Bruckner: Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, WAB 101 (1866-1868 Linz version)

Chronique

Bruckner, more than any other composer in the classical canon, was a reviser of his works to a point where it is difficult to speak of a definitive text for most of them. Conductor Markus Poschner and the Bruckner Orchestra Linz have undertaken to record all the various versions of Bruckner's symphonies, excluding transitional versions (of which there are quite a few). Some rarely heard versions have been included. One of these is the so-called "Linz" version of the Symphony No. 1 in C minor, WAB 101, from 1868, much less common than a later 1870s revision also, confusingly, known as the "Linz" version even though it was not made in Linz. It is this early version, with just a few other recordings in the catalog, that Poschner and his group record here. It is tighter than the Symphony No. 1 as it is generally known (the most common is the 1891 "Vienna" version), with Poschner's reading coming in about four minutes faster than the average for all recordings of the work, and Poschner emphasizes the tight construction, bringing out aspects of traditional symphonic structure along with all the Wagnerian influences. Sample his unusually quick, propulsive treatment of the Scherzo. There may be cleaner performances of this work by major orchestras, but few play with such a sense of commitment and close synchrony with the conductor. The bottom line is that this recording will be of interest to wider audiences than simply those concerned with scholarly interpretation of the Bruckner canon.

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