Search - Anton Bruckner, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Karl Böhm :: Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 / Karl Böhm

Definitely one of the best

Howard G Brown | Port St. Lucie, FL USA | 05/14/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The recordings by Boehm, Jochum (Berlin or Dresden), von Karajan (Berlin on EMI), Sawallisch/Philedelphia, Tintner, and Wand are probably the elite recordings of this music. One could not go wrong with any one of them as the sole representative of this symphony. Considering the different versions available, that says a lot, though the differences between the Haas and Nowak editions are slight. Boehm (and Walter/CBS, also worth noting)gives a wonderfully wrought account of the Nowak edition, played with strength and obvious affection by the Vienna Philharmonic, which has a noble tradition of making up for its bad treatment of Bruckner until late in his life. The sound is rich and richly detailed. Criticism to the contrary is not born out by the sound of this disc.The cymbol crash in the 4th movt. (Jochum recordings)is a holdover from the Loewe edition of the score, one of many revisions of several symphonies Bruckner's pupils urged on him after Levi rejected the 8th of 1887. That revised version is available in recordings by Furtwangler, Knappertsbusch, von Matacic and Steinberg. There are other touches of the cymbol, pp, in the coda of the 4th movt., which is heavily cut, as is the scherzo. The dynamics are also sandpapered, trombone parts in the 1st movt. are slurred in place of the original marcato chords, etc. The version sheds light on the sound world of his friends and admirers who hoped to make Bruckner more accessable.Tintner has the advantgage of a low price, excellent digital sound, and a dedicated orchestra; Boehm has excellent analog sound and the Vienna Philharmonic. Tinter uses Haas's edition that replaced clarinet with oboe in the scherzo's trio section among other, minor details of orchestration.In Boehm's case -- in all cases here -- the problem of editions dissappears in the quality and dedication of the performance."

Masterpiece

Larry VanDeSande | Mason, Michigan United States | 04/24/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I won't repeat the other reviewers that have correctly graded this as one of the best Bruckner 4ths in history. This recording has been considered de rigeur for Bruckner 4 for 30 years and nothing out there today changes that opinion. In its most recent Bruckner overview, American Record Guide graded Bohm No. 1 in both Symphonies 3 & 4, noting his "unforced naturalness". Gramophone has recommended this recording above all other Bruckner 4's since its release. This recording continues to be the most Viennese sounding Bruckner "Romantic" symphony available. Its sense of inevitability is all-encompassing. While this version is outstanding, if you shop in England you can buy it in a two-CD set mated with Bohm's even more outstanding version of Bruckner's Symphony 3, which is sometimes called his "Wagner" symphony because of its use of repeated themes in the brass. I wouldn't want to be without this two-CD set at my house. If you love Bruckner, you shouldn't either."

It just doesn't get any better.

Kenji Fujishima | 08/31/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This recording, I believe, was made in the AAD format, but it is still one the premiere Bruckner recordings of this great symphony on Compact disc. If anyone at Polygram is reading this, please put on Decca's Double package, Maestro Bohm's recording of the Bruckner 3rd and 4th symphonies, and if anyone at DG is reading this, please package together his readings of the 7th and my all time Bruckner favorite symphony the 8th. Bohm was, in my view, an underrated Bruckner interpreter. He was indeed a giant, as quite a few great conductors such as Karajan, Wand, Furtwangler, Klemperer, Szell, Solti and Bernstein were. By all means, Don't hesitate on getting this album. I sure can't wait for its reissue. It's long overdue too, London Decca, Shame on you. Brucknerians, you will love this disc. This is the closest you will ever hear as to how they sounded under Hans Richter when he conducted the Vienna Philharmonic and they premiered this work together. A story goes that Richter read the score through, not even hearing a note, and the champagne bottle corks went flying, Bruckner himself was with him when he read the score! This was reissued before, but hopefully it should remain permanently in circulation now."