Search - Anton Bruckner, Sergiu Celibidache, Münchner Philharmoniker :: CELIBIDACHE / Münchner Philharmoniker - Bruckner: Symphony No. 4

The only one that matters...

Stephan L. Burton | 05/27/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you have ears to hear, Celibidache will convince you in the last few minutes of his performance that this is the greatest music that anyone ever wrote. There have been many fine recordings of this score: Bruno Walter and the Columbia Symphony are warm and sympathetic, Otto Klemperer and the Philharmonia are lapidary. Get to know both before you listen to this one. Then it will change your life. The brilliant English symphonist and musicologist Robert Simpson rewrote his book, *The Essence of Bruckner,* after hearing Celibidache's interpretation of this work. Listen with a little experience under your belt and then you will hear why. So much is so beautiful and so understanding in this interpretation that one hates to emphasize a single passage, at the expense of so many others--but earlier reviewers are right to single out Celibidache's treatment of the final coda. He brings out the relentless tread of the middle strings as nobody ever has before. (Only Klemperer even seems to have noticed this seemingly minor detail.) And that makes all the difference. The majesty and inevitability of Celibidache's conclusion leaves all others in the shade. The glory of heaven opens before you. As it never will again."

A probing and at times reveatory performance.

D. Roth | Pleasant Hill, Ca | 07/07/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This live broadcast approximates the spellbinding performance I heard these forces deliver in 1987. Balances search every coloristic and melodic fragment; transitions become suspended in time, and the final coda achieves truly visionary power with a fully unconventional reading of Bruckner's relentless rhythmic pattern. It does seem slow and mannered at times without the added tension of a live event. But no devotee of this work should miss this experience."

An stunning, profound, truly spiritual 4th.

need coffee now! | Bay Area, CA, USA | 01/24/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I had heard about Celibidache's notoriety for slowing down major works so I was not too sure what to expect. I listened to his recording of the Bruckner 8 in the same series but felt it did go on too long. However I really do feel his approach works tremendously well here. He takes this most immediately appealing of Bruckner's symphonies and makes it into something very spiritual and extra special. It is ironic that a conductor who lived and conducted through the art of Zen should become a champion of a symphonist who was a devout Catholic!



Celibidache can infuriate or he can make you feel extremely exalted. he is at his best in the Bruckner symphonies 4, 6 and 9. I am not too excited by Bruckner's symphonies #5, 7 and 8 and Celibidache's interpretations have not swayed me (although I like the 5th and 8th a little more each time I listen to them. The very popular 7th still escapes me). It can be hard to fathom his take on Bruckner after listening to other recordings with the "right tempo". But you do need to listen to this interprtation of the 4th. It is slow but never ponderous. It allows the wonders of Bruckner's writing to shine forth and for me personally,I now know that he was a much better symphonist than I had realized. Now the problem is that all other recordings seem way too fast and uninvolving.



The beautiful opening horn theme captures the imagination immediately when taken at a at a slower tempo. Although Bruckner subtitled the work "Romantic" with half-hearted descriptions for each movement, I do envision the citadel at dawn with knights leading forth etc. I am especially captivated by the return of the opening theme later in the movement but accompanied by the delicate flutes. Ah, Sheer Beauty!



He also emphasizes the Shubertian grace and quality of the wonderful second movement where the strings shine and the brass cilmaxes, although evident are not overbearing. This is the "quiet Bruckner". It is music with a slight spring in its step and is not to be taken too slow. The tempo marking is "quasi-allegretto" after all.



The third movement is arguably Bruckner's most famous music and Celibidache's tempo is not much slower than other conductors. In fact he made me appreciate the quieter passages of the movement even more. Great horn call and a great trio which is ninety seconds of pure Bruckner joy!



THE FINALE AND ITS CODA: Oh Boy! This will be hard to describe in words as I am unable to convey exactly what my feelings are when I hear this music. The last movement of the 4th symphony has often been criticised as not being of the high standard of the first three movements. It is true that it was totally revised by Bruckner yet I did feel the criticisms were justified until I heard this recording. Now I think it is probably one of the most brilliant of all Bruckner's last movements, as great as the finale of #5 (I am still figuring out the finale of #8, so bear with me!).



By slowing the movement Celibidache comes closest to what Bruckner might have envisioned. It makes for a complete symphony rather than a symphony of three movements with a finale tacked on. Sure, 27 minutes of music may seem like an endurance but amazingly the slower it is, the more power and beauty shines forth. Celibidache has taken this finale which seemed to disappoint and transformed it into a deeply spiritual and ultimately exalting experience. Is it classically correct? Does it arrive at the home key by the end? Does it answer all the questions and uncertainties of the first three movements? Hell I don't know. All I can say is it moves me. Music is a very personal experience and for me, this is the most rewarding finale of all the symphonies played today.



The most notable talking point in this performance is the end of the last movement and the slow tempo. Celibidache slowed the music down in an extreme way and found hidden wonders like the muted horns over the two note string motif played staccato by the violins instead of the flowing manner found in nearly all other recordings I have heard. How did other conductors miss this???



The coda starts at 20:04 minutes and continues to the end. "Heavenly", "impassioned", "majestic", "soaring", "spiritual", "transcendant" are all fitting terms to describe it. I am not sure what else "Celi" did to this music but the glorious, moving coda affected me deeply. It will always have the power to take me somewhere very spiritual and calming. This is without a doubt, some of the most serenely beautiful seven and a half minutes of music I have ever heard and will probably ever hear in my life. Maybe I was was listening to various interpretations of this symphomy for the wrong reasons; best orchestra, best sound quality, best musicianship etc. Then I listened to this performance and its revolutionary interpretation of the finale and coda and I found it deeply profound and spiritual as if it came from the Heavens. Sorry for the over the top description but it does seem to me now like it is some of the greatest music ever written by any human being.



I went back to all the other recordings and realized the coda in other recordings was way too smooth and too fast. I now feel that all other recordings I own of the Bruckner 4 do not matter to me anymore which is a shame as i have some great cds of this symphony. But for me this is the only one I want to listen to. No other conductor I have listened to can match it.



1. Bewegt, nicht zu schnell 21.56

2. Andante quasi allegretto 17.35

3. Scherzo. Bewegt-Trio... 11.04

4. Finale. Bewegt, doch nicht zu schnell 27.53"