Search - Welser-Möst: Anton Bruckner: Symphony No.9 on DVD

Controlled, tense

Massimiliano Wax | Dominican Republic | 07/24/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Welser Moest has an absolute, almost dictatorial control over the orchestra (a new Szell?).
Cleveland plays magnificently; they are precise, accurate and produce a beautifully balanced and transparent sound. The first flute, oboe and horn deserve to be mentioned. It is really a great ensemble.
Moest's interpretations is sometimes a bit dry to my taste, particularly in the first movement: no rubato, no changes of pulse: just a steady and quick pace.
The scherzo is wonderful, with a very clear distinction between points and accents (long and short notes) in the first subject.
He took the trio with too fast a tempo, I dare say, so that it lost some of its magic enchantment.
The adagio is dramatic and tense: one of the the most powerful readings in my
memory.
The video is excellent from both an artistic and technical standpoint: it is quite evident that the director and the artistic advisers love the music and know the score through and inside-out.
Recommended."

Surprizingly good

Collin Naqqara | Cleveland, USA | 06/28/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm not fan of Möst by any stretch of the imagination. A typical performance is usually lifeless and dull. He is very much an intellectual and puts a lot of thought into his performances, but that seldom translates into exciting music. It usually translates into strict unbending tempos, uniform volume, and little expression - all of which is usually death to composers like Bruckner, Strauss, etc. You've never heard boring Strauss until you've heard Möst do it. I live in Cleveland and gave up on Möst several years ago. Now I usually skip Möst performances in favor of guest conductors.
This DVD, however, has me happily flummoxed. It is not a typical Möst performance. This time there is life, and lots of it. He has decided to step out of his head and let the formidable Cleveland Orchestra go. The Orchestra, in return, plays with everything they got - this is something Möst rarely allows. They sound almost as good as they did during the Dohnanyi years. The scherzo is thrilling, the opening movement properly mysterious (though I hoping for more fire at the end). If I have a complaint it's that he rushes through some of my favorite parts of the adagio (his typical unbending tempo kicks in at last).
Overall, however, this is a great performance. The orchestra sounds great, the production value is top notch - just as good as any of the Claudio Abbado productions which, I feel, set the standard for great audio/visual presentations. No lingering shots of the conductor, or of the hall, or of clouds overhead. Just watching the musicians do their thing, cutting to the right players at the right time. What more can I ask for?
And there's a very interesting interview with Möst as a bonus - as I said, he's very much an intellectual. I've been to several of his talks and his analysis is always fascinating to listen to, even if his conducting rarely is. This time, I'm pleased to report, he has them both down pat.
"

Great bruckner 9th

jose zarzo,principal horn ,orquesta | 05/01/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"like the other bruckner performances(symphonies 5 and 7) by the cleveland orchestra on dvd , conducted by music director franz welser- möst , this performance of the 9th gives us the chance to see and hear this great orchestra perform this music. beautiful strings, winds and superb brass headed by magnificent principal hornist richard king and principal trumpet michael sachs. great hornsection (with former cleveland orchestra principal horn richard solis-1977-1995, playing 8th horn- 4th wagner tuba) for everyone that loves classical music , get this dvd and also highly recomended the other ones in this series (symphonies 5 and 7 )"