Bruckner From the Archives, Vol. 5 — Another Noteworthy Release
By Ralph Graves
The penultimate volume in this series continues to surprise and illuminate. All recordings come from the archives of the Bruckner Society of America. Audio
Restorian Engineer Lani Spahr once again works his magic. These recordings sound about as good as they can. And they sound authentic. They have been restored, not remastered.
All three recordings are world recording premieres. And they’re all live recordings, which makes these performances even more remarkable. The Sixth Symphony is performed by the North German Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Christoph von Dohnányi.
Dohnányi was of a new generation approaching Bruckner. His interpretation strips away the gooeyness of Late Romantic conductors. The performance was a 1961 radio aircheck. The orchestra may not be quite world-class, but they play with energy and authority.
Hans Müller-Kray conducts the South German Radio Symphony Orchestra in a radio aircheck from 1955. Müller-Kray’s approach is also post-Romantic, but not as severe as Dohnányi’s. There are times when he seems to luxuriate in the sound (and why not?).
The “Te Deum” performance comes from a 1962 aircheck for a Vienna Festival broadcast. The concert marked the 160th anniversary of the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde. This organization had been promoting music in Vienna since 1812.
Herbert von Karajan leads the Vienna Philharmonic and assembled singers in a weighty performance worthy of the occasion. The soloists sing with operatic intensity. The Vienna Singverein delivers powerful choruses. This is pure Karajan, giving us the message from On High.
Another solid addition to this series.
Anton Bruckner: From the Archives, Volume 5
Symphony No. 6 in A major; Symphony No. 7 in E major
Te Deum
South German Radio Symphony Orchestra; Hans Muller-Kray, conductor
Wilma Lipp, Elisabeth Höngen, Nicolai Gedda, Walter Kreppel,
Vienna Singverein; Vienna Philharmonic; Herbert von Karajan, conductor
SOMM Recordings ARIADNE 5033-2
