BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 5. NDR Orchestra, conducted...

BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 5. NDR Orchestra, conducted by Gunter Wand. RCA Victor 60361-2-RC (compact disc). A skeptical consumer might wonder why RCA Victor is remaking its Wand-Bruckner cycle when Wand’s perfectly good earlier one, vintage 1974-1981, is still in its catalogue. There certainly are some differences in this new Fifth--more expressive, flexible phrasing from the wise old veteran conductor, a better orchestra with less raucous brass, slightly superior live digital sound. Yet Wand’s basic overview remains the same, an invigorating, straight-ahead approach that only taps moderately into Bruckner’s spiritual depths.