Bruckner: Symphony No. 6 New Zealand Sym Orch/George Tintner (Naxos 8.553453).

Bruckner: Symphony No. 6 New Zealand Sym Orch/George Tintner (Naxos 8.553453)

Although I already own two recordings of this symphony (Lopez-Cobos/Cincinnati on Telarc, which I enjoy for its spectacular sound and warm performance, and Dohnanyi/Cleveland on London, which I love for its bumingly intense, hard-driving performance -- OK, maybe I am just favorably prejudiced toward Ohio orchestras ...), I could not pass up the chance to pick up this new Naxos CD at its price of six bucks. But I am already a big fan of Bruckner -- nuts enough to buy another version of this symphony just to hear it (especially for six bucks) -- and I can't help but wonder how many first-time listeners Naxos is attracting to classical music with its low prices. Although this version does not displace either of my favorites, it is a worthwhile performance in very good sound, and really would make an excellent introduction to the music of Bruckner for someone who has not yet heard the music of this composer. Although the composer's 4th and 7th symphonies are generally considered the easiest avenues toward Bruckner appreciation, I find the 6th to be an excellent introduction to the composer, because its themes are easy to follow and it is a work that is once so grand in its conception yet -- at least for Bruckner -- so compact in its construction. Although few first-time listeners are going to be immediately converted into hard-core Brucknerians, listeners who will spend the time to listen to this work several times may well find it getting under their skin, and they may wish to hear more -- time then to move on to the 4th and 7th, then to the 8th and 9th -- and the 3rd is lots of fun, too. Be careful -- for the cheap price of six bucks, Naxos may well be luring the unsuspecting public into the tangled web of Bruckneria -- endless academic sniping about editions and all the rest. Is the pleasure worth the pain? -- KWN