Search - Anton Bruckner, Kurt Masur, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig :: Bruckner: Symphonies Nos. 1 - 9 [Box Set]

Solid Bruckner Cycle

King Lemuel | Puyallup, WA | 08/02/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This Masur Bruckner 9 CD box was posted at Rhapsody several months ago and I gave it a listen then. Every track was posted except Symphony 9 track 2. I checked yesterday and that track is now posted. So, I actually got to listen to everything finally without substituting Jochum's 9th Symphony track 2 for the missing Masur track.



The Masur box was one I considered buying but instead found the Jochum Berlin Phil box set and the Haitink box set on the cheap via Ebay. When I listened to Masur I was reminded quite a bit of the Jochum box. All 3 Bruckner boxes are excellent. The Masur Box is very well played and conducted and the recording engineer did a consistently fine job. I could not write the same about the Tintner Naxos box set. The playing there is a little hit and miss and the recording engineer screwed up the levels on just about every CD. While listening to Masur/Bruckner ninth symphony this morning, I found myself remarking several times, "that's pretty good!"



Besides buying a complete box set from one conductor/orchestra, you could go on a Bruckner quest in search of the best of the best. I am very happy with boxed sets if the playing and conducting is good and lively and if the recording engineers knew what they were doing. That is the case here. If you do go on such a Bruckner quest, this box set will make an excellent benchmark reference point to do side by side comparisons.



Unlike the reviewer Mr. Sante Fe, I have not posted reviews on over 6,000 hours of music in a little over 2.5 years and then claim to an expert on all of it. Many of his so-called reviews are mere editorial hit pieces on artists he dislikes, such as Masur or Jochum, and have little if anything to do with the actual music. I just listen to a lot of classical at Rhapsody plus my own collection at home and occasionally write a review or two. It is really hard to hear the music even when reading the best of reviews. You should do your own test drive. Rhapsody will let you sign up for their free service that allows listening to 25 tracks each month for free. This box plus the Jochum and Haitink boxes as well as several hundred more hours of Bruckner music are posted at Rhapsody.







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A fine second set

K. Braithwaite | inkster, MI USA | 05/27/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If you only want one Bruckner box go for Karajan or Jochum. But it is nice to have a second (or third or fourth) perspective, and this well recorded well played set is a good second set."