Bruckner: Complete Symphonies [Box set]

Karajan excels in symphonies 4, 5, 7, 8 and 9. These represent the pinnacle of the cycle, not, in my opinion, matched by his latter (digital) recordings of 7 and 8, nor his EMI performances, (though his account of No. 8 from the late fifties is very fine, and a superb wartime recording exists, minus the first movement in astonishingly good sound). Here, the Brucknerian architecture is conveyed superbly, paralleled by the depth of emotion Karajan finds in these scores. Cathedrals in sound that provide a stage for the emotional drama taking place within.

No. 9 is sublime - no other performance distills the essence of this incredible music - an unfinished symphony which couldn't be improved by a final movement. (Interestingly, Karajan is also exceptionally fine in the Ninths of Beethoven and Mahler too). The 'horror' scherzo is unmatched in this recording, as is Karajan's view of the Rondo Burlesque of Mahler 9, in his two superlative recordings (one studio, one live) of that work.

Then again, listen to the magical opening of the Fourth, the music almost seeming to permeate your very consciousness from pure silence. The Sixth, admittedly a problematic symphony, does seem to elude him - but you can always complement this set with the sublime Klemperer recording on EMI. The earlier symphonies too, are very well done, the third is great fun with a stonking scherzo (Bohm has the edge in the outer moments). Karajan makes a good show the first and second symphonies, admittedly immature works - you may prefer the unaffected innocence of Tintner here, although Tintner's orchestra simply isn't in the same league.

Incidentally, don't get too hung up on the question of which version of the symphonies a conductor uses. This is a pretty academic, sterile and irrelevant debate. A sympathetic conductor gets the results he wants and conveys them to the listener, irrespective of whether he is using the 'original' version, Haas, Nowak or whichever musicologist is currently in vogue.

The recordings are uniformly excellent, clear and weighty, a tad unrefined at climaxes and sometimes sharp in the upper strings, but so what? These are stunning, challenging, and glorious interpretations. Other conductors obviously have their claim - it would be idle not to extol the virtues of Furtwangler and Jochum, for example - but for a brilliant, one-fits-all-package, Karajan is, without doubt, unsurpassable.

So what of the competition? Furtwangler never recorded the complete cycle, but check out 5, 7, 8 and 9, available in a number of recordings of uneven technical quality, but stunning interpretative insights. Barenboim is Furtwangler's self-appointed successor, as he is in Wagner - his Teldec cycle is more than competent (often much more) but ultimately lacking in magic and somewhat variably recorded (there is also an earlier cycle on DGG which is best avoided). Solti is dynamic but coarse in places and lacks a feel for the idiom. Jochum is superb in both his BPO and Dresden cycles - the former very clear as a recording, the latter a little indistinct, although this adds to the 'mystery' and 'spirituality' of the performances. Some listeners have problems with Jochum's No 8. I rather like its thrust and sense of purpose. The Haitink cycle is yawn-inducingly dull, well played but over earnest and lacking an appreciation of what this composer really is about - good recordings though. Tintner's performances on Naxos too are very fine, superb in the earlier works and just lacking the very finest degrees of finesse in the last three symphonies (the eighth, in particular needs a better orchestra). The Masur cycle is too slow (even for Bruckner), and the Celibadache, despite its undeniable insights, would appear too quirky for most listeners (I love 4 and 7, however, and 9 is fantastic if you are in the right mood). The Wand cycle is wonderful and probably the closest to Karajan in its overall approach, though orchestra and recording don't always match the range of his vision. Many reviewers rate the Skrowacewski cycle - I can't comment as I have yet to hear it.

Karajan's cycle really does need to be sympathetically remastered to make the most of these recordings. The old Symphony Edition CD packaging is rather anachronistic and deserves better - along the lines of the neat and unostentatious packaging of his celebrated sixties Beethoven cycle perhaps. Symphonies 5 and 8 should be complete on one CD each, as opposed to split over two. But this is merely to carp. With the glorious accompaniment of the BPO at its peak, these must be considered the definitive performances in the catalogue.