Because they were previously available in America only as limited-edition Eurodisc import LPs back in late '70s, Kurt Masur's cycle of the Bruckner Symphonies with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra had a certain amount of cult status. This status was only enhanced by poor surfaces of the East German discs that made it hard to tell exactly how good the performances were. Available here for the first time as a cycle in the United States in clean, clear sound, Masur's Bruckner cycle is finally revealed for what it is: a collection of mostly mediocre performances redeemed by performances of towering greatness. Kurt Masur was a mostly mediocre conductor -- his beat was often soggy and his balances were often foggy and his interpretations were often stodgy -- but when he was hot, he was very hot. The rest of his Seventh may be no more than adequate, but his Adagio is one of the deepest and most moving performances of the work ever recorded. The Gewandhaus was a stout and robust East German orchestra gone slightly to fat -- the strings were strong but sometimes strident, the brass were sometimes polished but not as often, the ensemble was muscular but more than a little sloppy -- but when they were inspired, they were incandescent. Listen to Masur and the Gewandhaus' Third. Masur's conducting is an inexorable force moving the music forward with irresistible power. The Gewandhaus' playing is hard muscled but supple, well blended but brazen, deeply expressive but overwhelmingly powerful. Masur and the Gewandhaus' Bruckner cycle is mostly mediocre but when it is good, it is as good as it gets.
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