Nikolaus Harnoncourt & Wiener Philharmoniker - Bruckner: Symphony No. 7, WAB 107 (1999/2024)

"Nicholas Harnoncourt's venture into the late 19th-century repertory tends to provoke ideologically-motivated reactions, either for or against, "historically-informed" performance practice. I think it's more rewarding to approach his outstanding recording of the Bruckner 7th symphony, done with the Vienna Philharmonic, as stemming from a strong interpretive vision of the 7th, one that is allied to some of the performance practices that Harnoncourt has advocated in his career.

What is this vision? Harnoncourt's interpretation of the opening Allegro and the Adagio - two long movements that make up about 2/3 of the 7th - emphasizes their lyricism. Everything is soft – often very soft – and delicate. The grand gestures that can be made thunderlingly loud are underplayed and the details highlighted. Those details include very sensitively shaped phrases, with subtle inflections throughout. You just need to put the disc on and in the first minute, it becomes clear: the beautiful opening melody is played sensuously by the excellent Vienna Phil string section and done with tremendous attention to detail and phrasing."

Tracklist
01. Symphony No. 7 in E Major, WAB 107: I. Allegro moderato
02. Symphony No. 7 in E Major, WAB 107: II. Adagio. Sehr feierlich und sehr langsam
03. Symphony No. 7 in E Major, WAB 107: III. Scherzo. Sehr schnell - Trio. Etwas langsamer
04. Symphony No. 7 in E Major, WAB 107: IV. Finale. Bewegt, doch nicht schnell