Bruckner: Symphony No. 8, Wagner: Tristan and Isolde (Prelude to Act I)

On this CD:

1. Symphony No. 8 in C Minor (Apocalyptic; The German Michel) (First Definitive version; Schalk version), WAB 108
Composed by Anton Bruckner
Performed by BBC Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Reginald Goodall

2. Tristan und Isolde, opera, WWV 90 Prelude to Act 1
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by BBC Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Reginald Goodall

3. Wesendonk Lieder, songs (5) for voice & piano (or orchestra), WWV 91
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by BBC Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Reginald Goodall

Customer Reviews:

Live Klemperer Treasure from 1968.......2006-06-27

This extraordinary set of live Klemperer performances should be in the collection of everyone who cares about Klemperer and his marvelous style of music making. Massive and often slow but always vital and alive, they will not appeal to everyone. But it is astonishing how these CDs bring into sharp focus Klemperer's real magnetism on the podium. As good as his EMI recordings are, they are so very much the product of the recording studio one can be forgiven for wondering whether they represent what Klemperer was in fact capable of achieving in live performance, particularly near the end of his career when his various physical disabilities became almost overwhelming impediments to performance. Somehow, almost miraculously, Klemperer put it all together for a few weeks in the late Spring of 1968 in Vienna to produce truly incandescent performances. Not note perfect by any means, this is music making nevertheless for the ages. I suppose the Mahler 9th comes closest to failure as it offers some of the most ragged playing in the set. (According to the excellent liner notes, some of that can be attributed to Klemperer but more to the orchestra's unfamiliarity with Mahler's last great symphony and even downright hostility to Mahler's music in general.) But in the end that raggedness doesn't matter at all. Klemperer's trademark qualities as conductor are very much present in the Mahler as in all these performances: clarity of polyphonic texture; structural integrity; overall rhythmic coherence (even if ensembles are a bit 'shaky' at times). I was particularly moved by the performances of Bach and Mozart -- the 'Jupiter" symphony is positively incandescent -- as well as by the Bruckner Fifth which is, hands down, the greatest performance of that symphony I have ever heard, live or on record. But all these performances are well worth hearing again and again in spite of their foibles. All performances from the 1968 series are in good quality stereo sound; the single mono recording, a very decent-sounding performance of the Brahms German Requiem, is taken from a Klemperer concert in Vienna about ten years earlier. I don't recommend this set to the 'note perfect' crowd or to anyone who has a fixed idea about what is the "best" recording of the Beethoven Fifth or Mahler Ninth. But if you are prepared to hear the 'thoughts' of an old man who has struggled with this music all his life, for whom this music meant more than anything else on earth and for which he was willing to push himself past pain and infirmity for one last encounter, then I think you will be moved and enriched by this priceless set.

Wilhelm Furtwängler: Live Recordings 1944-1953

Average customer rating:

A representative introduction to Furtwängler's art

Wilhelm Furtwängler: Live Recordings 1944-1953
Ludwig van Beethoven , Franz Schubert , Robert Schumann , Johannes Brahms , Anton Bruckner , Richard Strauss , Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky , Paul Hindemith , Cesar Franck , Maurice Ravel , Richard Wagner , Wilhelm Furtwangler , Berlin Philharmonic , and Vienna Philharmonic
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Recordings 1942-1944, Vol. 1
Recordings 1942-1944, Vol. 2
An Anniversary Tribute
Furtwangler Conducts Brahms - Complete Symphonies, etc / North German RSO, Berlin PO
CARL SCHURICHT Decca Recordings 1949-1956

ASIN: B00007BGXS
Release Date: 2003-02-11

Album Details

Original Masters serie.

Customer Reviews:

A representative introduction to Furtwängler's art.......2003-02-15

We are not exactly short on recordings by Wilhelm Furtwängler, and for collectors and aficionados of the great German conductor this box of 6 CDs with live recordings from 1944-1953 will undoubtedly be a severe disappointment. The only rarity is the (otherwise unnecessary) Tchaikovsky "Pathétique" from Cairo, 1951. All the rest are reissues and have been released by various labels in different couplings.

This set is therefore mainly destined for anybody wanting a well-programmed and representative introduction to the art of Furtwängler. Except for the already mentioned Tchaikovsky, the "Rapsodie espagnole" by Ravel, and the "Symphonic Metamorphosis" by Hindemith, interesting but not really indispensable, the rest of the box is required listening. There are stunningly revelatory cuts of Brahms 2nd (Vienna, 1945), Beethoven's 7th (Berlin, 1953), Schubert's 8th (Berlin, 1952), Bruckner's 8th (Vienna 1944), and a formidable disc of orchestral excerpts from Wagner's operas. On top of that the Vienna 1944 recording of Beethoven's Leonore III is a real killer. The "Haydn Variations" by Brahms, "Manfred" by Schumann, "Don Juan" by Strauss, and the "Symphony" by Franck are equally rewarding.

It goes without saying that the sound quality of these live recordings from the 1940s and 1950s is variable, although within context everything is acceptable and well remastered (There is some serious distortion though in the final movement of the Franck "Symphony").

This set comes in yet a new limited-edition historical series "Original Masters" from Deutsche Grammophon. The liner notes emphasizing the rarity of the recordings (so-called "buried musical treasures") are however to be taken with more than a grain of salt. The presentation of the CDs in paper bags with a transparent cover isn't exactly a great idea either.

Tracks:

Wagner: Prelude & Liebestod from "Tristan & Isolde:" Vorspiel
Wagner: Prelude & Liebestod from "Tristan & Isolde:" Liebestod
Mendelssohn: Athalia Overture, Op. 74
Reger: Variations & Fuge On A Theme By Mozart: Variationen
Reger: Variations & Fuge On A Theme By Mozart: Fuge

Tracks:

Haydn: Concerto In D Major For Violoncello & Orchestra: Allegro moderato
Haydn: Concerto In D Major For Violoncello & Orchestra: Adagio
Haydn: Concerto In D Major For Violoncello & Orchestra: Allegro
Schubert: Symphony In B Minor: Allegro moderato
Schubert: Symphony In B Minor: Andante con moto

Tracks:

Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 In D Minor: Feierlich
Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 In D Minor: Scherzo/Trio Bewegt, lebhaft/Schnell
Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 In D Minor: Adagio. Sehr langsam

Tracks:

Wagner: Siegfried's Death from "Gotterdammerung"
Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 In E-flat Major, Op. 55
Bach: Sinfonia In D Major, Op. 18 No. 4: Allegro con spirito
Bach: Sinfonia In D Major, Op. 18 No. 4: Andante
Bach: Sinfonia In D Major, Op. 18 No. 4: Rondo. Presto
Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 In A Major, Op. 92: Poco sostenuto
Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 In A Major, Op. 92: Allegretto
Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 In A Major, Op. 92: Presto
Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 In A Major, Op. 92: Allegro con brio

Customer Reviews:

Brilliant Reger & J. C. Bach, Otherwise A Mixed Bag.......2005-06-16

If you have read any of my other Amazon reviews, you are aware that I am a great admirer of German conductor Carl Schuricht (1880-1967). As the excellent CD notes here by Mark Kluge indicate, "Schuricht in a sense bridged the older generation of Romantic interpreters and the modern, objective style of conducting. His sense of balance derived from the old school, with a firm bass and a typically layered sound. His fine ear resulted in allowing all important parts to be heard. Schuricht's tempo choices were generally on the quick side, and flexible as a rule. His rhetorical gestures were plentiful but rarely extreme, and always with a clear structural basis. The drama of Schuricht's performances resulted from the music itself, not from his podium manner. He was on one hand Felix Weingartner's heir, but undeniably also a product of the same time and culture that produced Abendroth, Furtwangler and Knappertsbusch."

I picked up a used copy of this 4-disc Music & Arts set a few years ago for around $16. Right now, I am in the midst of down-sizing a collection with too many performances of the same repertoire (especially Bruckner symphonies), and just listened to this entire set yet another time. Here are some impressions:

1. This 1950 Prelude & Liebestod from Tristan & Isolde is nicely molded, although the playing itself is rather ordinary (with some blue intonation from the winds). It's not really in the same class as other historic performances from the likes of Furtwangler, de Sabata, Stokowski, Talich, etc.

2. Mendelssohn's Athalia Overture (rec. 1950) receives a fine reading, though I still prefer the ancient Mengelberg/N.Y Phil. account. The Schuricht, however, has much better sound.

3. Schuricht's lovely performance of Reger's Mozart Variations is the highlight of this set - it's truly exceptional. Sadly, the audience is VERY noisy & cough-prone here. Still, all in all, this account for me ranks with those by Scherchen (CPO CD) and Bongartz (Berlin Classics).

4. This fine performance (1950) of Haydn's Cello Concerto with Mainardi is, to my ears, surpassed by Mainardi's studio account with Fritz Lehmann & the Berlin Phil (Decca 10" LP) and (just 2 mvts.) the old Feuermann/Weissman recording from 78s (M&A).

5. This 1952 reading of Schubert's "Un-finished" is far better than his studio account with the VPO (unfortunately, the latter was included in Schuricht's volume in IMG's "Great Conductors" series). However, after some comparisons, I marginally prefer Schuricht's live NDR Symphony account on a Disques Refrain CD (coupled with magnificent readings of Haydn's Symphony #86 and Beethoven's Egmont Overture). Still, this is a great account.

6. The live 1951 Bruckner 9th is one of five Schuricht accounts - and the least successful of the bunch (some of the playing, especially from the brass, is pretty bad). The 1937 (1 1/2 mvts. only on Archiphon), the 1943 (LYS), and the two later accounts (Orfeo & EMI) are all preferable to this one.

7. The Siegried's Tod (1942) from Wagner's Gotterdammerung is excellent, if a bit short of various accounts by Furtwangler and Knappertsbusch.

8. I don't find these accounts of Beethoven's 7th (1937) and Eroica (1942) quite as satisfying interpretively (not to mention sonically) as Schuricht's later readings in his complete Beethoven cycle (EMI). However, there are many interesting details here that contrast with those later readings, and I wouldn't want to be without them.

9. Despite rather old sound, this nimble account of J. C. Bach's Sinfonia in D minor (from 1937) is altogether stylish & lovely. It's my only recording of the work and hence a keeper.

Mainly for the superb Reger and J. C. Bach performances here, I am keeping this set. But unless those items are important to you, I can't honestly say that this M&A set at full price represents very good value. If you are a Schuricht collector, this set is worth having. Other listeners may want to explore the alternative performances cited above.

Jeff Lipscomb

Bruckner: Symphony No. 8, Wagner: Tristan and Isolde (Prelude to Act I)

Average customer rating:

GOODALL ROCKS ROYAL ALBERT HALL!!!!

Bruckner: Symphony No. 8, Wagner: Tristan and Isolde (Prelude to Act I)
Anton Bruckner , Richard Wagner , Sir Reginald Goodall , Janet Baker , and BBC Symphony Orchestra
Manufacturer: BBC Legends
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00005Y338
Release Date: 2002-03-12

Tracks:

Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 in C minor: Allegro moderato
Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 in C minor: Scherzo. Allegro moderato-Trio.
Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 in C minor: Adagio. Feierlich langsam, doch

Tracks:

Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 in C minor: Finale
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde: Prelude to Act I
Wagner: Wesendonck-Lieder: Der Engel
Wagner: Wesendonck-Lieder: Stehe still!
Wagner: Wesendonck-Lieder: Im Treibhaus
Wagner: Wesendonck-Lieder: Schmerzen
Wagner: Wesendonck-Lieder: Traume

Customer Reviews:

GOODALL ROCKS ROYAL ALBERT HALL!!!!.......2004-09-15

LONG AWAITED RELEASE OF THIS LIVE BRUCKNER 8 WITH THE LEGENDARY REGINALD GOODALL IN TOP FORM IN 1969. ALSO INCLUDED ARE A COUPLE WAGNER DITTIES (GOODALL'S FIRST LOVE) TRISTAN PRELUDE AND WESENDONCK LIEDER WITH THE LOVELY VOICED JANET BAKER. ALL PERFORMANCES ARE OUTSTANDING, BUT OF COURSE YOU WILL BUY IT FOR THE BRUCKNER. THE PERFORMANCE HAS AMAZING WEIGHT AND CONVICTION TO IT, THE ORCHESTRAL SOUND IS DARK AND BURNISHED, PERFECT FOR BRUCKNER. WHILE NOT QUITE AS SLOW AS ANOTHER LONG AWAITED BRUCKNER 8, NAMELY THE CELIBIDACHE/MUNICH RECORDING, IT IS IN THE SAME CLASS FOR SURE. THIS IS BRUCKNER CONDUCTING WHICH MAKES MOST OTHER 8THS SEEM LIGHT-WEIGHT. I PERSONALLY LOVE THIS APPROACH. IF YOU LIKE CELIBIDACHE, YOU WILL LOVE GOODALL IN THIS MUSIC. THE WAGNER FILL-UPS ARE ICING ON THE CAKE AS THEY SAY. ALTOGETHER AN UNMISSABLE ISSUE. PLEASE ALSO SEE THE RECENTLY RELEASED BRUCKNER 7 WITH GOODALL ON BBC LEGENDS/IMG. BY THE WAY, THE ORCHESTRA IN ALL THESE RECORDINGS IS THE BBC SYMPHONY. THEY DESERVE SPECIAL MENTION IN THAT THEY RESPOND TO GOODALL'S CONDUCTING IN A VERY PROFOUND WAY. ENJOY AND THANKS FOR READING MY REVIEW!!!!

Average customer rating:

Yevgeny Mravinsky Vols. 1-10

Manufacturer: Melodiya
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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General | Classical | Styles | Music

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German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000001HC6
Release Date: 1995-06-13

Tracks:

Oberon: Ov
Sym No. 8 in b, D759 'Unfinished': 1. Allegro moderato
Sym No. 8 in b, D759 'Unfinished': 2. Andante con moto
Sym No. 2 in D, Op. 73: 1. Allegro non troppo
Sym No. 2 in D, Op. 73: 2. Adagio non troppo
Sym No. 2 in D, Op. 73: 3. Allegretto grazioso (Quasi Andantino)-Presto ma non assai
Sym No. 2 in D, Op. 73: 4. Allegro con spirito

Tracks: