Search - Anton Bruckner, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra :: Bruckner:Symphony No. 7

Unexpected Warmth

Mark Jordan | Gambier, Ohio, USA | 11/09/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Sometimes interesting things happen when "intense" conductors are paired up with the mellow Vienna Philharmonic. The chemistry of this recorded meeting of the often extreme Nikolaus Harnoncourt with the VPO is amazing. To be sure, this is not your average broadly-paced wade through late Bruckner. Instead, Harnoncourt leads the orchestra through the 7th at lyrically flowing tempos which lets the music sing like in no other performance. That did not surprise me. What did surprise me was how emotional, how warm this performance gets. By restraining the usual luxurious string textures and bloated brass chorales, Harnoncourt has focused his (and the orchestra's) attention on the inner visions of this great score. Textures and gestures simply aren't that important when a performance speaks with such sincerity. This approach may not be for everyone, but for those prepared to see another point of view, it is treasurable. One of Harnoncourt's greatest recordings."

A Seventh for Keeps

Iyer | Bethesda, MD | 06/19/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Harnoncourt is achieving some outstanding results with the VPO! Interpretively, Harnoncourt is somewhere between playing the Seventh in the central Bruckner tradition that is part of the VPO's collective consciousness and playing it with a "light" hand (Nicht schleppend!) The lyrical elements are strongly underlined, and the denseness of the musical architecture is never allowed to overwhelm. It is somewhat facetious to call this a brisk reading. Yes, it is quicker than Karajan's version with the VPO, for instance. But nothing is hurried or glossed over, like 'brisk" suggests. Each of the movements flows beautifully, and the slow movement is rivetting. The scherzo breathes more freely than any other version that I have heard. It reminds me of Harnoncourt's remark that one of the keys to conducting Bruckner lies in being able to hear the folk tunes of rural Austria. A pithy, but revealing, observation from a master conductor.
More than anything, this CD is a testament to the supremely fine playing of the VPO. What remains to be said when one hears the Viennese on this form? Outstanding Teldec (live) recording.
Very strongly recommended."

An unvarnished interpretation, with very beautiful playing

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 03/19/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Insofar as it's possible to be echt Viennese and a maverick at the same time, Harnoncourt fits the bill. This live Bruckner Seventh from 1999 is a full 8 min. faster than Karajan's EMI account from Berlin (60 min. compared to 68 min.). The metronome is a bad critic,they say, but this is often brisk and even breathless Bruckner. The vienna Phil. keeps its full, ruonded tone, and in fact plays as gloriously as one would expect, but Harnoncourt wants to clean the varnish from the orchestra's relaxed traditional style.



I find his approach very successful. As usual for Harnoncourt's Bruckner, there are no stylistic extremes. The lyrical line is allowed to unfold naturally; there is little fiddling with rubato or dynamic contrasts. Yet being plain sounds original in this case, given that Bruckner performances are generally swollen with rhetoric. The urgency with which Harnoncourt keeps the ine moving adds to the 'modern' tone of his itnerpretation. I won't replace Karajan or the live Giulini recording on BBC Legends, but Harnoncourt gets a well-deserved place right next to them. Teldec's concert-hall recording is impressive, although it cannot really capture Bruckner's immense sound world or this orchestra's captivating tone."