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Bruckner from the Archives, Vol. 3
Bruckner from the Archives, Vol. 3 in Bloomington, MN
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It is no accident that the era of digital sound and a rise in
Anton Bruckner
's popularity have coincided;
Bruckner
's gigantic canvases seem to be fully illuminated by modern engineering. Yet there is something to be said for examining how
was heard a couple of generations ago, and those curious will be rejoicing at the
Somm
label's series of vintage
recordings, released in conjunction with the Bruckner Society of America. This is the third release in the series, and it is plenty interesting. Included are a pair of German
recordings. One is from 1966 and intended for broadcast on the NDR network, made at the Musikhalle Hamburg, with the
NDR Symphony Orchestra
conducted by
Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt
in the
Symphony No. 3 in D minor
. The other dates back to 1958, with
Volkmar Andreae
leading the
Munich Philharmonic
Symphony No. 4 in E flat major ("Romantic")
at the Herkulessaal, then, as now, a congenial place for
. The remastering by
Lani Spahr
is a fine example of the engineer's art; there is little hiss, and everything is clear, but
Spahr
can do only so much for the
Schmidt-Isserstedt
recording, whose sound is rather tinny. The 1958
Fourth
is likely to be the main attraction here. Its sound is no worse than that on the later recording, and
Andreae
is not a conductor much known these days. From the evidence here, he was an impressive Brucknerian, oriented toward big waves and climaxes rather than toward the sort of detail work with which
is often approached these days. There are very exciting moments all the way through his
Fourth Symphony
.
is more deliberate. There is a sense that he is feeling his way through the
Third
, which is, of course, deliberate. He imparts the sense of a journey that is especially appropriate in this symphony dedicated to
Wagner
and originally containing quotations from his music (the 1878 version, shorn of most of those, is performed here). In the end, this may be an album for perfect Brucknerites, but general listeners are finding
's
a uniquely rousing one; the album made classical best-seller lists in the summer of 2024. ~ James Manheim
Anton Bruckner
's popularity have coincided;
Bruckner
's gigantic canvases seem to be fully illuminated by modern engineering. Yet there is something to be said for examining how
was heard a couple of generations ago, and those curious will be rejoicing at the
Somm
label's series of vintage
recordings, released in conjunction with the Bruckner Society of America. This is the third release in the series, and it is plenty interesting. Included are a pair of German
recordings. One is from 1966 and intended for broadcast on the NDR network, made at the Musikhalle Hamburg, with the
NDR Symphony Orchestra
conducted by
Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt
in the
Symphony No. 3 in D minor
. The other dates back to 1958, with
Volkmar Andreae
leading the
Munich Philharmonic
Symphony No. 4 in E flat major ("Romantic")
at the Herkulessaal, then, as now, a congenial place for
. The remastering by
Lani Spahr
is a fine example of the engineer's art; there is little hiss, and everything is clear, but
Spahr
can do only so much for the
Schmidt-Isserstedt
recording, whose sound is rather tinny. The 1958
Fourth
is likely to be the main attraction here. Its sound is no worse than that on the later recording, and
Andreae
is not a conductor much known these days. From the evidence here, he was an impressive Brucknerian, oriented toward big waves and climaxes rather than toward the sort of detail work with which
is often approached these days. There are very exciting moments all the way through his
Fourth Symphony
.
is more deliberate. There is a sense that he is feeling his way through the
Third
, which is, of course, deliberate. He imparts the sense of a journey that is especially appropriate in this symphony dedicated to
Wagner
and originally containing quotations from his music (the 1878 version, shorn of most of those, is performed here). In the end, this may be an album for perfect Brucknerites, but general listeners are finding
's
a uniquely rousing one; the album made classical best-seller lists in the summer of 2024. ~ James Manheim
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