Search - Anton Bruckner, Karl Böhm, Saxon State Orchestra :: Bruckner: Symphony No. 5

5 stars for Bohm's Bruckner 5, in spite of 1936 sound

Alan Majeska | Bad Axe, MI, USA | 08/23/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After listening to Karl Bohm's recording of Bruckner's SYMPHONY NO. 5 in B FLAT MAJOR, I give this top rating, 5 stars, in spite of 1936 sound. The recorded sound is actually quite good, and if you can hear a little swish or noise from the 78 RPM surfaces this was drawn from, don't be discouraged. The sound could have been 1950, and I've heard recordings made in the 1950s which are inferior to this.



Karl Bohm usually got good recorded sound throughout his career, from the 1930s, to his last recordings, ca. 1980 in the new digital age. Some of this was due to the acoustic properties of the halls used for his recordings: in Dresden, Vienna (the Musikvereinsalle for Philharmonic recordings), Berlin, or in London with the Philharmonia. Alot of Bohm's success for good recorded sound was that he left the mastering and equalizing of his recordings to the engineers, and didn't attempt to altar them himself, as did/ do some conductors.



What about the interpretation? MODERATION is the word, as usual with Bohm. His interpretation is never flat or dull: the brass really make a feast of their entrances. The Saxon State Orchestra (some players from the Dresden State Orchestra) is excellent, playing at a high level in 1936.



Don't shy away from this (nearly) 70 year old recording. It is a very fine Bruckner 5, a great supplement to stereo recordings of Klemperer (EMI), Ormandy (Sony) and Tintner (Naxos), and a bargain, too."