Bruckner: Symphony No. 7
The Sunday Age
Sunday February 3, 2008
4/5
Bruckner: Symphony No. 7Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Bernard Haitink, CSO Resound (Select)Great Mahler conductors are not always great Bruckner conductors. The architecture is different, and not many maestros realise it. One who does is Bernard Haitink, and this superb live recording of Bruckner's Seventh Symphony with the Chicago Symphony demonstrates the orchestra's new principal conductor's affinity with both composers and his respect for their separate sound worlds. Here is one of those rare recordings that lets the music speak for itself rather than applying distracting idiosyncrasies. The CSO's incomparable brass and horns make Bruckner shine rather than gleam, and the string playing is vivid and rich, particularly in the muted opening to this epic work. For those new to Bruckner, there is no better beginning than this symphony and no better guide than this magnificent recording, easily one of the finest ever made. One to treasure and hear often. Key track: Adagio. Bruckner's famous tribute to Wagner, complete with optional cymbal crash at its climax, is measured, powerful and most moving.
© 2008 The Sunday Age