BR Klassik, Fridemann Leipold “Album of the Week”
“The idiosyncrasies of the historical instruments collide harshly, coarsely and rawly in Bruckner’s massive agglomerations. On the other hand, their characteristic timbres are much more pronounced than on modern instruments. Imperfections are part of the sound aesthetic, because the old wind instruments do not respond as well at the onset. On the other hand, Heras-Casado and the vibrato-less strings succeed in playing wonderfully lyrical phrases – the emotional landscapes in the slow movement have rarely sounded so painful, so bleak.”
“The famous Hunting Scherzo profits especially from the historical sound design of this recording – the old horns blare out so crisply, cheekily and boldly that it is a delight. In the Scherzo’s trio, the contrast could hardly be greater: it sounds sallow and monotonous, like a hurdy-gurdy – as if Schubert’s ‘Winterreise’ were wafting over.”
“This Bruckner recording is a shock at first in its radicalism, austerity and bone-dry sound: this is what the Fourth Symphony might actually have sounded like back then. A far cry from the lush beauty of sound of our day. An exercise in asceticism that cleanses the ear. In their purification of Bruckner’s ‘Romantic’ symphony, Pablo Heras-Casado and Anima Eterna do away with all clichés and take a ruthless look at the fractures of the epoch.”