Bernard Haitink - Bruckner: The Symphonies (2019) [Official Digital Download 24/96]

In honour of Bernard Haitink's 90th birthday this year, Decca presents one of the conductor's most lauded and respected series of repertoire. Bruckner's symphonic cycle is played here by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, recently voted by Gramophone Magazine as ‘The Greatest Orchestra in the World’.

Bernard Haitink's complete survey of the Bruckner symphonies set the standard for subsequent recordings of the repertoire whilst continuing a living tradition in Amsterdam.

Beyond the work of an orchestra and conductor in a golden period, these iconic cycles owe much to the Amsterdam Concertgebouw itself – one of the great temples of culture – and further gained from the vision of Decca's engineers who created a recorded sound of such striking depth, detail and realism. All these elements combined to attract countless new listeners to Bruckner's music.

“The combination of the Concertgebouw and Decca’s engineering is a beguiling one and the present production is a characteristic success.” (Gramophone)

Does anyone outside of the Benelux countries remember the Haitink/ Concertgebouw/Bruckner cycle? With competition from the more glamorous Karajan/Berlin cycle and the more muscular Solti/Chicago cycle, not to mention the more spiritual Jochum/Bavarian/Berlin cycle, the more straightforward Haitink/Concertgebouw cycle probably doesn't stick in the memories of most international listeners. And yet there are many good reasons to prefer the Haitink/Concertgebouw cycle. For one thing, there's Haitink. A consummate professional with less ego and arguably more integrity than Karajan and more sincerity than Solti, Haitink was more than willing to let Bruckner's symphonies unfold in their own good time. For another thing, there's the Concertgebouw. A virtuoso ensemble with as much polish as the Berlin and less aggression than the Chicago, the Concertgebouw was more than willing to efface its virtuosity and lets Bruckner's symphonies reveal themselves. And finally, there's the music. While Karajan and Solti may have been wonderfully appropriate for most of the Central European repertoire, to perform Bruckner as if he were a combination of Beethoven and Wagner is to misunderstand him. Bruckner was utterly unique – a medieval mystic and a Baroque contrapuntist stuck in a nineteenth century harmonic body – and Haitink, like Jochum, understands this. So while the Jochum cycle, with its immense spirituality, remains the preferred Bruckner cycle, listeners looking for a second cycle would do well to pick up the Haitink and leave the Karajan and Solti cycles on the shelf. (James Leonard, AMG)

Tracklist:
1. Symphony No. 0 in D Minor, WAB 100 : 1. Allegro - Poco meno mosso
2. Symphony No. 0 in D Minor, WAB 100 : 2. Andante sostenuto
3. Symphony No. 0 in D Minor, WAB 100 : 3. Scherzo (Presto) - Trio (Langsamer und ruhiger)
4. Symphony No. 0 in D Minor, WAB 100 : 4. Finale (Moderato: Andante - Allegro vivace)
5. Symphony No.1 in C Minor, WAB 101 - "Linz Version" 1866 : 1. Allegro molto moderato
6. Symphony No.1 in C Minor, WAB 101 - "Linz Version" 1866 : 2. Adagio
7. Symphony No.1 in C Minor, WAB 101 - "Linz Version" 1866 : 3. Scherzo. Lebhaft
8. Symphony No.1 in C Minor, WAB 101 - "Linz Version" 1866 : 4. Finale. Bewegt und feurig
9. Symphony No. 2 in C Minor, WAB 102 : 1. Ziemlich schnell
10. Symphony No. 2 in C Minor, WAB 102 : 2. Adagio. Feierlich, etwas bewegt
11. Symphony No. 2 in C Minor, WAB 102 : 3. Scherzo. Schnell
12. Symphony No.2 in C minor : 4. Finale. Mehr schnell - Sehr schnell
13. Symphony No.3 In D Minor, WAB 103 - Version 1877 : 1. Gemässigt, mehr bewegt, Misterioso
14. Symphony No.3 In D Minor, WAB 103 - Version 1877 : 2. Adagio, bewegt, quasi Andante
15. Symphony No.3 In D Minor, WAB 103 - Version 1877 : 3. Scherzo (Ziemlich schnell)
16. Symphony No.3 In D Minor, WAB 103 - Version 1877 : 4. Finale (Allegro)
17. Symphony No. 4 in E-Flat Major - "Romantic", WAB 104 - Version 1878/1880 : 1. Bewegt, nicht zu schnell
18. Symphony No. 4 in E-Flat Major - "Romantic", WAB 104 - Version 1878/1880 : 2. Andante quasi allegretto
19. Symphony No. 4 in E-Flat Major - "Romantic", WAB 104 - Version 1878/1880 : 3. Scherzo (Bewegt) - Trio (Nicht zu schnell. Keinesfalls schleppend)
20. Symphony No. 4 in E-Flat Major - "Romantic", WAB 104 - Version 1878/1880 : 4. Finale (Bewegt, doch nicht zu schnell)
21. Symphony No. 5 in B-Flat Major, WAB 105 : 1. Introduction (Adagio) - Allegro (Mäßig)
22. Symphony No. 5 in B-Flat Major, WAB 105 : 2. Adagio (Sehr langsam)
23. Symphony No. 5 in B-Flat Major, WAB 105 : 3. Scherzo (Molto vivace, schnell) - Trio. Im gleichenTempo
24. Symphony No. 5 in B-Flat Major, WAB 105 : 4. Finale (Adagio - Allegro moderato)
25. Symphony No. 6 In A Major, WAB 106 : 1. Maestoso
26. Symphony No. 6 In A Major, WAB 106 : 2. Adagio (Sehr feierlich)
27. Symphony No. 6 In A Major, WAB 106 : 3. Scherzo (Nicht schnell) - Trio (Langsam)
28. Symphony No. 6 In A Major, WAB 106 : 4. Finale (Bewegt, doch nicht zu schnell)
29. Symphony No. 7 in E Major, WAB 107 : 1. Allegro moderato
30. Symphony No. 7 in E Major, WAB 107 : 2. Adagio (Sehr feierlich und sehr langsam)
31. Symphony No. 7 in E Major, WAB 107 : 3. Scherzo (Sehr schnell)
32. Symphony No. 7 in E Major, WAB 107 : 4. Finale (Bewegt, doch nicht schnell)
33. Symphony No. 8 in C Minor, WAB 108 : 1. Allegro moderato
34. Symphony No. 8 in C Minor, WAB 108 : 2. Scherzo: Allegro moderato
35. Symphony No. 8 in C Minor, WAB 108 : 3. Adagio: Feierlich langsam; doch nicht schleppend
36. Symphony No. 8 in C Minor, WAB 108 : 4. Finale: Feierlich, nicht schnell
37. Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, WAB 109 : 1. Feierlich. Misterioso
38. Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, WAB 109 : 2. Scherzo (Bewegt lebhaft) - Trio (Schnell) - Scherzo da capo
39. Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, WAB 109 : 3. Adagio (Langsam, feierlich)
40. Te Deum, WAB 45 : 1. Te Deum laudamus
41. Te Deum, WAB 45 : 2. Te ergo
42. Te Deum, WAB 45 : 3. Aeterna fac
43. Te Deum, WAB 45 : 4. Salvum fac
44. Te Deum, WAB 45 : 5. In te, Domine, speravi