BRUCKNER, A.: Symphony No. 2 (1872 version) (Hamburg Philharmonic, S. Young)

Album review

Due in large part to neglect by his well-meaning followers, Anton Bruckner's earliest symphonies suffered comparatively little from the editorial complications and tampering that afflicted his later works. Even so, the Symphony No. 2 in C minor exists in five separate versions and has been published in several editions, which may lead some listeners to wonder which is preferable. Diehard Brucknerians will naturally try to hear as many as possible, and there are many recordings to choose from, though most are of the 1877 version in familiar editions by Robert Haas and Leopold Nowak. But one of the most intriguing is Simone Young's 2006 concert performance with the Hamburg State Philharmonic Orchestra of the Urfassung (i.e., original concept version) of 1872, edited by William Carragan for the Bruckner Society. This first version, like others of Bruckner's initial efforts, has less regularity than the later versions, and seems episodic in some spots because of pauses that were meant to define sections yet which interrupt the flow of the musical argument. But it also shows great invention and liberation in its sweeping moods and feels more spontaneous and ecstatic than the rather staid revisions. This is the first release in Young's projected cycle of Bruckner's complete symphonies, which will also include original versions of the First, Third, Fourth, and Eighth symphonies. The SACD presentation of Young's live recording is terrific for its vivid sound and spacious depth, and the enthusiastic playing of the Hamburg Philharmonic is well-served by Oehms' focused reproduction.

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