Donald Satz:

>Harnoncourt has record Bruckner's 3rd, 4th, and 7th symphonies.  Reviews
>of this combination have been very mixed as I would have expected with
>"traditionalists" having disdain for Harnoncourt's interpretations.
>Although I don't have the above recordings, I'm thinking about it.
>Any encouragement?

Yes, although they wouldn't be my FIRST choice.  The remark I made about
Haitink's Mahler that his "live"differs quite a lot to his "studio" can
be equally applied to Harnoncourt's Bruckner.  Witnessing Harnoncourt's
Bruckner in the Concertgebouw was like being present at the premiere,
it was like seeing the pieces invented and accounted freshly anew.
Harnoncourt is a great one for "telling the story" behind the piece.
His climax-building is superb, in so far that he manages brilliantly
(IMHO) to use colouring rather than sheer volume.  Lots of people get a
head-ache from too much late-romantic climaxing; now here is your cure.
In this (and ONLY in this) Harnoncourt reminds one of Celibidache's
Bruckner.  Harnoncourt's recordings take much less risk.  His tempi are
never extravagant, never any strange idiosyncracies, with very finely
shaped scherzo movements (you seem to have to be Austrian to fully
appreciate this; I am not).  Also, get HIP/Non-HIP thing out of your
system, Harnoncourt is way ahead of that now.  In his own words
(translated) in an interview a few years ago:  I never said that I'm a
specialist, it's others that try to put music making into categories.
I am interested in what the composer has to say.  If that convinces me,
I'll do it.  If not, I won't.  I am a musician of our time." Hear hear.

If I were you, I'd try Bruckner number four.  I think it comes off the
best.  As a chauvinistic Dutch I am proud to add that the Concertgebouw
playing is superb (as always when they have a real meastro in front).

You might also watch out for the recently released 9th (sadly for us Dutch
with the Vienna Philharmonic).

Interested in my favourites for these pieces?

nr. 3:  Karajan on DGG
nr. 4:  Bohm with the Wiener on Decca or Jochum's early sixties with the
Berliner on DGG
nr. 7:  Klemperer on EMI

greetings, Jos
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