BRUCKNER, A.: Symphony No. 3 (1889 version) (Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra, Bolton)

Album review

As recordings of the original 1873 version of Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 3 in D minor appear to be on the rise, this disc by Ivor Bolton and the Mozarteum-Orchestra Salzburg of the third version of 1888-1889 might seem an aberration. Yet this is the version that was once accepted for the standard edition, was regularly performed and recorded by the world's major conductors and orchestras, and proved to be influential for composers from Gustav Mahler to Dmitry Shostakovich. Unlike the much longer first version (the so-called "Wagner Symphony" that runs well over an hour, preserves all of Bruckner's quotations from Richard Wagner's Tristan und Isolde, Die Walküre, and Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, and has a much different handling of original material), the more compact third version is pure Bruckner from beginning to end, functions developmentally in a way similar to the mature symphonies, and is valid in its own right because the quotations were excised by the composer. Of course, the average listener may find all this a highly confusing matter and wonder which version to choose, but the only fair solution is to try all available and make an informed choice according to personal preference, perhaps even on the basis of a particular performance. The rendition by Bolton and the chamber-sized Mozarteum-Orchester has clarity of line and economy of effort to recommend it, and the orchestral writing has never been as transparent as it is here. Unfortunately, the sound of the performance is curiously airless, as if the orchestra were recorded in a carpeted room with sound-absorbent tiles on the walls and ceiling. Part of the glory of Bruckner is the shining resonance to be wrung from his enormous brass chorales and cadences, and nothing is quite as stirring as hearing his fanfares ricochet in a live acoustic. But this recording has precious little of that glory, and even though Bolton deserves credit for a tasteful interpretation and the musicians for flawless execution, it is really hard to like this dry and stuffy-sounding rendition, no matter how preferable the choice of score may be.
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