Music / klassiske symfonier

Symphonies nos. 1 & 5


Reviews (32)


The guardian

d. 24. Feb. 2022

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Andrew Clements (musikanmelder)

d. 24. Feb. 2022

"The First Symphony was first performed in 1868, but Bruckner revised the score in the early 1890s, though the changes he made were relatively slight. It's that final version that Nelsons conducts, and its generally extrovert nature well suits his approach to Bruckner - buoyant and as transparent as the scoring allows. He's at his most convincing in the outer movements ... [In] the Fifth Symphony, too ... the magical opening bars of the first movement, emerging almost surreptitiously out of silence and steadily coming alive, set the standard of refinement for what follows. Nelsons may downplay the majesty of some of Bruckner's climaxes, but his view of the work is undeniably an individual one".


The guardian

d. 16. July 2015

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Kate Molleson

d. 16. July 2015

"It's less urgent than a lot of interpretations and Van Zweden almost always prioritises warm sound over brusque energy ... Textures are luminous throughout: those who like their Bruckner laid on thick will want darker colours, but for me the classical lightness and clarity is a breath of fresh air".


Classics today

2020

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David Hurwitz

2020

"This isn't a great performance. It's a decent one. The problem isn't that Gerd Schaller doesn't conduct well, although the first movement could do with more pep, but there's something odd about the live sonics-a hollow quality to the sound that robs the orchestra of fullness ... There's nothing especially wrong with this release, but it still comes across as curiously unsatisfying".


MusicWeb international

2018 July

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Michael Cookson

2018 July

"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".


Presto classical

d. 11. Feb. 2022

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James Longstaffe

d. 11. Feb. 2022

"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".


MusicWeb international

2022 March

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Ralph Moore (musikanmelder)

2022 March

"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".


MusicWeb international

2015 August

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Ralph Moore (musikanmelder)

2015 August

"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".


MusicWeb international

2020 January

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Ralph Moore (musikanmelder)

2020 January

"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".


MusicWeb international

2020 February

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Michael Cookson

2020 February

"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".


The telegraph

d. 16. May 2013

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Geoffrey Norris

d. 16. May 2013

"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".


Politiken

d. 19. Apr. 2012

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Thomas Michelsen

d. 19. Apr. 2012

"Janowski holder et højt niveau i denne cyklus, som er blevet rost meget ... Janowskis version af 1. Symfoni er klassisk, intens og fyrig. Dertil kommer, at den er så ekstremt velspillet i detaljerne, at den må betegnes som en ny referenceindspilning".


Fono Forum

2011 Juli

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Michael Kube

2011 Juli

"Die Philharmoniker aus Hamburg spielen live auf hohem Niveau, auch wenn man sich noch etwas mehr Noblesse im Ton vorstellen könnte".


Diapason

2011 juillet-août

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By

Jean-Claude Hulot

2011 juillet-août


Fono Forum

2018 September

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Andreas Friesenhagen

2018 September

"CD des Monats: Motive mit Bedacht, fast zärtlich zu formen und ein gleichsam kammermusikalisch intimes Musizieren zu generieren. Gergiev zeigt, dass er die hohe Kunst beherrscht, Bruckner organisch, wie aus einem Guss erklingen zu lassen, Übergänge zu gestalten, eins aus dem anderen zu entwickeln - und das alles mit grossen, ruhigen Atem".


BBC music magazine

2022 April

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Bayan Northcott

2022 April

"Unfortunately, Nelsons has opted for Bruckner's late revision of his First Symphony, in which the bold originalities of the original are recurrently alloyed by fussy alterations ... Alas, it is evident from the opening pages of the Fifth, in which Nelsons starts slowly ... that he lacks this longterm co-ordinating sense ... With an orchestra of this stature, there are fine passages, of course. But this cannot be recommended as an essential release for Brucknerians".


Fono Forum

2022 Mai

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Christoph Vratz

2022 Mai

"Künstlerisch gibt es Unterschiede zwischen der älteren Gewandhaus-Edition und dieser neuen: Wo Blomstedt rhythmisch schärfer pointiert, wo er das "feurig" bei Bruckner im Sinne eines "schärfer" deutet, setzt Nelsons auf einen in allen Orchesterbereichen homogenen Gesamtklang und auf weichere Linien. Ohnehin bleibt er seinem Ideal treu, Bruckner als einen durch und durch romantischen Komponisten zu erfassen, der architektonisch Neues wagt und mit individuellen Mitteln Kontraste erzeugt".


Klassisk

2022, nr. 66

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Andrew Mellor

2022, nr. 66

"Denne udgivelse markerer afslutningen på Andris Nelsons' Bruckner-cyklus med Gewandhaus-orkestret, og det handler udelukkende om lyd. Leipzig-orkestrets lyd er med rette berømt; Tætte strygere, klokkerene træblæsere, messingblæsere gennemsyret af den tidligere østbloks bløde brus samt en følelse af kollektiv instrumental kraft ... I disse to Bruckner-symfonier kan man høre orkestrets tyngde, og der er ingen hårde kanter. I begge værker hører vi intimiteten og den meditative stemning, som har kendetegnet hele Nelsons' cyklus ... Dette er den mest troværdige og smukke Bruckner-cyklus i de senere år - i hvert fald siden den sidste cyklus med Gewandhaus-orkestret under Herbert Blomstedts ledelse".


BBC music magazine

2015 October

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Michael Tanner (musikanmelder)

2015 October

"Like all cycles it has had its ups and downs, but overall it has been as fine as anyone conducting Bruckner at present would be. He sensbily conducts the first, Linz version of 1865-66".


BBC music magazine

2020 May

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Oliver Condy

2020 May

"Most conductors prefer the Linz version, so here's a rare and welcome chance to hear Bruckner's First Symphony in its final 1891 'Vienna' edition. Schaller pulls his orchestra along for a live performance full of energy and excitement".


Fono Forum

2020 April

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By

Christoph Vratz

2020 April

"Schaller ist durch und durch Brucknerianer, das hört man auch dieser Aufnahme immer wieder an: bei der Gestaltung der Kontraste, bei den einzelnen fein gezogenen Linien ... Eine willkommene Ergänzung der bestehenden Edition - weitere sollen folgen".


Fono Forum

2013 September

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Andreas Friesenhagen

2013 September

"Die unterschätzte erste Sinfonie, die hier in Buckners überarbeiteter Fassung von 1891 erklingt, mutet under Abbado bisweilen überaus modern an. Dass sie eigentlich ein radikales Werk ist, kein "Vorläufer", wird in dieser Wiedergabe deutlich wie selten".


International record review

2011 October

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Nigel Simeone

2011 October

"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".


Politiken

d. 30. July 2000

By

d. 30. July 2000


Diapason

2012 decembre

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Jean-Claude Hulot

2012 decembre

"Vurdering: Diapason d'or".


International record review

2012 December

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Nigel Simeone

2012 December

"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 gramophone

2022 October

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Richard Osborne (f. 1943)

2022 October

"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".


The gramophone

2015 August

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By

Christian Hoskins

2015 August

"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".


The gramophone

2012 July

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Rob Cowan (f. 1948)

2012 July

"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".


International record review

2012 July/August

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By

Ian Julier

2012 July/August

"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".


The gramophone

2020 April

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Christian Hoskins

2020 April

"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".


Diapason

2013 octobre

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Rémy Louis

2013 octobre

"Vurdering: Diapason d'or".


The gramophone

2013 November

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Philip Clark

2013 November

"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".