Search - Anton Bruckner, Riccardo Muti, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra :: Bruckner: Symphony No. 4

An unlikely Brucknerian produces wonderful results

Bruce Hodges | New York, NY | 04/26/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I have long admired Muti's work with Beethoven, Orff, Stravinsky, Respighi, and other composers. This Bruckner received very mixed reviews when it was originally released (as did Muti's reading of the Sixth Symphony, both with the Berlin Philharmonic). Perhaps there are just too many recordings of the Fourth - arguably the most popular of Bruckner's symphonies - for this one to get noticed. In any case, Muti's is quite fine - a more hushed and reverent version than say, Abbado's more athletic, gregarious version with the same orchestra.As a collector with at least five other recordings of this piece, I like this one very much. Muti's innate sense of drama serves him well here; he does favor huge dynamic contrasts, building enormous climaxes that then die down into passages that are so quiet they sound remote, as if in another world. Add the silken, glorious playing from the Berlin orchestra, and frankly, this is a bargain in a large field of Bruckner recordings. I am happy EMI brought it back for a second hearing."

I must disagree with the disparaging review

Matthew | Greenfield, Indiana | 02/10/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Let's be honest: Bruckner's 4th is one of those pieces (like Wagner's overture to Die Meistersinger) that just sounds great, no matter who plays it. You really can't make it sound bad, although not all recordings have the same fire. There is definitely more excitement here than in the recordings Abbado and Karajan did with the VPO. Now, I'll admit that I haven't heard the "standard" recordings (Jochum, Bohm), but this one compares quite favorably with Wand's last rendition (also with the BPO). Given the way Wand dissolves all competition in his other BPO/Bruckner recordings (5,7,8,9), my feeling is that anyone who can keep up with Wand is doing just fine. Muti has a grasp of the overarching structures which are so critical with Bruckner. My only criticism is that there is a moment at the end of the first movement when the horns' intonation slips a little, but a quick adjustment fixes the problem and the movement ends with a bang. Overall, a strong performance and unbeatable at this price."