Search - Bruckner, Lso, Horenstein :: Symphony 8 / Symphony 9

The performances of depth and profound spirituality!

David A. Hollingsworth | Washington, DC USA | 10/01/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When I reviewed Karl Bohm's performance with the Vienna Philharmonic in Bruckner's Fourth Symphony, I have indicated that the conductor is the under-rated Bruckner interpreter. My position remains somewhat the same, but another conductor must be added, Jascha Horenstein.Horenstein is generally underrated and overshadowed as among the giants of modern conductors as we speak and there's a tendency to forget his immense contributions in bringing works of Bruckner, Mahler, and even Nielsen into the realm of recognition and appreciation (not discounting other conductors who played this important, enterprising role). What is equally appealing is that Horenstein forced the emotions out of his players (especially of British orchestras known for their overly orthodox and subdued playing) and allowed the passion and emotionism to take over, while not losing control in the slightest.Horenstein's 1970 live performance of Bruckner's Ninth Symphony with the BBC Symphony Orchestra was done with passion and admiration of the work & of Bruckner. Although Vienna's love for Bruckner and his works is always made apparent by the Vienna Philharmonic, the BBC Symphony is not far behind in showing that feeling through its' performance. The reading of Horenstein is very close to Guilini's with the Vienna Philharmonic: spacious and grandeur yet refined, vivid yet spiritual. What they also have in common is authority and a real sense of what Bruckner was about, not what he was supposed to be (Jochum, Wand, Karajan, Solti, Barenboim, and Schurict should also be credited in representing Bruckner for the sake of his art). The same comments could be said regarding Horenstein's 1970 performance of Bruckner's Eighth Symphony with the London Symphony Orchestra (also live). Like Karajan and the Vienna Philharmonic, Horenstein dragged the emotionism out from his players. The performance does not have much of the majesty of Wand and the North German Radio Symphony or the transparency of Tennstedt and the London Philharmonic, but is compelling nevertheless. However, like the performance of Karajan, Horenstein's tend to be slightly imbalance in some passages, with the timpani dominating the brass and the brass slightly overshadowing the strings, especially in the finale. Also, there are few cracked notes here and there by the brass.Despite the slight weaknesses due to otherwise passionate and convincing performances, Horenstein has proved (as least to me) to be among the leading interpreters of Bruckner's works. Unfortunately, much of Horenstein's recordings have either been deleted or not re-issued (like his recording of Nielsen's Fifth Symphony). However, his recordings of Bruckner and Mahler music, especially, are available and are worthy of investment and enjoyment. The 2-compact discs set is a gem stone for any Brucknerites (or any music lovers) and the 20-bit CD re-issue is well done with a devoid of "shallowness." What we have instead is the recording of fullness and life. The applause at the end of these performances made me want to applaud as well.Recommendable!!!"

Magnificent Rendering

David Rothstein | Shaarei-Tikva Israel | 09/03/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I intend to relate here to the performance of the 8th symphony only. This really is a magnificent rendering of Bruckner's monumental masterpiece. I have already commented on Horenstein's spacial way with Bruckner (the performance of the 5th with the BBC Symphony). This performance with the LSO surpasses that one.You will find an excellent review of this performance by Tony Duggan at www.musicweb.force9.co.uk. I will add a few remarks:1. This is a performance not to be heard regularly( not that you can listen to Bruckner's 8th too regularly).It is at the opposite pole of Furtwangler/Jochum. Here, Horenstein "digs right into the guts" emphasizing from the beginning the darker side of the work. One must be prepared intellectually, psychologically (and spiritually..?)2. The 1st movement is treated as an equal and not (as I feel with others) as a mere introduction and preparation for the following movements. It is expansive, heroic and the final climax is superb.3. The great scherzo (in my view Bruckner's greatest even more than the 9th) must be weighty and "pounding" and Horenstein achieves this without losing momentum. The trio is superb.4. The adagio is spiritual without too much "pathos"5. The finale is a revelation and also debatable. I have always loved this movement and consider it maybe Bruckner's greatest achievement.The unstoppable flow of musical logic,ideas and variations from start to end culminating in the final climax is unforgettable.Horenstein slows things down and deals specifically with each idea, reminding us that all is one context, this magnificent movement does not stand alone, it is part of an eather greater idea i.e. the whole of the symphany itself. Thus when the final climax but one (The return of the theme from the 1st movement) appears it is of no surprise (of course seasoned Brucknerians will never be surprised at this phenomenon).6. The Final Coda-MAGNIFICENT.By maintaining the slow tempo all the might is drawn out.One has the feeling that all is solved and that this is the proper culmination of almost 90 minutes of unearthly experience. Most listeners will prefer a more conventional and swifter finale and coda,however as stated above this is not a version to be heard regularly. I'm sure that the most committed listener will be enthralled and will join in the cheering of the audience at the end.Even the audible coughing did not spoil my enjoyment. 7. The use of the timpani is also superb.As almost always with Horenstein- enthusiastically recommended to seasoned listeners but not to novices."

UNREPETABLE HISTORICAL MOMENTS

RAMZI CHAPTINI | 08/05/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Forget all what you know about Bruckner's 8th great symphony.
All what can be said or compared to other great performances is irrelevant and unjust.
What you will hear in this recording, is an out of the world experience, a meteor from the heavens hitting you with such force, that your spirit transcends to other realms, out of reality and out of the imaginable.
I will not go into details of techniques and how the orchestra was playing, and which passages were dealt with in such or such way. I only want to emphasis on where this GREAT HORENSTEIN takes you. He just sweeps you with every note, every phrase, every bar. every note is a living entity in itself. every tone every sound is breathing with undiscribable emotion and life.
I say again, all other conductors from whom i have heard this work ( Furtwangler, Jochum, Celibidache, Karajan, Bohm, Barbirolli ... i think those are enough !)all have unique and outstanding performances. But with HORENSTEIN, it is just above comparison, it is a BRUCKNORENSTEIN symphony !!!! as simple as that.
The first time i heard it ( it is not recommendable to hear this MIRACLE often !!! ), as the final EARTH SHATTERING coda cracked the Stratosphere, i just jumped out of my place and bursted in tears and applause, just to notice that all of Royal Albert Hall was going crazy applauding their souls out !!!!! I thought that i was there, among the mesmerized audience of 1970, joining in the grand ovation. i would trade my life just to go into time and actually be there, live those UNREPETABLE moments of history, because as much as the recording on this CD is impeccable and outstandingly natural and grand, the actual live concert will always sound totally different and better.
One could not finish talking about this GREAT musical spirit of HORENSTEIN. but unfortunately, we are limited by a number of characters, so others can write as well !!
The 9th is outstandingly well too, but the 8th has litteraly EATEN the CD... just hear the 9th at a very seperate occasion, maybe months latter, or before !!! a great 9th symphony among other great ones.Thank you for taking a few minutes to read my comments."