Track Listing

1. Allegro Moderato
2. Adagio
3. Scherzo
4. Finale

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #36397 in Music
• Released on: 1988-05-02
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Dimensions: .22 pounds

Customer Reviews

A Magnificent Obsession... Bruckner's 7th Symphony.
Owning (so far) 28 recordings of this symphony, and supposing I was allowed to choose only one to take along to that desert island, I would have to pick this one, sure that it would act as a most soothing balm to the harshness of my plight; incidentally, this would be the second time that a recording bringing together Karl Böhm, the Wiener Philharmoniker and a beloved composer has the power to fill me with feelings of bliss, admiration and gratitude - the other being Beethoven's 6th symphony, in DGG's mid-price collection, 'the originals'. To my mind, they possess the rare ability to conjure an almost living-and-breathing entity, 'organic' like the burnished wood of the violins that comprise the string section of that most fabled of instruments, the Vienna Philharmonic. But it is not all magic, rather the result of a hard working tradition spanning the centuries, to bear the fruits of a culture that transcends the local to speak and sing to all of the universal. By the time of this recording, Böhm had conducted this work through five decades. All of this for 11 dollars?... what are you waiting for.

Definitely one of the best Bruckner 7th's you will find
I really wasn't expecting much before I heard this, but boy how wrong could I be! I hadn't previously heard but one Bruckner recording by Karl Bohm which was the very fine 4th on the Decca Legends label, but Bohm and his excellent VPO are in very fine form in this 1977 recording. I usually don't get teary eyed during the 1st movement, but this one really made me cry, it was so done so beautifully. I think the great adagio 2nd movement was done expertly, but I still think Jochum's DG version from the late 60's is still a little better than this one. I really do think that the 3rd movement scherzo could quite possibly be the best that's ever been done. The 4th movement was paced and played just right in my opinion. Overall, I think this almost equals the version I mentioned by Jochum and the BPO on the DG label, but I must say that this version by Bohm is much better recorded. I was just in awe of the sound when I was driving through town in my Van. Bohm's 1st and 3rd movements beat Jochum, but Jochum is better with the 2nd and 4th movements, but since the 2nd movement is one of my favorite movements in all of classical music, Jochum barely edges out Bohm overall. I can't for the life of me, understand why the Penguin guide never bothers to rate this incredible Bohm version. It might get better sales if they did though. On all accounts this is certainly a not to be missed interpretation of one of the greatest symphonies ever composed. ENJOY!!!

The best sounding Bruckner 7th...sheer pleasure
Like the previous reviewer, I am perplexed by the lack of notice for this CD. The VPO has recorded the Bruckner 7th numerous times under many splendid conductors, but nerver have they sounded more glorious than at the beginning of this performance. The yearning, rising theme was played for all its worth, and so went the rest of the symphony. The performance has the typically dramatic flair of a Bohm performance, but benefitted enormously from the matchless playing of VPO and nearly perfect recording of the string sound, which was at once warm and silky. Perhaps the interpretation lacked some of the architectural insights that Karajan brings to the piece (e.g. in his last DG recroding), but then it showed in better lights Bruckner's genius as a supreme writer of melodies and an ingenious orchestrator. All in all, I can't think of a better Desert Island choice (especially if you are a Bruckner addict).