Anton Bruckner; Carl Maria von Weber - Symphony No. 6; 2 Overtures (Horst Stein)

Information

Composer: Anton Bruckner; Carl Maria von Weber

1. Bruckner - Symphony No. 6 in A major (1881, ed. Haas): I. Majestoso
2. Bruckner - Symphony No. 6 in A major (1881, ed. Haas): II. Adagio: Sehr feirlich
3. Bruckner - Symphony No. 6 in A major (1881, ed. Haas): III. Scherzo: Nicht schnell - Trio: Langsam
4. Bruckner - Symphony No. 6 in A major (1881, ed. Haas): IV. Finale: Bewegt, doch nicht zu schnell
5. Weber - Overture: Der Beherrscher der Geister
6. Weber - Overture: Abu Hassan

Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Horst Stein, conductor
Date: 1972 (1-4), 1977 (5, 6)
Label: Decca

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Review

ARTISTIC QUALITY: 10 / SOUND QUALITY: 8

This Bruckner Sixth always has been the “sleeper” among recorded performances of the work, one of the great ones, yet surprisingly little known. It also presents the Vienna Philharmonic (of 1974) in peak form, almost ideally recorded (save for some mushiness in the timpani). The brass, so critical to an idiomatic Bruckner sonority, are particularly well differentiated, with horns on the left, trumpets and trombones on the right. The result is unprecedented clarity of those staggered entries that Bruckner is so famous for, and this makes passages such as the first movement’s recapitulation and coda particularly thrilling. Toss in typically warm string playing, rich and thrilling in the Adagio, and Stein’s absolutely perfect pacing of the entire work, with a particularly gossamer scherzo and masterfully shaped finale, and we have a real winner here. If you love Bruckner, particularly as played by the Viennese, you are simply going to adore this. The two Weber overtures make a lovely, apt bonus, and they are equally well done.

-- David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday

More reviews:
http://www.amazon.com/Bruckner-Symphony-No-Weber-Overtures/dp/B0007MR298

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Anton Bruckner (4 September 1824 – 11 October 1896)) was an Austrian composer. His symphonies are considered emblematic of the final stage of Austro-German Romanticism because of their rich harmonic language, strongly polyphonic character, and considerable length. Bruckner composed eleven symphonies, scored for a fairly standard orchestra. His orchestration was modeled after the sound of his primary instrument, the pipe organ.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anton_Bruckner

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Horst Walter Stein (born 2 May 1928 in Elberfeld, Germany; died 27 July 2008 in Vandœuvres, Switzerland) was a German conductor. He held principal conducting positions with the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, l'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande in Geneva, the Basel Symphony Orchestra and the NHK Symphony Orchestra Tokyo.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horst_Stein

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