1 & 5

"Austro/German repertoire is at the core of the Münchner Philharmoniker, including a long tradition of performing Bruckner ... This outstanding Gergiev account can stand confidently alongside the evergreen 1965 recording from Eugen Jochum ... With the infrequently encountered Symphony No. 1 Gergiev presides over great music making which bodes unquestionably well for this ongoing Bruckner cycle".

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"Recording of the week: All of the aspects that I so admired in previous albums are all present and correct here: the warmth of the strings, immensely characterful woodwind playing, and a blazing brass sound at the climaxes. The First Symphony is especially impressive in this regard, with Nelsons ensuring that the string passagework is never buried in the mix, even when the brass are at their strongest".

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"This is a generously filled double album but I cannot summon up much enthusiasm for its contents [Bruckner] ... The Tristan bonuses are beautifully played with deep, rich sonority from the Leipzig orchestra and Nelsons imbues them with the requisite sense of yearning, erotic urgency. The climax to the Liebestod is absolutely perfect".

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"I have not so far been anything other than delighted by anything Jaap van Zweden has recorded ... This is bright, lithe Bruckner and the recorded sound, which is both resonant and immediate, enhances its impact. The edition chosen here clearly matches van Zweden's style, as the orchestration of the later Vienna version is denser ... This is tight, swiftly modulating, rhythmic music ideally served by the impassioned and impeccable playing of this Dutch orchestra".

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"Recommended: This so-called "Vienna version" - the revision was first performed there ... is resented by Brucknerians who wish he had devoted his energies to completing the Ninth instead of needlessly tinkering with an old score ... This might not be everyone's favourite version of Bruckner's First Symphony, but the very least that might be said of this splendid recording is that it makes the strongest possible case for its consideration - or even its rehabilitation".

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"Recommended: Bruckner's First Symphony is a work far too often unfairly dismissed but this live recording on Profil demonstrates to the contrary. This is a quite stunning account from Gerd Schaller who is very much at one with Bruckner's unique soundworld".

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"Claudio Abbado here magnificently revisits Bruckner's First Symphony, but with a twist ... if Bruckner is here making his points more succinctly, there is still an impressive grandeur to the architecture and a richness of orchestral timbre. These facets come through superbly in Abbado's reading of the symphony, played with strength, suppleness of muscle and refinement by Abbado's hand-picked Lucerne Festival Orchestra".

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"To be honest, Chung's live performance doesn't quite catch the ecstatic ebb and flow of Munch's but it's a lot better than many. The two best performaces here are La Mer an Mother Goose - both are exeptional from a musical point of view as well as being magnificently recorded".

"Vurdering: Diapason d'or".

"The first symphony comes in the earlier (Linz) version favoured by most Bruckner conductors and it's a very good performance ... Blomstedt makes a strong no-nonsense case for it, and the orchestral playing is consistently excellent".

"The Fifth Symphony, coupled with another youthful predecessor, rounds off Andris Nelsons's nine-symphony Deutsche Grammophon Bruckner cycle with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra ... It's to Nelsons's credit that this [First Symphony] is as good an account of the revision as we are likely to hear, thanks to judicious tempos ane the fineness of the Leipzig playing. Transparent texturing and a superfine control of dynamics are also features of the new Leipzig Fifth. It may be a less Austrian-sounding rendering than the Vienna Philharmonic's but the refinement of the playing is equally remarkable".

"Vurdering: Editor's choice" - "Van Zweden completes his journey through Bruckner's symphonies with a richly detailed, passionately played First ... Van Zweden's interpretation is second to none in offering freshness and vibrancy while remaining faithful to Bruckner's markings ... Highly recommended".

"I like Janowski's Bruckner, its basic honesty and refusal to superimpose "personality" over the composer's own ... Sound is excellent, the orchestral playing good if not quite in the Philharmonic class".

"Marek Janowski has succesfully nurtured this orchestra to a much higher standards than for many years ... His way with Bruckner is brisk, energetic and lithe ... Janowski ensures that each successive movement is by turns purposeful, eloquent, dynamic and taut ... many passages of considerable beauty and excitement, but the Symphony's inner recesses remain insufficiently probed".

"In the last few years, recordings of the Vienna version have appeared ... and now from Schaller, and there's a strong case for a more sympathetic assessment of this detailed revision from Bruckner's last years. Schaller's previous recording of the First ... was a highlight of his original cycle and is one of the finest recordings of the symphony available. I'm not sure this new version is quite as successful ... The new performance simply lacking some of the energy and commitment of the earlier one".

"Vurdering: Gramophone choice" - "This live First Symphony ... is a mandatory listen for any selfrespecting Brucknerhead. Abbado ... is, you feel, utterly beguiled by the beautiful mysteries of this symphony's split-infinitive harmonies and carnival-mirror gestures ... Abbado does nothing to rein in this music's red-blooded walk on the wild side ... Listening and marvelling is really the only option".

"Vurdering: Diapason d'or".