Donald Satz writes:

>I've always had problems with Bruckner, and although he's not yet anywhere
>near my idea of heaven (Bach is), I've been buying and listening to the
>Tintner recordings and am starting to feel "twinges" of affinity with this
>composer.  Every now and then, while listening to Bruckner, I feel a spark
>from a musical passage or phrase.  Perhaps one day I'll be connecting the
>dots.

You might want to give the Barenoboim\Berlin Philharmonic recording of
the Bruckner 2nd a try.  This is my biggest "wow" purchase of the year.
The playing of the orchestra in this live recording is wildly exciting.
And if you like your Bruckner musclebound, Barenboim's approach to this
performance is for you, not that this lovely, lyrical work is overly
dramatic.  This is happy Bruckner, Bruckner letting everyone know, "I'm
happy damn it".

Comparisons with the Tintner are not fair.  The Barenboim is the 1877
edtion edited by William Carragan.  This is its first recording.  Tintner
recorded the 1872 Carragan edition, and he made quite the point of playing
the scherzo as the second movement.  Oh, the trio in the scherzo is handled
very nicely as well, not indulgent.

I love the Tintner, and I like the scherzo as the second movement rather
than the andante, but the andante of the Barenboim is so lovely you cannot
help but bawl like a baby at the sheer joy of it.

Thomas Heilman