Karajan: Bruckner Symphonies (9 CD box set, FLAC)

Composer: Anton Bruckner
Orchestra: Berliner Philharmoniker
Conductor: Herbert von Karajan
Audio CD
SPARS Code: A-D
Number of Discs: 6 CD box set
Format: FLAC (image+cue)
Label: Deutsche Grammophon
Size: 2.39 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: no

CD 1:
Symphonie Nr.1
1. I. Allegro
2. II. Adagio
3. III. Scherzo. Schnell
4. IV. Finale. Bewegt, feurig

Symphonie Nr.5
5. I. Introduction. Adagio – Allegro

CD 2:
Symphonie Nr.5
1. II. Adagio. Sehr langsam
2. III. Scherzo. Molto vivace (schnell)
3. IV. Finale. Adagio

CD 3:
Symphonie Nr.3
1. I. Mehr langsam, Misterioso
2. II. Adagio, bewegt, quasi Andante
3. III. Ziemlich schnell
4. IV. Allegro

CD 4:
Symphonie Nr.2
1. I. Moderato
2. II. Andante
3. III. Scherzo. Maessig schnell
4. IV. Finale. Mehr schnell
Symphonie Nr.8
5. I. Allegro moderato

CD 5:
Symphonie Nr.8
1. II. Scherzo. Allegro moderato – Trio. Langsam
2. III. Adagio. Feierlich langsam, doch nicht schleppend
3. IV. Finale. Feierlich, nicht schnell

CD 6:
Symphonie Nr.4 ‘Romantische’
1. I. Bewegt, nicht zu schnell
2. II. Andante quasi Allegretto
3. III. Scherzo. Bewegt – Trio. Nicht zu schnell. Keinesfalls schleppend – Scherzo
4. IV. Finale. Bewegt, doch nicht zu schnell

CD 7:
Symphonie Nr.6
1. I. Majestoso
2. II. Adagio. Sehr feierlich
3. III. Scherzo. Nicht schnell – Trio. Langsam
4. IV. Finale. Bewegt, doch nicht zu schnell

CD 8:
Symphonie Nr.7
1. I. Allegro moderato
2. II. Adagio. Sehr feierlich und sehr langsam
3. III. Scherzo. Sehr schnell
4. IV. Finale. Bewegt, doch nicht schnell

CD 9:
Symphonie Nr.9
1. I. Feierlich, misterioso
2. II. Scherzo. Bewegt lebhaft
3. III. Adagio. Langsam, feierlich

Has never been surpassed

If you are a fan of Bruckner’s music, you must have this set. Period. No conductor has ever surpassed what von Karajan achieved in this set. Not Jochum, not Furtwangler, not Tintner, not Wand. Some conductors at their best (Jochum in #5 with the Concergebouw in 1986 just before he died, Giulini in #9 with the VPO) have surpassed these performances, but they are few and far between. The playing of the Berlin Philharmonic has to be heard to be believed. Von Karajan was a great Bruckner interpreter, perhaps most consistently the greatest of all. Even if you may have reservations about von Karajan, just listen and you will likely be blown away. The only issues with this set may have to do with von Karajan’s choice of text in Symphonies #1 and #3 (Jochum’s performance of #1 with the BPO is superlative, not just because of the text, and Tintner’s performance of #3 is best of all recordings of that symphony that I’ve heard). The highlights of this set (and it’s hard to call them highlights because the overall quality is incredible) are #2, and #4-9.