Bruckner Pao Zander - Symphony No 5 +Album Reviews

Another Stellar Recording from Zander and Telarc

Nicholas Scratch | Columbia MD | 04/04/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Benjamin Zander takes a break from the Mahler cycle to record Bruckner's 5th. Here we get another stellar recording from Zander and Telarc as well as the bonus disc featuring a discussion of the piece. Zander's talking points are always insightful but in this instance I found them particularly helpful as the Bruckner 5th is a piece that I'd never quite warmed up to until now. He likens the structure of the symphony to the structure of a cathedral and even includes a blueprint (!) as an insert along with the booklet. I certainly never looked at the piece quite like that. I'm happy to say I'm appreciating the 5th more and more with each listen. Whether you are a fan of Bruckner or are new to his music I highly recommend this 2 CD set."

Finally The Fifth!

Aaron Z. Snyder | CHESTNUT HILL, MA USA | 05/19/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My own disclosure: I've been a fan of Ben Zander since 1977 and a friend since about 1985. That doesn't mean that I've given automatic approval to everything he has done; that is, I think that I am capable of giving an unbiased view here. If I felt otherwise, I'd keep my thoughts to myself. (Oh, by the way, I know Brian Bell, too.)

I have always felt that the Bruckner 5th, which was once characterized by David Hall in HiFi/Stereo Review as being "For Brucknerphiles Only," is the most nearly-perfectly structured symphony in the entire catalogue of symphonies in general. The fact that the work is also emotionally satisfying (actually, at times, quite thrilling)should mean that this symphony should have a much wider fan base than it actually has. The fact that so few people claim even to like anything by Bruckner is due, in my opinion, to poor performances by conductors who should know better. There is nothing ponderous about Bruckner's music; it's the interpretations which often are ponderous.

Benjamin Zander, despite his interest in the work, was extremely reluctant to perform the Bruckner 5th probably more because of its reputation rather than because of the difficulty of the work itself. William Carragan, whose work on the finale of the Bruckner 9th Symphony and whose preparation of the definitive study of the 2nd Symphony are well-known among Brucknerites, has been studying tempi and tempo relationships in Bruckner Symphonies for many years and was able to contribute his valuable service to Zander in preparation of this performance.

The net result of all of this preparation is the most nearly-perfect recorded performance of the Bruckner 5th that you will ever have a chance to hear. No, this is not a performance which is note-perfect and tempo-perfect, but devoid of the human element which makes a performance sound alive. The performance breathes and excites. It's definitely *not* just for Brucknerphiles.

"

Noteworthy

D. Mills | Silly Valley, CA | 05/17/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have been listening to Bruckner for 30 years, and I'm an unabashed admirer of this symphony. It shows the composer at the peak of his form, not only for the contrapuntal richness, but mainly for its progressive cumulative impact. (Bruckner had a serious 'finale problem' that was only completely solved in the 5th and 8th symphonies).

Despite the strengths of its musical argument, it takes a special outlook in order to bring it off. If I had to sum it up, it's a matter of resisting the temptation to stop and mold the granite that makes up this musical cathedral. Notable conductors, some with Brucknerian credentials (Karajan, Jochum, Celibidache and Chailly) have failed to fully catch fire. It's the handling of the transitions that is key here. Gunther Wand, Michael Gielen and Franz Welser-Most have come closer to bringing this off by bringing a sense of purpose from first note to last. Even the ever-unpredicatable Giuseppe Sinopoli rose to the occasion with one of his greatest performances. I'm happy to add Benjamin Zander to this list. He extracts beautiful playing from the orchestra, without engaging in needless 'ritardando' moments. Tempi are as fast as one probably wants (Welser-Most pulls off a similar approach until the last movement, where he enters a rush to climax that seems too steroidal for the material).

What pushed this package into 5-star territory for me was the second disk, filled with an engaging and insightful commentary by the conductor, who leads the listener through the symphony and illustrating the major aspects of its thematic and tonal structure by presenting the material on the piano. Telarc engineers masterfully weave Zander's illustrations into the relevant orchestral excerpts.

Highly recommended, no matter how many Bruckner Fifths you already own.

"

Modern, streamlined Bruckner

Larry VanDeSande | Mason, Michigan United States | 06/06/2010

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Here's a case of hype over achievement. The Benjamin Zander-Philharmonia Orchestra issue of the Bruckner Symphony No. 5 has gotten raves around the planet, but mostly for its somewhat innovative packaging and the additional second disk, a lecture by Zander on his ideas about Bruckner's contrapuntal Fifth Symphony. In that regard, this is an exemplary performance. Zander talks about the cathedrals of sound you can hear in Gunther Wand's famous (and now very expensive) Lubeck cathedral recording of the Bruckner Symphony No. 8 Bruckner: Symphony No. 8. The clever packaging also includes a seating chart of the orchestra for Zander's performance.

These are all nice add-ons but the music is the main thing and here. In my opinion, the music it isn't up to snuff. Like a streamlined locomotive or jet, this flies by as if hardly setting a wrinkle. Lost in the approach are the craggy edges of the mountain Bruckner builds through the score. The first three movement, which set the stage for the magnificent, long finale that includes a pair of double fugues, are performed fairly well. Unfortunately, the finale, even at about 21 minutes duration, is so rapidly paced as to disregard the monumentality of the thing. To me, this was a superficial reading of the finale which is full of opportunities for conductors to exploit regarding changes in texture, pace and rhythm. When these assets are used, the finale from the coda on is one of the most magnificent scores Bruckner penned.

I have a singular idea about this music and, especially, the finale. In the 1974 documentary The World at War (30th Anniversary Edition), the BBC's magnificent visual monument to the war, the first of 26 programs in the series is called "The New Germany 1933-39." It details Hitler's election, the takeover of power, the Germans' willingness to give up liberty for power, the Anschluss, takeover of the Sedetenland, up to the opening salvo of the war in Poland.

Near the end of that program, there are scenes of Germans celebrating Hitler's 50th birthday in the streets, amidst motorcades, and in general jubilation of the zeitgiest of German glory. The BBC accompanied this section with the finale of Bruckner's Symphony No. 5 from the coda to the end, shorn of the final chords. While an abomination of Bruckner's intent, the collaboration of music, voiceover and film created overwhelming emotional impact in the storytelling. This is what I expect when I hear the end of Bruckner's Symphony No. 5 and Zander's performance had none of it. It was as close to a meandering run-through of this titanic music that I can recall hearing.

Fortunately, Amazon buyers have lots of good alternatives to this although none in super audio sound. The other SACD Bruckner 5s, by Jarvi Symphony No 5 (Hybr), Harnoncourt Bruckner: Symphony No. 5 (with Excerpts from the Rehearsals) [Hybrid SACD] and Janowski Symphony No 5 (Hybr) each have their own problems effectively managing the music. My favorite recordings of the Bruckner Symphony 5 are Horenstein's 1971 concert recording on BBC Bruckner: Symphony 5, Hermann Abendroth's 1949 Leipzig concert Anton Bruckner: Symphony No 05 (also available in the hard to find Criterion Collection set in better sound -- ASIN: B000C05XSW,) and Furtwangler's concert recording from 1942 Bruckner: Symphony No 5 (also included in his six-pack from Arts & Music Furtwangler Conducts Bruckner: Symphonies 4,5,6,7,8,9.) While none has the opulent super audio sound you get here, all three offer interpretations that make more of the music than Zander finds."

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	Bruckner, Pao, Zander Symphony No 5 Genres: Special Interest, Classical
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