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Best Sounding Bruckner Recordings

There is a Mahler for Audiophiles thread here, but I am not sure if there is one for Bruckner.  IMO these are the two Composers that benefit the most from high quality sound.  Both Composers relied extensively upon spatial effects.  Bruckner, with his Organist background, was conscious of reverberation effects, and tended to treat the entire Orchestra as one vast Organ.  Mahler had many spatial effects built into his Symphonies.
  I listen to many historical recordings, but I find that these two composers suffer the most when sonically compromised.  I have no problem enjoying a Toscanini Beethoven Symphony, as the majesty of the music and the playing overcome sonic limitations.  However, listening to the Horenstein Bruckner Seventh from 1927 is a real trial.  Even the best restorations make it sound like it was recorded in a phone booth, and the towering beauty of the piece is missing.
  Now, with Bruckner, we have the problem of all of those multiple editions.  I am going to confess straight out that I have no expertise here .  And given that this is an audiophile site, I will concede readily that the best sounding Bruckner recordings may not necessarily be the ultimate in recorded performance.  However, I am looking for comments about great sounding Bruckner recordings that are also good performances 
mahler123
mahler123 OP
3,041 posts
 
I have the Klemperer set of 4-9 on Warner.  Are those the recordings that were on UK Columbia that @edgewear refers to?  They are also available on Qobuz.  They are pretty impressive sonically and generally respect the architecture.  My only complaint is that they never seem to soar.  The bar lines are always holding us back.  However, I should relisten 
edgewear
543 posts
 
It’s hard to keep track which of the few remaining music conglomerates has the rights to publish these recordings. EMI used to be the owner, but perhaps they are now owned by Warner. Not that I care.

Anyway, Klemperer made only one recording of these symphonies in stereo, so I must assume these are the same. I hope the digital transfers have managed to preserve some of the excellent sonics of the analog sources. I had some of these on CD’s issued by EMI in the early 90’s, but they sounded very - uh - digital....

mahler123 OP
3,041 posts
 
@edgewear

I just streamed the Klemperer 7&8 via Qobuz.  They are very good, but I find many of the same issues that bedevil many of  Klemperer’s Beethoven and Mozart recordings from the same era have, namely some rhythmic inflexibility 
and  sort of pulling of punches.  For example, try the Doom Music from 8/I.Some how Klemperer just doesn’t quite hit it with the elemental force that Karajan, Giulini, or Wand can summon.  He is an old bear, still capable of great things, but not quite what he used to be (it’s a revelation to hear Klemperer recordings from the forties and early fifties and compare them to the familiar stereo work with the Philharmonia).
  Before I paint late Klemperer with a broad brush, however, his Brahms cycle with the Philharmonia is superb.

lowrider57's avatar
lowrider57
5,393 posts
 
The boxed set I own is with the New Philharmonia/ Philharmonia released in 2012 on EMI. I see on Qobuz these are now branded Warner. The performances range from 1960 to 1970, so very late period Klemperer.

lowrider57's avatar
lowrider57
5,393 posts
 
I’m now listening to Klemperer with the WDR Koln on Qobuz, #4, 7, 8. These are from the 1950s and are superior performances; lively  but still rather reserved. They could do with some remastering, but so far I’m enjoying #4.

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