Bruckner - Symphony 4 [Chailly-Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra] Just a word about the booklet / back insert, of course they don't match, this is another couple of discs i've amalgamated into a slimline case [Chailly & Barenboim], Bruckner's Fourth probably remains my most favourite Symphony of his, but others are catching up, and it was good to listen to this again today.
Riccardo Chailly is Italian, now 58 years of age, he made this recording in 1990, the booklet cover [though not actually belonging to this disc] is excellent, taken from Barenboim's Teldec cycle of the complete Symphonies, each shows a planet, and the Fourth shows planet Earth, as if this Symphony is the 'home' Symphony, or the one everyone feels at most 'home' with, or am i reading something into it?, certainly it's his most popular Symphony, it shows the Earth in all its marbled ball glory, the lettering is very good, with the number '4' in pride of place at the top centrally, i really do like the visuals for Barenboim's cycle.
This is yet another opening movement excitement for me, i just love the opening melee of murmuring / throbbing low strings, over which a horn plays a lonely solo [0:00-0:48], what a lovely atmospheric way to start a Symphony, i like the way Bruckner has these 'brass explosions' all over the place [1:56, 4:06 & 8:24], the horns seem to have a prominent place in Bruckner's world, and it's the solo horn that brings the beginning back again, over those throbbing strings [12:05-12:41], but this time a solo flute floats in to take the glory, a rare thing for Bruckner, and more brass fireworks [13:45, 16:00 & 16:57], especially loud, with the violins frantically accompanying, a movement of real power and atmosphere.
Here's Gunter Wand conducting the first movement on YouTube.
