Haitink & Royal Concertgebouw - Bruckner 5

[julesd68]

OMG. I have never in my life seen so many people deliver a standing ovation at the Barbican this afternoon!! Utterly rapturous applause for Haitink the messiah. I must have been the only person in the audience who thought that they were applauding his reputation rather than the performance.

The strange thing is that I found the concert utterly tedious. I had thoroughly enjoyed Bruckner 6 & 7 last year, and thought that this concert would be even better! But I found nothing to enjoy in the music, no inspiration or emotion. I found the playing nothing more than workmanlike. And the strangest thing happened. During a particularly quiet passage of the music I had a premonition that the lead horn player was going to hit a bum note, and he did, two seconds later! That actually put me on edge for some time as I thought he was going to do the same again ...

In the third movement my eyes were getting heavy and I was finding it difficult not to nod off. :zzz: Maybe that was the key to this experience - I was just too tired to enjoy it. I will have to give Bruckner 5 another chance sometime but I won't be rushing out to buy it!!

[jandl100]

Oh dear. :( Haitink is not a young lad anymore. I didn't know he was still active. By the sound of it, he shouldn't be!

I clearly recall a Proms performance by Haitink of Mahler 2nd.
I was standing about 3 'rows' back in the Prom, dead centre.
Back in those days, about 35 years ago, his live efforts made his studio recordings sound very drab.

My God - it was fantastic. :wowzer:

But don't let your poor concert experience put you off Bruckner 5th - it's a wonderful piece.
Try this - it's my fave recording of the many that I own
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Symphony-No-5-Welser-Most/dp/B000025CMC/ref=sr_1_11?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1338015705&sr=1-11
Superbly recorded, too. :thumbsup:

[julesd68]

Cheers Jerry!

That be like one of those new-fangled cd things don't it??

Any vinyl recommendations?? :eyebrows:

I have got cd but just don't use it!

[jandl100]

Ah :doh: OK!

Hmm. Bruckner 5 is tricky, it's one of the hardest to bring off well.

That Welser-Most recording is easily the best 5th I've heard - and I'm not normally taken with a single "best" recommendation!

Solti on Decca does pretty well - taut and controlled, which is what brings out the best in the 5th for me - it can kind of sprawl in a formless heap otherwise - which is what Haitink sounds like he managed for you in concert.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/D221D-2-BRUCKNER-Symphony-No-5-GEORG-SOLTI-DECCA-2LPS-BOX-SET-NEAR-MINT-/350554796328?pt=UK_Records&hash=item519eb1b128
the same goes for Solti's Bruckner 6th - superb! Great Decca sound quality, too.

I'm also a BIG fan of Lovro von Matacic in Bruckner. Not cheap though.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BRUCKNER-Symph-NO-5-LOVRO-V-MATACIC-Supraphon-BLUE-MS211-2-2LP-made-czech-1972-/370610484007?pt=UK_Records&hash=item564a1b3327

I have all these on CD ... and many more - Bruckner is a bit of an obsessive fetish for me :eyebrows:

You know, it really is worth dusting off your CDP for that Welser-Most 5th! ;)

[julesd68]

I've just had a look in my old Penguin Record Guides and guess what is their clear number one choice :scratch:

Bernard Haitink and the Concertgebouw on Philips!! :lol:

It's a conspiracy!!

[jandl100]

Nah - trust me on this. ;)

[julesd68]

Jerry - did you see the "forthcoming concerts" thread - can we tempt you to the Festival Hall on October 16??

[jandl100]

Ooo, 'eck. It's a 6 hour round trip from Deepest Darkest Gloucestershire. :(
Thanks for thinking of me, but I'll give it a miss.

[julesd68]

Fair enuff guvnor - I'm just up the Northern Line :cool:

[MartinT]

Many years ago I saw a live concert on TV of Haitink conducting Mahler's 3rd Symphony. It was utterly compelling and hugely emotional. He was drenched in sweat at the end and so was I. I have never forgotten that broadcast.

I'm looking forward to hearing his Bruckner 9th with the VPO in September.

[Tim]

Try this - it's my fave recording of the many that I own http://www.amazon.co.uk/Symphony-No-5-Welser-Most/dp/B000025CMC/ref=sr_1_11?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1338015705&sr=1-11
Superbly recorded, too. :thumbsup:
I have 3 Bruckner 5's, but not this one Jerry - I shall give it a try, thanks for the suggestion :)