Wiener Symphoniker

Yakov Kreizberg, Wiener Symphoniker – Bruckner: Symphony No.7 (2005)
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DST64 2.0 & DST64 5.0 >1-bit/2.8224 MHz | Digital Booklet | 3.49 GB
FLAC Image+CUE 2.0 24bit/88.2 kHz | Digital Booklet | 1.08 GB

Of Anton Bruckner’s 11 symphonies, the perennially popular 7th in E major is his most consistently melodious, evenly paced, & lyrically flowing, with comparatively few false starts, awkward pauses, or tedious fanfares. For this exceptional hybrid SACD from PentaTone, Yakov Kreizberg & the Vienna Symphony deliver 1 of the smoothest & roundest performances of the symphony heard in years. Yet it might actually be too polished for the liking of some old-guard Bruckner fans, who may argue that the orchestra is too mellow, luscious, & soft, & that Kreizberg’s inflections & phrases are too nuanced & sensual for the composer’s pure, almost sacred, intentions. But more important than the undeniably rich tonal quality found here is the interpretation, which draws on the style of Wagner’s most ardent music; some of the more ecstatic passages of Lohengrin & Tristan und Isolde may come to mind when one hears this disc. There is no reason why Bruckner’s symphonies must always sound chaste, devotional, or like ponderously orchestrated organ music, for they are secular works by a passionate man who wished especially to be counted in the Wagner camp, & who would have relished hearing such an emotive account as this. It also helps to remember that Wagner’s death inspired the slow movement of this work, & it should be taken as Bruckner’s most heartfelt tribute to the Bayreuth master. Purists may let Kreizberg’s recording pass by unheard, but anyone who wants to hear the symphony played with full-blown emotions & lush, late-Romantic timbres need look no further. The reproduction on this album is especially gorgeous & enjoyable, so in the unlikely event that the performance disappoints, the sound is still 1st-rate & sure to delight audiophiles.

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