ANTON BRUCKNER The Symphonies—Symphonies Nos. 1-9 Herbert von Karajan Berliner Philharmoniker August 2, 2024 [DG The Original Source vinyl series]

Whither Anton Bruckner (1824 – 1896)?

For many years the country bumpkin symphonic cousin to the more glamorous Gustav Mahler (1860-1911). They shared the same romantic sentiment and much of the same Wagnerian harmonic language, but the four square and organ-like orchestration of Bruckner never seemed to be as popular as the large, dramatic canvasses of his Austrian compatriot. Mahler’s music was sexy, anxious, almost febrile and by comparison for many, Bruckner seemed pious and somewhat uninteresting.

Jump to Sept 4 of this year and we are celebrating the bicentenary of Anton Bruckner’s birth. And by celebration, I mean vinyl, CD, streaming releases galore and the world’s greatest orchestras (and youth and community orchestras) playing his works. And now, like programming a Mahler symphony, a Bruckner show is a guaranteed sellout. It is very gratifying for us Brucknerphiles to observe the success and popularity he so richly deserves.

Like Mahler, Bruckner wrote 9 symphonies (and like Mahler’s “extras”, Das Lied and the unfinished 10th, Bruckner wrote two “study” symphonies numbered 0 and 00 that fly under the radar). But whereas Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 is most definitely an inspired tour-de-force, continuing the stature and gravitas with his 2nd Symphony and gigantic 3rd Symphony, Bruckner was a slow burn until his watershed Symphony No. 4 “Romantic” (1874). From then on, hold on to your hats. The genius of Bruckner‘s invention and gorgeous melodic and harmonic language is on full burn.

But as a long-time Bruckner fanboy, attending concerts and buying recordings at a feverish pace for many years, I’ve expected this popularity for some time. My father, an ardent Brucknerphile, introduced my brother and me to Bruckner records (Klemperer, always Klemperer) when we were young children. Only the covers stuck, the name, and some of his music, but the torch was lit.

Jump to the bicentenary year, and we have the granddaddy of celebratory record releases. A box set of all his nine symphonies on 17 LPs conducted by one of his greatest interpreters, Herbert von Karajan, played by the great Berliner Philharmoniker and most importantly [for some of us], on vinyl, remastered all analogue [Syms 1-3 are from digital files; more later] by the splendid Emil Berliner Studios for Deutsche Grammophon’s inspired series, The Original Source. Magic time!

I pre-ordered the box from the official DG online store. With only 2000 copies, I expect it to sell out (but it’s still available on Amazon for CAD 550 the last I checked), so there you go. Like the surprisingly still available superb Giulini Emil Berliner box (Bruckner 7, 8 & 9/VPO) maybe the FOMO is not as vociferous as a year ago. And like the previous DG box (not part of the Original Source series), it was pressed at Optimal in Germany. Best watch the linked video for the pressing quality story!

The new box cost me €299.99 plus shipping, import duties and tax, for a total of approximately CAD 550. Expensive, even with 17 LPs. If the records turned out like the Giulini Bruckner records pressed at Optimal, getting a replacement box would be very expensive (return shipping, then further shipping of the replacement box, duties and tax). I should have trusted that Amazon, with its generous return/replacement policy, would have it in stock, but the DG products have been sporadic lately.

After our unboxing video, I took two days to clean the 17 LPs (mould release agent). After each clean, I played a few minutes of each side to check for any anomalies (dished, warped, bubbles, overfill) listening for tape anomalies and distortion during the regular lengthy listening sessions.

Others may think listening to many hours of Bruckner is an onerous task. Me, pure unadulterated pleasure. Especially with as exciting a release as this. Did I mention I’m a von Karajan fanboy, too?

General information

Bruckner was a bit of a neurotic with a general lack of confidence and naivety and was easily influenced by his “betters”. Considering he was thought of as unimportant and unsophisticated among influential circles, he certainly had enough “experts” interested in his business. As such, each symphony has many irons in the fire. As far as the lengthy list of revisions and editions (second and even third versions by the composer are generally fine, but some 3rd party “revisions” I find dilute Bruckner’s incredible inspiration), von Karajan has chosen best practices and gives us well-received versions.

Each movement is on one side except Symphony No. 1 (two movements per side). All LPs are cut at 33 RPM. This spacing gives lots of breathing room for Bruckner’s massive climaxes.

The set was recorded between 1975 and 1980, during the time DG was switching to digital from analogue. As such, the earlier recorded Syms 4 through 9 are 8-track analogue and the later recorded Syms 1 through 3 are from 11-track digital multitrack tapes. DG shifted from four-track to 8 track and multi-track digital for future-proofing. It was at this time when “Quadraphonic” became a passing fancy and AAA was thought inferior to digital editing and advancements.

All the recordings were engineered by Günter Hermanns in the Philharmonie.

The Bruckner completists will appreciate this:

Bruckner: Symphony No. 1 in C minor (1866 WAB 101) Nowak Edition (“Linz” 1953)

Bruckner: Symphony No. 2 in C minor (1872 WAB 102) Nowak Edition (1965)

Bruckner: Symphony No. 3 in D minor ‘Wagner Symphony' (1872 WAB 103) Nowak Edition of Bruckner’s 1888 revision (1959)

Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 in Eb Major 'Romantic' (Revision II of 1878-1880 WAB 104) Haas Edition (1936)

Bruckner: Symphony No. 5 in B flat major (1875 WAB 105) Haas Edition (1935)

Bruckner: Symphony No. 6 in A major (1879 WAB 106) Haas Edition (1935)

Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 in E Major (1881 WAB 107) Haas Edition (1944)

Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 in C minor (1892 WAB 108) (Haas Edition 1939 of a mixed version of 1890 autograph and the 1887 version)

Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 in D Minor (1887-1896 Unfinished WAB 109) Nowak Edition (1951)

Performances & interpretation

As you would expect from the team assembled, the performances are generally first-rate, some supremely so with exceptional ensemble and very beautiful solo work. When the Berliner Philharmoniker is unleashed on Bruckner and remastered by the brilliant Rainer Maillard and his team at Emil Berliner Studios, amazing things can and do happen.

Contrary to some opinions I’ve read, I believe HvK is an incredible interpreter of Bruckner, focusing on the vaunted sound of his great orchestra. Only the Vienna Philharmonic can match them for Bruckner sound—power, soloistic prowess and refinement with the Concertgebouw, Chicago and Klemperer’s 1960s Philharmonia coming close on their very best days, stylistic differences notwithstanding. But Karajan had great experience with Bruckner and although many Brucknerphiles could live with this new complete set as their only recordings, Karajan has surpassed a few of them with previous or later recordings. As for interpretations, the aforementioned Carlo Maria Giulini, Karl Böhm, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Carl Schuricht, Eugen Jochum and HvK are my favourites. At the end of the review, I’ll give you my suggestions for a “perfect” set of individual performances. Splendid though much of the box set is, I cannot recommend this release as a first choice if you expect the best performance for each symphony.

We get off to a wonderful start with a fresh, youthful, splendidly played performance and interpretation of Symphony No. 1. I don’t know it all that well (2nd even less), but I would imagine it’d be tough to beat.

Symphony No. 2 is much like 1, excellent. Fresh and invigorating. Symphony No. 3 also receives a first-rate performance if not quite as musically immersive as the first two. (We’ll talk about the remastered digital sound below). But who spends CAD 550 on the first three symphonies, no matter how much of a fanatic you are? We are…well, I am…waiting for Bruckner’s most popular symphony, the mighty “Romantic”, Symphony No. 4.

And it’s a bit of a disappointment. After Klemperer’s magisterial Philharmonia 4th, the bar is very high for me. The DG interpretation is fine; mainstream, nothing outlandish. But, it’s how hard Karajan drives his orchestra. And it has just as much to do with the sound. More on that below. As such, Karajan gilds the lily. He’s driving his Porsche through redline almost throughout.

Listening to Karajan’s incredible Symphony No. 5 was a refreshing panacea to the 4th. This is one of the great 5ths and jumps to the top of my favourites, matching (and in some ways exceeding) my beloved Klemperer/Philharmonia from Kingsway (it’s almost impossible to find on the original double vinyl EMI—mine cost big bucks from Australia, but the mid-price EMI CD is superb). Karajan’s very slow tempo for the “Adagio” movement is beautifully paced—and dangerously slow with the string section triplets plodding and that funky cross-rhythm oboe solo with implied syncopation floating above.

Conducting and playing

Before we move on to 6 through 9, a note about performance practice. I’ve only conducted one, Symphony No. 7, but played several. Technically, at least in general terms, the symphonies are not all that difficult to play compared, to say, Mahler. They are also quite straightforward to conduct, at least metrically. But this is where great conductors like the ones mentioned above understand the nature of Bruckner. In place of pure, hard-driving note bashing, the difficulties are in the blend, balance, structure and the addition of intonation. It’s got to be flawless. The structure of the symphony and the conductor’s interpretation rely on it more than many composers. There are so many block chords with complex inner counterpoint, that if the brass especially are not in tune, it can be mayhem. Most conductors (empathetic ones) allow the brass to “mark” during dress rehearsals so the players have enough lip to let rip on the show.

Bruckner includes a quartet of Wagner Tubas in some of his symphonies—they are fiendishly difficult to play in tune; they are a conical bore and use a French horn mouthpiece. The Berlin “Tuben” are magnificent throughout, as are all the brass.

The beauty of tone with absolute control is also imperative in the many woodwind interjections in connective passages, especially in the great Adagios. How many times do you hear a lone flute or clarinet above a very quiet string choir connecting sections in the development or, more importantly, the codas of Adagios?

There are some supreme tests for conductors such as the opening of the gorgeous and solemn “Adagio” of Symphony No. 8. And HvK conquers those tests brilliantly, only falling short on the balances in the “Romantic”.

As for the rabbit warren of editions and revisions, I’ve listed in detail above so if you want to follow the score, you can pick the correct one from the list on IMSLP. My suggestion, avoid the edition fanatics and simply enjoy. And for goodness sake, stay off Wikipedia—it’ll make your head spin, especially 4 and 8.

Back to the box set and Symphony No. 6.

Often called “the ugly duckling”, I’m more admirer than a fan of number 6. So much so that I rarely listen to the work. For the readers, I followed the score very carefully and heard superb playing from the Berliner Philharmoniker and a straightforward interpretation by Karajan. No less of a scholar than Robert Simpson raves about the work. Jim Norris of Audiophilia (and our livestream), equally a Bruckner scholar, is not a huge fan of the work but heard Muti conduct it with the NY Phil and was blown away by the performance and Muti’s conception. Let me know in the comments if you love it and why. Thanks.

Now to the big finish, 7, 8 and 9, Bruckner’s greatest symphonies. Each is perfect in its way and flawless advertisements for the essence of why we adore Bruckner.

Happily, the Berliner team nailed all three and Bruckner fans can rest assured that each is in the top echelon. Karajan builds the climaxes magnificently and the orchestra is with him every step of the way. As always, Karajan expects beauty in sound and he gets it. But he also gets the great works’ architecture. As you step before the orchestra, if you are any type of humble musician, it’s like standing with Everest before you—you’re at base camp and you’ve got a hell of a journey ahead. It’s the biggest ask of the conductor to drag the audience up there with you. Karajan is amazing here.

Most importantly for me, we have a sublime Symphony No. 8, almost as good as Karajan’s legendary 8th with the VPO on ESOTERIC SACD, which along with Furtwängler‘s Berlin studio recording of 1949, can join the epochal 8ths.

Lovers of 7 and 9, probably Bruckner’s most beautiful symphonies, will be very happy. Both are worthy DG stablemates to the Emil Berliner/Giulini boxset.

Symphony No. 7 sounds glorious, is spacious and is paced to perfection. The orchestra is in top form. The same for Symphony No. 9 (see Pressing below). It begins in my favourite key of D minor which Bruckner establishes from bar 1 and is indicated by my all-time favourite tempo marking, “Feierlich, misterioso”, solemnly and mysteriously.

The dynamics in all the symphonies (except 4) from the almost imperceptible to the most Brucknerian wall of sound, are executed with great skill by the orchestra. And except for those few moments of over-modulation (distortion, tape issues, etc) which I’ll discuss in Sound, there are no issues. And while the tidal wave of sound is very impressive, the ultra-quiet moments are equally splendid. Karajan knows how to balance a ppp, seemingly unimportant horn accompaniment. As the sound dies down from a huge climax, they are left hanging, perfectly balanced, perfectly in tune, a super quiet horn sound yet still round and full in tone. Remarkable playing.

Sound

If you’d like chapter and verse on this very special remastering, and the equipment used (and built), please watch this.

Enough said that the two magicians, Rainer Maillard and Sidney Meyer continue their groundbreaking work on DG’s wonderful The Original Source series.

In Bruckner, besides interpretation and orchestral execution, I’m listening for sound quality. So this release is significant to audiophiles coming from this venerated source.

Generally, the remastering and cutting are a triumph. In all but a few places, the sound is warm, detailed, powerful then delicate, highlights the hall and is very spacious. Dynamics are thunderous then whisper quiet with no loss of focus. The tonal lustre of the Berliner Philharmoniker is consistent. Glorious sounds.

Pizzicato, so important in Bruckner to emphasize rhythm and harmony, sounds wonderful. Listen to the “Scherzo” of Symphony No. 9, the famous pizzicato described by Bruno Walter as “a giant Mephistophelian guitar”—you won’t hear it much better. As good as Karajan’s earlier, seminal 1966 Ninth on DG.

Highlights and anomalies.

The symphonies which highlight the direction I believe the team were trying to achieve are the AAA Symphony 5 through 9, each matching performance and interpretation with sound. And the digital Symphony No. 1 continues Emil Berliner’s excellence in digital remastering. No fears or worries, here. Symphony No. 2 is also very fine (if maybe the weakest symphony in inspiration), with Symphony No. 3 sounding very good but a little inhibited by comparison with 1 and 2. I’m not sure of the reason; could it be that this was the one symphony that was not cut directly to the disc from the original master, which could not be located? The digital stereo mix down was used.

This brings us to Symphony No. 4. I feel it’s driven too hard with distortion, tape issues, or too loud an orchestra. Take your pick. For sure, the timpani is too far forward and loud in the mix. It’s a fine performance but sonically there are better. Even Karajan had reservations about the original mix. Read about it in the excellent booklet. For many, if you’re hearing the same as me, that may make the set a non-starter. I think that would be a mistake. Keep the volume down a little and tame those climaxes. That’ll help.

If saddened by a slightly weakened and over-egged 4th, throw on the sublime “Adagio” from the magnificent Symphony No. 9, dedicated to “My dear God” and subtitled, in Bruckner’s mind, anyway, “Farewell to Life”. It sounds as sublime as the music and is a perfect ending to what is a wonderful Bruckner symphony set. And a fitting tribute to Bruckner, Herbert von Karajan, the Berliner Philharmoniker and the entire team at DG The Original Source. Very highly recommended.

Pressing

The presentation is magnificent, with artwork, colour, jackets, box, historical documentation and brilliant, comprehensive notes. You won’t find better.

One bit of bad news. 16 LPs were flawless, flat and silent. Sadly, Side 1 of Symphony No. 9 has a serious flaw, bubbles through the side resulting in a thump every rotation. I’ll ask them to send another.

My list

To be sure, I’d be happy with this box set as my primary source, with a Testament Klemperer Bruckner 4 reissue as an alternate. But if you want to build a superstar lineup in addition to this wonderful box, audition these:

Symphony 1-3, 5, 6 and 9 the new box examples will do nicely.

Symphony No. 4 Klemperer/EMI (vinyl)

Symphony No. 7 Giulini new DG box set (vinyl)

Symphony No. 8 (Karajan ESOTERIC SACD)