Anton Bruckner 200 (1824-2024)

The sincerity and, at the same time, emotionality of Anton Bruckner's musical thoughts create an inimitable magnetism that makes one 'forget' time in the very best sense of the word. Anyone who wants to approach Bruckner only analytically will find their mind boggled, especially at the first encounter. His great power is a certain 'transcendental charm' that is common to all his symphonies.

In 2024, the music world celebrates the 200th anniversary of Anton Bruckner's birth on September 4, 1824. On this occasion, the Bamberg Symphony - an orchestra well-versed in the interpretation of Bruckner's symphonic cosmos - and their music director Jakub Hruša present a new recording of the composer's last and unfinished symphony, his Ninth.

On 30 November 1894, Bruckner completed the third movement of his Ninth symphony, which, like all of its predecessors, was laid out in four movements. Work on the finale began on 24 May 1895, around 16 months before his death. He composed the first 172 bars of the movement in full, after which the score is at least partially orchestrated for a further 200 bars. Although a playable version of the finale of Bruckner's Symphony No. 9 is now available, in practical life the three-movement torso has become the norm. It seems as if the non-completion paradoxically claims its place. The Austrian critic and musicologist Walter Weidringer wrote that the Ninth 'may be taken as one of those examples from music history that prove that even fragments can display a degree of completion which no longer seems capable of improvement.'

A production of Accentus Music in co-production with BR-KLASSIK.

Anton Bruckner called his Symphony no.8 in C minor a ‘mystery’; others have seen it as an ‘apocalyptic’ work. For Paavo Järvi, it is the composer’s ‘most unusual symphony’ and the ‘pinnacle’ of his symphonic output. In the history of the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, the Eighth Symphony occupies a special place, since it was the first Bruckner the orchestra performed – in 1905, twelve years after the premiere in Vienna of what was then the longest symphony in the history of music, and Bruckner’s only work to call for harps: ‘A harp has no place in a symphony, but I couldn't do otherwise!’, the composer reportedly said.

REVIEW:

This reading of the Eighth is more deliberate overall than an earlier venture of his. This is not a detriment, however, as Järvi and the Zürich orchestra maintain forward motion throughout. Bruckner enthusiasts will likely be happy that Järvi chose the Novak critical edition of the 1890 revised version. As expected, the conductor has this orchestra well-drilled and gets some strong performances from the musicians, especially from the large French horn group. While some will miss (and many prefer) the extra weight of the Berlin or Vienna Philharmonic, this interpretation is worthy of hearing and continues the promise of this ongoing survey. The sound from the orchestra's home hall is ideal, and Alpha does well to capture the full orchestral landscape.

-- AllMusic.com (Keith Finke)

Renaissance polyphony and contemporary sound clouds orbit around vocal late Romanticists like satellites. The Zurich Chamber Singers, conducted by Christian Erny, unearth a special narrative drama. Starting with Anton Bruckner, they turn their attention to Palestrina as a point of reference. At the same time, they cast a spotlight back on the work of the Austrian vocal innovator through three contemporary works. A comprehensive selection of Bruckner's Latin motets combine here with chosen works by Palestrina and three world premiere recordings of the Stuttgart composer Burkhard Kinzler’s commissioned works.

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina may have been one of Bruckner’s musical inspirations and historical references, as he, albeit some three hundred years Bruckner’s senior, was continuously celebrated in music history for centuries after his death. Bruckner’s Catholic faith – supremely profound, and at times unhappy – is inherent to almost all of his compositions. The composer is sometimes said not to have managed to write a single secular piece, including his symphonies. In this album, the Zurich Chamber Singers focus on Bruckner’s Latin motets and choose to consider them something of a musical prayer book and personal diary of the composer. Bruckner, who suffered from severe self-doubts throughout his life, composed motets for almost his entire life. Although in varying intervals and with considerably less public attention than other of his works, Bruckner was dedicated to the composition of motets with admirable regularity. Therefore, these pieces allow a singular access to Bruckner’s musical development and personality, as well as his religious psyche. In this program Anton Bruckner’s motets are presented in a careful sequence combining them with works by Palestrina and Burkhard Kinzler. The latter feature as a commentary that both hearkens back ‘ad fontes’ and towards the twenty-first-century present.

On the occasion of the Bruckner bicentenary; the Vienna Philharmonic recorded its first ever complete Bruckner cycle with a single conductor; Christian Thielemann. In addition to the well-known canon of nine symphonies; the two earliest Bruckner symphonies in F minor and D minor were also recorded for the first time in the orchestra’s history. This uniquely complete edition from the Musikverein and Salzburg Festival; featuring 11 symphonies also includes extensive conversations with Christian Thielemann about each symphony and insights into his rehearsal work.

“In this audiovisual edition Bruckner 11; the Vienna Philharmonic pays tribute to the symphonic works of the great Austrian composer Anton Bruckner; whose 200th birthday anniversary will be celebrated in 2024. The Vienna Philharmonic; perhaps more than any other ensemble; can look back on a shared history with Bruckner that was shaped by the composer’s great esteem for the orchestra and which was to have a decisive influence on Austrian musical culture. The premiere of the Symphony No. 2; for example; which Bruckner himself conducted in 1873; was a great success and; despite considerable opposition at the time; led to numerous performances and premieres. The close artistic and personal relationship between Anton Bruckner and the Vienna Philharmonic also contributed to the development of an unmistakable “Brucknerian” sound and style of playing which has had an enduring influence on the composer’s legacy up to the present day.This anniversary provides a welcome occasion to celebrate the music of Anton Bruckner.

For the first time in our orchestral history we have made a complete recording of all nine symphonies and two of his brilliant yet rarely performed early works with a single conductor. We enjoy a very close artistic partnership and friendship with Christian Thielemann; who is an acknowledged expert on the music of Anton Bruckner and one of the most influential contemporary conductors in this repertoire. In this recording; our long tradition comes alive in both sound and images. We hope it will encourage people to rediscover the treasures of Bruckner’s music; a legacy that the composer bestowed upon present and future generations of music lovers.” Prof. Daniel Froschauer; Chairman of the Wiener Philharmoniker

Recorded live in concert in October, this release marks the Monteverdi Choir's 60th birthday and the 200th anniversary of Bruckner's birth with an album that combines his celebrated a cappella motets with the sacred motets of Carlo Gesualdo (1566 - 1613). Performed in 2024 by the Monteverdi Choir in Ely, Oxford and the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich under conductor Jonathan Sells, the album brings alive both the tormented passion and the exultant beauty of both composers' music.

Following the first in the Bock reads Bruckner series, which has already been released on CD and was dedicated to the composer's self-image and the Upper Austrian period of his life, and the second evening, which has also already been released, which showed the eternal bachelor as a suitor and shed light on his relationship with the 'fair sex', this is now the third recording of a total of five readings with music. Based on letters and diary entries, this time with distributed roles (Wolfgang Bock, Thomas Thieme), it deals with Anton Bruckner's almost unbridled admiration for Richard Wagner, which - of course - was only met by the latter to a limited extent, the encounters between the two composers, who were so fundamentally different, and Bruckner's regular 'pilgrimages' to Bayreuth. Musically, a little-known aspect of Wagner's oeuvre comes into focus: selected songs and piano pieces make it possible to get to know the great music dramatist as a creator of small-scale chamber music works (Daniel Linton-France, piano; Elisabeth Wimmer, soprano).

Chorus sine nomine, founded in 1991 by Johannes Hiemetsberger, is one of the most distinguished and innovative concert choirs in Austria. On this CD, the choir presents motets by Anton Bruckner. Bruckner simply called them sacred choruses, as the reason for their composition can usually be traced back to a liturgical occasion. The six works on the CD correspond to such liturgical interludes: Graduale (Christus factus est, Locus iste, Os justi, Virga Jesse), Offertorium (Ave Maria) and a hymn for the Good Friday liturgy (Vexilla regis). As an organist, Bruckner was admired above all for his improvisations. He was particularly admired for his high contrapuntal skills, in which he demonstrated his craftsmanship in fugue and imitation. The style of the fugal parts of his improvisations was based on Baroque patterns (such as Handel), while in other, more imaginative parts the tonal language of his organ playing became increasingly typical of Bruckner. Martin Haselbock establishes this connection to Bruckner with his organ improvisations.

This series to mark the 200th birthday of Anton Bruckner in 2024 is dedicated to his symphonic works. Hansjorg Albrecht will perform all of Bruckner's symphonies in many new transcriptions for organ at important locations such as Zurich, Leipzig, Linz, Vienna and London. Bruckner's works are framed by contemporary compositions that deal with Bruckner's work in the "Bruckner Windows". Hansjorg Albrecht concludes the extensive project to commemorate Anton Bruckner with the last recording of the Study Symphony.

The first performance of Anton Bruckner’s Seventh Symphony at the Zurich Tonhalle took place on 14 January 1924, to mark the centenary of the composer’s birth. Under the direction of Walter, Furtwängler, Klemperer, Böhm and Karajan (to name but a few!), the orchestra has since given many performances of this monumental work which was its composer’s first great success and which the conductor Hermann Levi considered ‘the most significant composition since the death of Beethoven’. The orchestra’s Brucknerian tradition is perpetuated with this cycle conducted by its music director Paavo Järvi, which will continue with the Eighth and Ninth Symphonies until 2024, the year of Bruckner’s bicentenary.

To date, countless composers and Bruckner scholars have attempted to undo the body-snatching and reconstruct the manuscripts of the fourth movement into a whole "in the spirit of the composer". François-Xavier Roth and the Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne remain true to the original three-movement version in their highly acclaimed Bruckner cycle, and this album marks an important milestone in the work's discography.

Francois-Xavier Roth and the Gurzenich Orchestra Cologne explore the beginnings of Anton Bruckner's symphonic oeuvre on the way to the complete recording of the symphonies. Between Linz and Vienna, the organist from the modest provinces, "half genius and half fool", as contemporaries described him, found his symphonic language. At the age of over 40, he composed his first "real" symphony.

Bruckner‘s Third - a creative history that is unique even for the great Austrian romantic. No other of his symphonies has been revised, reshaped and reissued more often. Yet the first version from 1873, which François-Xavier Roth has chosen for this recording, bristles with boldness and the joy of experimentation. Here, the reminiscence of Beethoven‘s Ninth and the works of the dedicatee Richard Wagner is almost tangible. With this recording, François-Xavier Roth and the Gürzenich-Orchester Köln continue the highly acclaimed Bruckner Symphonies cycle and, with great attention to detail, once again present the „unvarnished“ Bruckner, groundbreaking, virtuosic and refined.

This series marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Anton Bruckner, which falls in 2024. It’s dedicated to Bruckner’s symphonies, most of which are heard in new transcriptions for organ performed by Hansjörg Albrecht. This latest album in the edition features Erwin Horn’s transcription of Bruckner’s Eighth Symphony, performed on the organ of the Musikverein in Vienna.

The Bruckner Symphonies, Vol. 9

This series marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Anton Bruckner, which falls in 2024. It’s dedicated to Bruckner’s symphonies, most of them recorded in new transcriptions for organ by Hansjörg Albrecht. The 7th recording was made on the church organ of Hofkirche in Luzern with the transcription of Bruckner’s 6th Symphony by Eberhard Klotz. The bonus track on this volume is the composition “Andrea Lorenzo Scartazzini” for organ by the Italian composer Andrea Lorenzo Scartazzini.

Anton Bruckner and Sankt Florian, an incomparable and authentic relationship: In the monastery of Sankt Florian, Bruckner’s home and resting place, not a single stone has changed since Bruckner’s time. Conductor in Residence Rémy Ballot and the Altomonte Orchestra of St. Florian have been using the annual gathering at the St. Florian Brucknertage festival for more than ten years now to devote themselves intensively to a selected Bruckner symphony and to present it to the audience in one or two celebrated concerts. From the live recordings this 10-part cycle was created and in 2023 completed with the recording of the “Nullified Symphony WAB 100” and is now being released as an exclusive complete edition. In the entire history of Bruckner’s reception, this is the only cycle to have been performed live in its entirety by a single conductor – Rémy Ballot – exclusively in Sankt Florian. The acoustics of the St. Florian Abbey Basilica are problematic due to their reverberation time of up to ten seconds, and are only suitable for a few works, as there is a danger of “harmonic mush” if the tempo is too fast and the harmonic changes too rapid as a result. Far from this trap, on the contrary, music is made in alliance with the acoustics in the present recordings. The architectural and acoustic conditions of the basilica require a consciously specific articulation and dynamic shaping. The Altomonte Orchestra, made up of local musicians reinforced by members of the most important Austrian orchestras, is traditionally deeply familiar with these, as well as is the Upper Austrian Youth Symphony Orchestra, which has been performing Symphonies VI and VIII for this edition.

The 2023 edition of Brucknertage Festival St. Florian was presenting a very rare specialty: Rémy Ballot and the Altomonte Orchestra St. Florian’s premiere performance of the critical new edition of Anton Bruckner's Symphony in D minor, WAB 100, "The Nullified" (formerly known as "Die Nullte" or "No. 0") by David Chapman. Contrary to what one might induce, it is by no means a symphonic debut by Bruckner but has been composed in 1869 after his first symphony, designated to be Symphony No. 2. Many parts of the composition are radically new and already herald the revolutionary compositional models of the later Bruckner. The so-called “First Theme” alone, as later in the introductions to the IIIrd and IXth Symphonies, does not form a developed theme, but only sound surfaces, prompting the understandable, but disastrous question by conductor Felix Otto Dessoff of the Vienna Philharmonic: “Well, where is the main theme there?” This single criticism was enough for the sensitive 45-year-old to “annul” the work, adding the number “0” to the autograph and disregarding it for the rest of his life… It was not until 1924 that this magnificent D minor symphony, which was certainly unjustly banned from his catalog of works, was finally premiered in Klosterneuburg.

After acclaimed recordings of the Third (‘Dausgaard… makes the music sound vital and even revolutionary’, Fanfare) and Sixth (‘This persuasively played work could be no better served’, MusicWeb International), Thomas Dausgaard and the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra now present Anton Bruckner’s Fourth Symphony, ‘Romantic’ in its second version (1878-1880), the one with which this work has become widely known. “Nothing like this has been written since Beethoven” conductor Hans Richter is said to have declared after the successful premiere of Bruckner's Fourth Symphony in Vienna in 1881. This success finally gave the 56-year-old composer the attention and recognition he sorely needed and one can affirm that it was from this day onwards that Bruckner was actually cultivated in Vienna after years of public humiliation. Despite its nickname given by the composer himself, this symphony in no way expresses existential pain. Rather, the romanticism refers to the experience of nature – from sublime forest magic to hunting scenes – emphasized by the horn, the quintessential romantic instrument, which is given a prominent role.

REVIEW:

Dausgaard emerged early on as one of the most convincing HIP conductors of standard repertoire, and he has earned the right to express his individuality in Bruckner under normal conditions, one might say. His involvement with the score is undoubted, which makes the issue of fast tempos mostly irrelevant. Being different is worthwhile only when the difference is musically meaningful. I think that Dausgaard easily passes that test, in a Bruckner Fourth that is among the most striking in years.

-- Fanfare

In the Bruckner Year 2024, St. Florian Abbey, with the master's burial place, the famous organ and the world-famous St. Florian Boys' Choir, will become even more of a focus for the international Bruckner fan community than it already is. A special prelude to this was the intermission film of this year's New Year's Concert of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, in which two Florian Boys' Choir led an audience of millions through all the Bruckner memorials and in which the choir performed the single release of the moth "Locus iste". Almost every concert of the St. Florian Boys' Choir, which was founded in 1071, includes a work by Anton Bruckner, as the choir is proud to have the "most famous member" in it's history. The "Locus iste" has long since become the secret anthem of the choirboys, and the other great motets such as "Ave Maria", "Os justi" and "Tota pulchra es" are also part of the regular repertoire of the Florian Boys' Choir. All of these works have now been re-recorded under the direction of Markus Stumpner and will be released on CD and digitally on March 1 for the Bruckner Year 2024 under the title "Remembrance". However, not only the master's best-known choral works will be presented, but also rarities: the recently restored Bruckner grand piano, a Bosendorfer built in 1846, which accompanied Bruckner's creative output from 1848 to 1896, will play a special role. Franz Farnberger will play Bruckner's best-known piano piece, "Erinnerung", and accompany another former choirboy, the now internationally renowned countertenor Alois Muhlbacher, in two Bruckner songs. The boys perform the "22nd Psalm" together with the pianist, while an ensemble of former choirboys perform the two male choruses "Um Mitternacht" and "Herbstlied". Franz Farnberger rearranged "Der Lehrerstand", a men's choir whose text is difficult to understand today, into a humorous alternating song by teachers and pupils. This Bruckner CD recorded in St. Florian naturally also features the famous Bruckner organ - masterfully played by the monastery organist Klaus Sonnleitner.

SOMM Recordings concludes it's universally acclaimed six-volume Bruckner from the Archives series with his last two symphonies and Psalm 150. By a happy coincidence conductors Eugen Jochum and Henry Swoboda, who were featured conductors in Volume 1, make a welcome re-appearance, bringing the series to an elegant conclusion. This archival series celebrating Anton Brucker's bicentennial was conceived and designed by SOMM Executive Producer and Audio Restoration Engineer, Lani Spahr, with annotations from Professor Benjamin Korstvedt. Of Bruckner's two final symphonies Korstvedt says, "[With] the Eighth and the Ninth, Bruckner reached the pinnacle of symphonic achievement. They both pose considerable challenges, musically, textually and emotionally. Above all, they are unquestionably two of the greatest works in the genre, by any composer before or after." When Bruckner completed his Eighth Symphony in 1887, he asked his supporter, Hermann Levi, to conduct the premiere. When Levi responded, "I don't have the courage to perform it, " Bruckner was staggered by the rejection, but didn't lose faith in his score. On 10 March 1890, he wrote "entirely finished" on a reworked version. His revisions, extensive as they were, stayed true to his original conception of the work's dramatic course, and after the premiere in 1892, Hugo Wolf called the work "a complete victory of light over darkness." To honour Bruckner's bicentennial in this last Volume 6, the Bruckner Archive offers an exciting 1957 live performance, expertly re-mastered by Lani Spahr, featuring the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra led by their founding conductor Eugen Jochum. In 1949, Jochum made the first commercial recording of the Eighth, and this present recording offers a vivid example of his distinctive way with Bruckner in his approach to the dramatic possibilities of the score. Bruckner's last great sacred work, Psalm 150 from 1892, is a jubilant hymn of praise that references music in it's directive to "Praise the Lord" with trumpet and harp, with dancing and cymbals. This recording, the first ever made, is from 1950 during the pioneering days of LPs, with Henry Swoboda conducting the Vienna Symphony Orchestra and Vienna Academy Chamber Choir. Twice in 1894, and again in 1896, Bruckner's health declined so gravely that last rites were administered. When death took him on 11 October 1896, he had completed three movements of his Ninth Symphony. The symphony-with it's grimly epic opening, it's insistent Scherzo, and a long moment of silence before the resolution of the Adagio-is usually performed incomplete, as it is here. In this first release, Wolfgang Sawallisch conducts the Vienna Symphony Orchestra in the Musikverein-the same orchestra and hall as the premiere in 1903. Lani Spahr's previous SOMM releases include the lauded four-volume sets�Vaughan Williams Live (ARIADNE 5016, 5018-20) and�Elgar Remastered�(SOMMCd 261-4), as well as two Gramophone Editor's Choice picks:�Elgar from America Vol 3�(ARIADNE 5015-2) for "superb audio restorations [bringing] performances fully to life" and�Bruckner from the Archives�Vol. 1 (ARIADNE 5025-2) for the "high standards achieved here, where expert audio restoration and remastering is by Lani Spahr."

SOMM Recordings continues it's six-volume Bruckner from the Archives series in celebration of the bicentennial of Anton Bruckner with the penultimate Volume 5, featuring his Sixth and Seventh Symphonies and the Te Deum. The series owes it's unprecedented success to SOMM Executive Producer and Audio Restoration Engineer, Lani Spahr. He conceived and designed the series in collaboration with Professor Ben Korstvedt, author of the authoritative notes, and John F. Berky, Executive Secretary of the Bruckner Society of America and Series Consultant. Bruckner thought of his Symphony No. 6 in A major (1881) as his boldest, his "sauciest," symphony. Sadly, it was not published during his lifetime, and he heard only the Adagio and Scherzo performed. When the first full performance was given by Gustav Mahler in 1899 and published that same year, it was with cuts and edits. The original version of Bruckner's score was not published until 1935, and this version is performed here in a 1961 recording with Christoph von Dohnanyi conducting the North German Radio Symphony Orchestra. The Symphony No. 7 in E major (1885) provided Bruckner with his public breakthrough. The first performance in Leipzig came just over a year after it's completion, and the second performance the following year was even more warmly received by Munich's music lovers. The Bavarian King, Ludwig II, was so impressed with the symphony that he financed it's immediate publication. By the late 1880s, Bruckner's Seventh was being widely performed, from Amsterdam and Berlin to New York and Chicago. The performance of the symphony included here is a 1955 recording by what was then the South German Radio Symphony (now the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra) led by their long-time music director, Hans Muller-Kray. Anton Bruckner was a devoutly religious man, and he composed his Te Deum (1884) "out of gratitude to God." The work being contemporaneous with his Seventh Symphony, elements of Bruckner's mature symphonic style find their way into this sacred text. It received it's first full performance at the Vienna Musikverein in 1886, and the recording on this release was made in that same hall in 1962, during a concert celebrating the 150th anniversary of the founding of�the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde. The performance features Herbert von Karajan conducting the Vienna Philharmonic and the Vienna Singverein.

SOMM Recordings is delighted to release Volume 4 in it's "major commemorative series" (ConcertoNet. Com) Bruckner from the Archives. Many of the expertly restored and remastered recordings, like this performance of the Fifth Symphony, are appearing for the first time in any form. Conceived and designed by SOMM Executive Producer and acclaimed Audio Restoration Engineer Lani Spahr with support from the Bruckner Society of America, Bruckner from the Archives celebrates the 200th anniversary of the composer's birth in 1824 with rare archival recordings of the 11 symphonies and selected other important works. These have been sourced by Lani Spahr from the more than 12, 000 Bruckner performances in the Archive of John F. Berky, Executive Secretary of the Bruckner Society of America, who also acts as Consultant for this important series. This fourth instalment offers the first ever release of a live radio broadcast of Bruckner's Symphony No. 5 by the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra under Christoph von Dohnanyi (1963) and a debut CD release of the String Quintet and it's alternate movement, the Intermezzo, by the Vienna Konzerthaus Quartet joined by violist Ferdinand Stangler (1956). These rare interpretations of Bruckner masterworks offer a new perspective on the music and it's genesis in the context of Bruckner's life and compositional development, accompanied by the very latest in scholarship from Professor Benjamin Korstvedt, President of the Bruckner Society of America and member of the Editorial Board of the New Anton Bruckner Complete Edition. Prof. Korstvedt cites this recording of the Fifth, led by a young Christoph von Dohnanyi then in the early stages of his legendary career, as a fine example of the new, more objective approach to Bruckner performance favoured among the postwar generation. The early days of the LP bring us this recording of the Quintet by the string quartet in residence at the Vienna Konzerthaus, who along with their guest violist were members of the Vienna Philharmonic. The playing - vividly remastered - is a window onto a lost era, with it's portamentos, lyrical intensity, romantic tempos and phrasing epitomising a distinctly Viennese tradition that invests the music with a sincerity of sentiment and a depth of mood that is both rare and striking. Lani Spahr's previous SOMM releases include the lauded four-volume sets Vaughan Williams Live (ARIADNE 5016, 5018-20) and Elgar Remastered (SOMMCD 261-4), as well as two Gramophone Editor's Choice picks: Elgar from America Vol. 3 (ARIADNE 5015-2) for "superb audio restorations [bringing] performances fully to life" and Bruckner from the Archives Vol. 1 (ARIADNE 5025-2) for the "high standards achieved here, where expert audio restoration and remastering is by Lani Spahr". Praise for Volume One and critical interest in the Series: Gramophone Editor's Choice (June 2024) "We look forward to the next editions in the series; to further uplifting recordings and to new light, shed on a composer we thought we knew. "? The Quarterly Review: Endnotes, May 2024 "This is an auspicious launch of what promises to be a Bruckner series of uncommon interest. "? John Quinn, Music Web International

Anton Bruckner's Fourth Symphony, the so-called "Romantic", is characterized by a long history of development, stretching from the first drafts in 1874 to the third version in 1888. However, this version, which was common until the 1950s, was rejected in the "version dispute", and instead the second version from 1878/80 became the prevailing version during the second half of the 20th century. The third version was only rediscovered in 1996 by the Bruckner researcher Benjamin Korstvedt and re-edited in 2004. This version, regarded by Bruckner as the final version, which contains a few cuts and mainly tempo adjustments in favor of a slower playing style, was presented by conductor Rémy Ballot and the Altomonte Orchestra at the St. Florian Brucknertage Festival 2021.

SOMM Recordings is pleased to release Volume 3 in it's "major commemorative series" (ConcertoNet. Com) Bruckner from the Archives. Many of the expertly restored and remastered recordings, like these performances of the Third and Fourth Symphonies, are appearing for the first time in any form. Conceived and designed by SOMM Executive Producer and acclaimed Audio Restoration Engineer Lani Spahr with support from the Bruckner Society of America, Bruckner from the Archives celebrates the 200th anniversary of the composer's birth in 1824 with rare archival recordings of the 11 symphonies and selected other important works. These have been sourced by Lani Spahr from the more than 11, 000 Bruckner performances in the Archive of John F. Berky, Executive Secretary of the Bruckner Society of America, who also acts as Consultant for this important series. This third instalment offers live radio broadcasts of Bruckner's Symphony No. 3 by the NDR Symphony Orchestra under Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt (1966) and Symphony No. 4 by the Munich Philharmonic under Volkmar Andreae (1958). These never-before-heard interpretations from the Bruckner symphonic canon offer a new perspective on these much-loved works, particularly as they are accompanied by the very latest in scholarship about the works' genesis in the context of Bruckner's life and compositional development, written by Professor Benjamin Korstvedt, President of the Bruckner Society of America and member of the Editorial Board of the New Anton Bruckner Complete Edition. Prof. Korstvedt commends the Brucknerian pedigree of Schmidt-Isserstedt and the NDR SO, an orchestra built by the conductor and led by him for two decades after the Second World War. They in fact had given the very first performances of the Oeser Edition of the Third shortly after it's publication in 1950. So, too, Swiss composer-conductor Volkmar Andreae, who was a leading Bruckner advocate: by the end of his career he had led more than 250 Bruckner performances. This recording of the Fourth, from 1958 with the Munich Philharmonic, is typical Andreae: characterful, at times fiery and passionate, at others deeply expressive, but always keenly alive to the richly varied content and moods of the music. Lani Spahr's previous SOMM releases include the lauded four-volume sets Vaughan Williams Live (ARIADNE 5016, 5018-20) and Elgar Remastered (SOMMCD 261-4), as well as Elgar from America, Volume 3 (Ariadne 5015-2), which garnered a Gramophone Editor's Choice for "superb audio restorations [bringing] performances fully to life". Praise for Volume One and critical interest in the Series: Gramophone Editor's Choice (June 2024) [EMBARGOED UNTIL 22 MAY] "We look forward to the next editions in the series; to further uplifting recordings and to new light, shed on a composer we thought we knew. "?The Quarterly Review: Endnotes, May 2024 "This is an auspicious launch of what promises to be a Bruckner series of uncommon interest. "?John Quinn, Music Web International Volume One: ARIADNE 5025-2 � Volume Two: ARIADNE 5027-2

SOMM Recordings announces Bruckner from the Archives, a major new, six-double-CD-volume series celebrating the 200th anniversary of Anton Bruckner’s birth in 1824. Conceived and designed by SOMM Executive Producer and acclaimed Audio Restoration Engineer Lani Spahr with support from the Bruckner Society of America, the series features rare archival recordings of Bruckner’s 11 symphonies and selected other important works, many appearing for the first time in any form.

Recordings have been sourced from the more than 11,000 Bruckner performances in the Archive of John F. Berky, Executive Secretary of the Bruckner Society of America, who also acts as Consultant for this important series.

Across the series, authoritative notes by Professor Benjamin M. Korstvedt, Jeppson Professor of Music at Clark University, Worcester, Massachusetts, President of the Bruckner Society of America and member of the Editorial Board of the New Anton Bruckner Complete Edition, trace Bruckner’s life and compositional development from the Symphony in F minor (1862) to the unfinished Ninth Symphony (1894).

Volume 1 (SOMM 5025) will be released on 15 March 2024 and includes two Symphonies: in F minor (Bruckner Orchestra, Linz conducted by Kurt Wöss) and No.1 in C minor, ‘Linz’ (Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Eugen Jochum); Bruckner’s only String Quartet (Koeckert Quartet); Psalm 112 (Vienna Akademie Kammerchor, Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Henry Swoboda); the Overture in G minor (WDR Symphony Orchestra, Cologne, Dean Dixon); the March in D minor, and Three Pieces for Orchestra (Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Hans Weisbach).

Future volumes include never-before released performances conducted by noted Brucknerians Eugen and Georg Ludwig Jochum, Eduard van Beinum, Volkmar Andreae, Christoph von Dohnányi, Herbert von Karajan, and Joseph Keilberth. Lani Spahr’s previous SOMM releases include the lauded four-volume sets Vaughan Williams Live (ARIADNE 5016, 5018-20) and Elgar Remastered (SOMMCD 261-4), and a Gramophone Editor’s Choice for “superb audio restorations [bringing] performances fully to life” for Elgar from America, Volume 3 (Ariadne 5015-2).

This symphony is the creation of a giant, and it surpasses all of the master's other symphonies in terms of it's spiritual dimension, it's fearsomeness, and it's grandeur. It's success is almost unprecedented, despite the most ominous warnings of a variety of Cassandras, and that includes several close colleagues. The work was a complete victory of light over darkness, and the storm of enthusiasm which broke out with elemental force when the individual movements had faded away was mighty. In short, it was a triumph that a Roman emperor could not have wished for more beautifully. (Hugo Wolf)

Cut or Uncut?

Anton Bruckner would have been 200 years old in 2024. Instead of using flowery but ultimately helpless advertising slogans to promote the 100th release for the Bruckner Year, we are trying to encourage people to think about production processes in classical music with a special release. What is a recording actually about?

Anton Bruckner's 7th Symphony twice in full length, each time on one CD. A live recording (uncut) and a studio production (cut) under identical conditions. Compare them! And don't allow your judgement to be swayed by different recording circumstances!

This comparison would not have been possible without András Keller and Concerto Budapest. András Keller follows an unbroken European tradition that stretches way back into the last century, perhaps even as far back as Anton Bruckner himself. And the monumental arches and climaxes in Anton Bruckner's music are perfect for every listener to ask themselves: What do I want from a recording? What moves me more, live or produced, cut or uncut?

Anton Bruckner is most impressed by the instruments made by Cavaille-Coll.

A quest for absolute music Despite a number of setbacks, Bruckner's music has prevailed. His struggle for form and perfection was an expression of his deepest artistic conviction and an inner mission. Like Beethoven, he strove for 'absolute music': a soundscape beyond mere expression that speaks for itself. His Third Symphony in particular, the one 'where the trumpet begins the theme', is an impressive testimony to this aspiration, and it still moves us today: powerful, timeless, and true." Gerd Schaller

He makes you feel what it feels like to be alone at the top. Whoever sees and hears him suddenly knows more about the search for the right path that drives every serious person. His stage characters touch the heart. The bass Günther Groissböck embodies kings, scholars, philosophers in the great opera houses of the world; he plays priests, mythical creatures, gods. You could say he specializes in solitary figures.

At first glance, however, Günther Groissböck does not seem like someone who has personal experience with the subject of loneliness. The singer stands, works, acts on and off stage in intensive contact with people. He is married, father of a daughter, in the middle of life or, as conductor Philippe Jordan puts it: “He burns for many things in life, not only for art”. Can you play what you don’t know? How does he shape his stage characters? What are the building blocks for the play? When does the instrument, his voice, touch the audience? How much public spirit, how much individuality does an opera singer need today? And where does Günther Groissböck get the incredible energy he radiates on stage?

For two years we accompanied the artist from Waidhofen an der Ybbs (Lower Austria) with our camera, on night journeys and day trips. At rehearsals, sports, and performances. We filmed him as the black-robed Kaspar, as the powerful King Philip, or as a searcher in the villa of Richard Strauss. The result is a film portrait that tells of a special attitude to life; of loneliness as a source of artistic strength; of a man who can fill his voice with content from within. The film about Günther Groissböck tells of two lines from a Rückert poem, set to music by Gustav Mahler: “I live alone in my heaven, in my loving, in my song.”