Bruckner Symphony #7 DVD
The Cleveland Orchestra Arthaus DVD

If there are persons on your holiday gift list who appreciate classical music, here’s the perfect gift for them. (Shop early and save yourself a lot of running around in the process!) Just be sure to also acquire one for yourself.

This is a truly gorgeous package – for years now, the orchestra has been using the slogan ‘Hear what the world is talking about.’ Well, now, people can see as well as hear what we in Cleveland have known for some time. Not only is the Cleveland Orchestra golden, but also the hall in which it plays subscription concerts! Many people have seen photos of the former incarnation, but since the massive renovation in 1999-2001, photos have been a bit harder to come by, especially in connection with recordings. This package will go a long way toward remedying that situation, for sure!

Music Director Franz Welser-Möst is from Linz, which was also the home of composer Anton Bruckner. Maybe there’s something in the water, but they’re definitely on the same wave-length. This is the third in the series of Bruckner DVDs by Mr. Welser-Möst and the Cleveland Orchestra issued in the last three years: each is vastly different from the others. In 2007, it was the Symphony No. 5, filmed during a concert at the Abbey of St. Florian’s in Linz, where Bruckner is interred, but where he also served as organist during his lifetime. It’s awesome. (See: http://coolcleveland.com/index.php?n=Main.FlicksOrchestraBruckner)

Last year (2008) Bruckner's Symphony No. 9 which had been recorded during a residency in Vienna at the Musikverein (Golden Hall) was released, but I've not yet reviewed it. Now this year, comes Bruckner Symphony No 7. What a marvelous set these would make. Or you could do them individually. (They’re all available at the Orchestra store – on-line or call 216.231.7478.)

Mr. Welser-Möst again presents an introduction to the work, only at the end of the recording. But that’s okay – it’s as meaningful then as it would be earlier. The music is 66 minutes, the intro, 14. The 28-page booklet included is beautiful; heavy, glossy paper with photographs on nearly every page. And the neat thing is—the photos by Roger Mastroianni are of our Severance Hall and our Cleveland Orchestra! The world will drool with envy at the sights and sounds encased in this package. The building is so spectacular, we run the risk of taking it for granted. The photo on the back cover of the booklet will knock your socks off!

But, make no mistake. The music is the reason for this DVD, and the musicians are entirely engaged throughout. This symphony is Bruckner’s homage to his idol, Richard Wagner, who was dying in Venice, even as Bruckner, in Austria, was composing this work. There are constant quotes from Wagner’s music, with special emphasis on the famed Tristan chord. As Mr. Welser-Möst explains it, the music of both composers is filled with desire, longing and dreaming—hallmarks of German Romanticism. Bruckner, however, had one leg in the romantic era, and the other in the Baroque period. The conductor also thinks that while the music is very personal to Bruckner, it’s also very modern.

Whatever the composer asks for, the Cleveland Orchestra delivers: from soft beginning to brassy, triumphant ending. In addition to the usual five horns, there are also four Wagner tubas, which combine with the other brass instruments, especially Yasuhito Sugiyama on tuba, for an opulent chorale. The third movement is surprisingly pastoral in nature, with abundant birdsong. Earlier, the usually-stern Bruckner turns almost giddy with a scherzo-like duet between flute and double bass. Who would expect such from Bruckner?

And throughout, are those gorgeous shots of Severance Hall, including close-ups of details not usually seen so readily, either for distance or lack of light. It’s so impressive. But no more so than the incredible music-making from our own Cleveland Orchestra. There is just one little detail missing from this fabulous package. We might know who our local musical heroes are, if we attend concerts, as the program book lists the musicians. This important listing is missing from this booklet. Of course, it isn’t usually part of a CD liner note either, but in my opinion, it certainly should be.

Euroarts ASIN: B000M2EBUQ Bruckner: Symphony No. 5 – DVD $27.90

Medici Arts 2056848 Bruckner Symphony No. 9 – DVD $27.90

Arthaus Musik ASIN: B002N5KDXO Bruckner Symphony No. 7 – DVD $27.90

For complete details, visit the website: ClevelandOrchestra.com

From Cool Cleveland contributor Kelly Ferjutz, who writes: My most recently published book is Ardenwycke Unveiled (e-book and trade paper). Cerridwen has another contemporary romance from me, But Not For Love, currently available only as an e-book, but perhaps will be in print next year. I hope to soon get around to completing some of the 30+ incomplete books in my computer!

By the way, Cerridwen has also accepted two of my short stories in their Scintillating Samples (complimentary reads) area: Song of the Swan and Unexpected Comfort. I love photography as well, as you can see here. Occasionally I teach writing workshops and sometimes do editing or ghostwriting on a free-lance basis. But over and above everything else, there's always been the writing. I can't imagine my life without it.