Reuniting with an old friend: Wand's Cologne Bruckner 8th

Posted by jdaniel@jps.net on April 22, 2014 at 22:22:57

I imprinted on the slightly later NDR live recording in Lubeck's cathedral, but this one's 99% as good, and acoustic is far less unwieldy.

Wand worked very closely with the Cologne orchestra for years, and he gets the Bruckner he wants. The seamless dovetailing from one musical idea to the next keeps the music from sounding episodic.

The first mov't I fell in love with was the 3rd mov't. Back in college I didn't know any Bruckner but his 4th, and seriously: I didn't know the composer could plumb such ecstatic depths, and I don't know of anyone other than Wand who captures the Parsifalian glow of the twice-repeated string descent (with harp) so beautifully. (Admittedly, the NDR strings glow even more as captured in the Lubeck Cathedral.)

Comparing Lp-era, analog 3rd mov'ts alone, no one: not Haitink, Giulini, Jochum Karajan, or Solti come close to what Wand achieved. Not even Furtwangler from the mono era--the master of orchestral transitions and Dr of Ecstasy--is as persuasive as Wand.

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Topic - Reuniting with an old friend: Wand's Cologne Bruckner 8th - jdaniel@jps.net 22:22:57 04/22/14 (6)

RE: Reuniting with an old friend: Wand's Cologne Bruckner 8th - Amphissa 16:49:04 04/23/14 (0)

RE: Reuniting with an old friend: Wand's Cologne Bruckner 8th - bean 08:21:42 04/23/14 (0)

RE: Reuniting with an old friend: Wand's Cologne Bruckner 8th - markinuk 01:40:53 04/23/14 (0)

RE: Reuniting with an old friend: Wand's Cologne Bruckner 8th - bruckner9 23:24:39 04/22/14 (2)

Since you've heard so much Bruckner.... - jdaniel@jps.net 21:26:54 04/23/14 (0)

Re: Bruckner live - jdaniel@jps.net 07:23:31 04/23/14 (0)

Reuniting with an old friend: Wand's Cologne Bruckner 8th

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