First a word about editions. Marcus Bosch uses the same edition chosen by Georg Tintner and Simone Young, namely the “1872 First Concept Version” edited by William Carragan. Thomas Dausgaard, on the other hand, opts for “1877 First Critical Edition” by Leopold Nowak, the one chosen by Giulini, Jochum, Inbal, Maazel, Solti, Skrowaczewski and others (Haitink and Wand opt for the Haas edition of the same version). The most obvious difference between the 1872 and 1877 editions is that the former places the Scherzo before the Andante slow movement, not in my view a particularly effective juxtaposition, given that the Second’s first movement is among the most restless and dramatic in the entire Bruckner canon. The haunting first theme, surely one of Bruckner’s most memorable, establishes a mood of impending conflict, a mood that’s soon justified by a trumpet reveille that, like the main theme itself, plays a crucial role in the work’s motivic design. For the opening, Dausgaard’s Swedish Chamber cellos dispense with vibrato, affecting a smooth, seamless curvature that almost completely lacks tension, and when the trumpet line rides above the strings at around 4'10", you can hardly hear it. Turn then to Skrowaczewski and the arching first theme takes on a whole new meaning, with the return of the trumpet line thrillingly audible. Bosch’s players, set in the generously airy acoustic of St Nikolaus, Aachen, push harder than either Dausgaard’s or Skrowaczewski’s and maintain a vital level of tension. Lorin Maazel (in his Bavarian Radio SO set) strikes a workable balance somewhere between the two. In the slow movement, Dausgaard’s cleansed textures pay highest dividends at around 2'40", where horn and pizzicato strings anticipate the chivalric world of the Fourth Symphony, though the accelerating arco strings that follow are just a little too animated. Bosch’s most magical episode falls at around 6'04" into the finale where high strings and horns, answered by flute and trumpet and, eventually, a playfully cavorting clarinet is unmistakably prophetic of Mahler. Dausgaard’s reading of the same passage (at around 5'33" on his disc) is comparatively plain. Sound-wise, Dausgaard’s disc, although reporting a more modest band, offers the richer bass-line and, for the most part, greater internal clarity, whereas Bosch’s orchestra has to contend with a sometimes unhelpful cathedral acoustic. I note from the Coviello booklet that Bosch’s recording is part of a near-complete Bruckner cycle that at the time of writing has only the First (and maybe “No 0”?) to go, and I would certainly like to hear the others. Dausgaard’s recording is part of his “Opening Doors” series, which sets out to “explore a wide range of symphonic music” without resorting to interpretative clichés. This he does, though to play Bruckner without passion and a sense of awe is to offer only part of the story. In that respect alone I feel that Bosch has the edge, as did Wand, Skrowaczewski, Jochum, Maazel, Giulini and Solti before him.