This performance of the "Bruckner 4th" has always been considered somewhat of a reference for this work, ever since it was released . . . a very deliberate rendering of Bruckner's score . . .

Karl Böhm's Decca recording of Bruckner's Fourth Symphony has no equal. This is one of those special occasions when conducting, orchestral playing, and sound all come together to produce a truly memorable recorded performance . . . He, in fact, expands Bruckner's Fourth to something near the scope and stature of the final three Bruckner symphonies without any sense of being grandiose or overinflated. His interpretation sounds totally correct . . . Much of the success of this recording is directly related to the orchestral execution [of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra] . . . The brass section, critical to any Bruckner symphony, is simply overwhelming. The massive brass climax early in the fourth movement must be heard to be believed . . .