Of Anton Bruckner's 11 symphonies, the perennially popular Symphony No. 7 in E major is his most consistently melodious, evenly paced, and lyrically flowing, with comparatively few false starts, awkward pauses, or tedious fanfares. For this exceptional hybrid SACD from PentaTone, Yakov Kreizberg and the Vienna Symphony deliver one of the smoothest and 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 ...
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Of Anton Bruckner's 11 symphonies, the perennially popular Symphony No. 7 in E major is his most consistently melodious, evenly paced, and lyrically flowing, with comparatively few false starts, awkward pauses, or tedious fanfares. For this exceptional hybrid SACD from PentaTone, Yakov Kreizberg and the Vienna Symphony deliver one of the smoothest and 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, and soft, and that Kreizberg's inflections and phrases are too nuanced and 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 and Tristan und Isolde may come to mind when one hears this disc. There is no reason why Bruckner's symphonies must always sound...
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