Initially, I did discover that his Bruckner, who received wide recognition (and are indeed beautiful). But, noting the modest price of this case (who gets to celebrate the 90th birthday of the leader, all the recordings for Oehms Classics 1991 to 2011), I have chosen to acquire that amount.
Besides Bruckner cycle, we find in these 28 CDs 3 other complete cycles: Beethoven, Schumann and Brahms, plus 4 more isolated CDs (Bartok, Berlioz, Chopin, Skrowaczewski). For details, see the photo of the back of the cabinet.
But let's get to the point: Skrowaczewski is an outstanding leader and I rarely had much feeling, listening to each CD, listening to each of these works nevertheless well known and most widely honored by the disk of also hear a new work, free, honest and full of life.
New, yes, but not free: the originality of Skrowaczewski is not at all arbitrary, it is the contrary, as Kant would say, "exemplary", that is to say, it is entirely dictated by a reading attentive partitions and not by a desire for novelty.
Free, yes, but not vis-à-vis scores: free vis-à-vis all interpretative traditions that sometimes require a little lazily.
Honesty, sobriety, gushing vitality, joyful and full of youth: not a second one is aware of dealing with a chef born in 1923!
Of course, the two orchestras (the Saarbrücken Radio Symphony Orchestra and the German Radio Philharmonic Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern) have neither the prestige nor lextraordinaire degree sound editing of the most famous phalanges. But they are very far from being second-class orchestras and are obviously passionate about the work and musical adventure offered by Skrowaczewski. Discipline and listening (yes, you can clearly hear the winds and brass not only in Bruckner!) Are constant. And let us be clear: a real musical work with a little-known orchestra he not nest infinitely preferable to a more routine or agreed approach with a famous orchestra?
When a great chef explores the partitions with musicians completely devoted to his vision, the result can be marvelous, this is, in my opinion, the case here.
PS: Skrowaczewski the Bruckner are less "feverish" and mystical than Jochum (which I personally love). But you learn a lot by listening, as everything is built with intelligence and clarity. And emotion is not absent, far from it: each symphony brings out its own vertigo and abyss.
