Bruckner: Symphony No. 3 in D Minor, WAB 103 "Wagner" (1889 Version, Ed. L. Nowak)

Chronique

The series of Bruckner symphonies by conductor Markus Poschner and the Bruckner Orchester Linz aims not just to record the composer's complete output in the genre but the complete catalog of versions for each one. This is an especially daunting task in the case of the Symphony No. 3 in D minor, WAB 103, which has no fewer than six versions; it remains unclear whether Poschner intends to record them all. The Viennese public detested this work, but Wagner, the dedicatee, admired it, and the two composers bonded over a marathon drinking session. Nevertheless, Bruckner successively trimmed parts of it in subsequent revisions, excising a Beethoven's Ninth-like catalog of themes, among other passages. Poschner takes the symphony at a rather breathtaking speed, clocking in at just over 47 minutes, where the usual length is about an hour. This might be partially explained by the aforementioned circumstances surrounding the version's composition; Poschner might be seen as recognizing Bruckner's impulse to slim the work down. However, his recording of the original 1873 version is also unusually quick. As it stands, one might be tempted to say that the album is of interest to those who like their Bruckner symphonies to be over as quickly as possible. Yet a more neutral evaluation might hold that a conductor can choose to emphasize the luxuriant length in Bruckner's symphonies or their overall lines and that Poschner's reading here simply falls to one end of the spectrum. Capriccio's sound is reasonable, and one can sample and take one's choice, thankful for the continuation of Poschner's synoptic set.

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