This recording is based on the edition of Prof. William Carragan (Version 1878), which is oriented towards the Nowak Edition. It is shorter and much catchier than the usually performed version. The strings have the upper hand here instead of the brass, but the four horns do resurface with reminiscences of the first movement. Gerd Schaller leads the Philharmonie Festiva. Live recording.

Without denying its Classical and Romantic models (including Beethoven, Carl Maria von Weber, and Franz Schubert), the F minor Symphony shows a refined grasp of formal, dynamic, and structural logic and demonstrates Bruckner’s extraordinary creative powers in this, his first symphonic work. Formal criteria like repeating the exposition before the development in the outer movements, or Beethoven-like figurations in the second thematic block of the Andante, point to Classical influences, while in the development of the first movement, besides the classically-influenced motivic and thematic treatment, there are clearly Romantic tendencies recalling Schubert’s “Unfinished” Symphony and Weber’s opera Der Freischutz. Here we already see Bruckner’s great skill in incorporating apparently foreign material into his thematic development- inconspicuously and fruitfully, and without making obvious citations- a quality that may well derive from his experience improvising at the organ.

Classical Music

Remy Ballot and the symphonies of Anton Bruckner, enacted at Bruckner's place of work, the basilica of St. Florian in Upper Austria – an extraordinary combination of artistic abundance which becomes manifest for the fourth time in a CD release with the Gramola label. This time the annual festival Brucknertage centered around “the Sixth”, and once again the musical youth of the Upper Austrian Symphonic Youth Orchestra enjoyed the great honor to give a celebrated performance in this one-of-a-kind setting. The juvenile vigor and professionalism joined by the intuition of Remy Ballot provide for some goose bumps and append another worthy opus to this series which has been critically acclaimed and honored with numerous prestigious international awards.

The 20th anniversary of the Bruckner Festival in St. Florian in 2017 was celebrated with the Fifth Symphony, B major WAB 105 by Anton Bruckner. Interpreted by the Altomonte Orchestra with maestro Remy Ballot - the brilliant combination which since 2011 has been honored with numerous international prizes - the "Fantastical" (cit. Bruckner) came to be a truly worthy culmination of the festival. Through the interaction with the unique acoustics of the Priory Basilica, the abysses of deep despair Bruckner was afflicted with during the time of composition come to light, but also the strength and force which kept him alive and gave him Newton-like powers. For "The conclusion of the 4th movement, the incomparable so-called final coda of the Fifth, is one of the most convincing messages of confident optimism ever written by human hand." (Klaus Laczika)

Classical Music

PentaTone continues the collaboration between Marek Janowski and the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande with the release of the 3rd Symphony of Anton Bruckner.

Classical Music

Quatuor Diotima celebrates the bicentennial anniversary of Anton Bruckner with a recording of his String Quartet in C Minor, Rondo in C Minor and Theme with Variations in E-Flat Major, alongside the String Quartet in E-Flat Major from his pupil Friedrich Klose. Bruckner wrote these pieces as composition exercises, yet they adumbrate the originality and power of his later works, as well as pay tribute to the glorious Viennese quartet tradition. Like Bruckner, Klose strongly sympathized with Wagner and the proponents of programme music, and chamber music had not appealed to him very much up until the moment he embarked on his only string quartet composition. Sarcastically, he subtitled it a "tribute paid in four instalments to my stern German schoolmasters", yet he demonstrates a full mastery of the conventions of musical form, paired with an almost unprecedented wealth of musical ideas. This album, recorded at and in close cooperation with the Brucknerhaus Linz, shall be one of the most original contributions to the Bruckner year 2024, highlighting his achievements in the field of chamber music as well as his compositional legacy. Quatuor Diotima is one of the most in-demand chamber ensembles in the world today, and has worked in close collaboration with several of the greatest composers of the late twentieth century. Reflected in the mirror of today's music, the quartet projects a new light onto the masterpieces of the 19th and 20th centuries. The quartet returns to PENTATONE after their acclaimed Metamorphosis Ligeti, released in 2023.

Classical Music

Classical Music

The Fourth Symphony in E-flat major with the epithet “The Romantic”, is likely the best-loved symphony of Anton Bruckner. It received its highly successful world premiere in 1881 in Vienna, performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under Hans Richter. The Scherzo with its hunting sequences is in particularly high favor with audiences. OehmsClassics presents here a live recording from April 2008 from the Great Festival Hall in Salzburg.

With the present CD, OehmsClassics releases the “Linz Version” of Anton Bruckner’s First Symphony. It is part of the complete symphony cycle being recorded by the Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra under Ivor Bolton, its Chief Conductor since 2004. This live recording from the Large Festival Hall in Salzburg was realized in October 2013. The 91-regular member Mozarteum Orchestra is one of Austria’s leading symphonic organizations, presenting two concert series of its own throughout the year as well as playing the Sunday Matinees concerts at the annual Salzburg Festival.

Classical Music

Classical Music