BRUCKNER Symphony No 1
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Anton Bruckner
Genre:
Orchestral
Label: Challenge Classics
Magazine Review Date: 08/2015
Media Format: Super Audio CD
Media Runtime: 51
Mastering:
DDD
Catalogue Number: CC72556
Tracks:
Composition | Artist Credit |
---|---|
Symphony No. 1 |
Anton Bruckner, Composer
Anton Bruckner, Composer Jaap Van Zweden, Conductor Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra |
Author: Christian Hoskins
Like most conductors, van Zweden has opted to record the symphony in the so-called ‘Linz’ edition of 1866 rather than the ‘Vienna’ edition of 1891, and the CD is labelled accordingly. The Linz edition as published in fact contains revisions to the score made by Bruckner in Vienna in 1877 and 1884, a point of detail worth mentioning now that the original 1866 version is available on disc and is increasingly being performed in concert. The booklet-note includes a helpful description of the symphony’s extended evolution.
Van Zweden’s interpretation is second to none in offering freshness and vibrancy while remaining faithful to Bruckner’s markings. Dynamics in particular are carefully observed, ensuring the score’s surprisingly rare passages of triple forte make their intended effect. The performance of the Adagio in particular has a compelling profundity and conviction. The movement’s climax might not offer the impassioned intensity that Jochum achieves in his mid-1960s account on DG, but it also avoids the overly free approach to tempo and dynamics that occasionally undermines the earlier performance. Following a taut and energetic interpretation of the Scherzo, van Zweden delivers a performance of the symphony’s finale – arguably Bruckner’s most successful save that of the Fifth Symphony – full of rhythmic drive and excitement.
The playing of the Dutch orchestra is expressive and lithe in every department, the brass in particular offering a satisfying resonance and bite. With warm and clear sound on both CD and SACD layers, it is difficult to think of a finer version of the First Symphony in the catalogue. Highly recommended.
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