Gary Smith <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>Hi- As far as Bruckner's 5th goes, no offense to Aaron intended, but
>Haitink is a fairly boring reading

I would disagree with Gary here.  I'm assuming we're talking about his
VPO recording.  It displays slow tempi throughout, but I think the approach
works quite well if you like expansive Bruckner (it is not as slow as
Celibidache, mind you) and the orchestral playing is superlative.  One
could argue that with an expansive approach (favored by Haitink, Klemperer
and Celibidache) the final movement, and particularly the great fugue,
gains in magnificence.  In the West this has been released on two discs,
coupled with the Te Deum, which is one of the best recordings this work has
ever received.  In Japan, Philips has issued this recording on a single
disc.

>In terms of shear performance, I think the most exciting on record is
>the 1942 by Wilhelm Furtwangler the Berlin Philarmonic.  Of the eight
>Bruckner 5th I have it is my favorite.  But, given the sound is somewhat
>constricted, it might not be a good choice for an introduction to the
>piece.

Great performance.  The DG issue (made from copies of tapes that were
returned to Germany from the USSR) sounds better, to my ears, than the
Music and Arts (and other issues) that are derived from LPs.  This is at
the opposite extreme of Haitink's, a very fast reading.

>Jochum.  Jochum recorded this symphony several times, either his EMI or
>DG releases are a great introduction to the piece.

Big nod to the Jochum EMI set with 5 and 6.  These are, IMO, his strongest
recordings in the Dresden cycle.  The EMI Forte double disc also offers
improved sound over what you get in the whole cycle (which sounds somewhat
"boxy" by comparison).  The Tahra is also very good, but it is slower
(spread over two discs priced as one) and it does not quite have that "on
fire" quality that the Dresden recordings of 5 and 6 have.

Another recording that ranks very highly for me is Schuricht's with the VPO
from the early 60s.  This is a live performance and was issued by DG on
their VPO series (not easy to find), but it is also available on several
Italian (pirate?) labels (Memories, Stradivarius) with almost identical
sound quality.  Schuricht's recording displays his masterful phrasing and
an energy level (sample the finale) that I find miraculous for a man who
was well into his 80s.  An unforgettable performance.

Ramon Khalona
Carlsbad, California