Bruckner's Abbey

[Cato]

Some Bruckner items from recent sources, e.g. this comes from an interview with Sir Roger Norrington:

"...Even more controversial is Norrington's insistence that orchestral string players play without vibrato, that manner of playing a note with a tremor that adds expressive warmth. "It took me a long time to dare to ask an orchestra to play without vibrato, I think it was 2000," says Norrington. "But whenever I do, players and audiences are astonished at how beautiful and expressive it sounds."

Norrington has even used this method with that arch-romantic composer Anton Bruckner, who he says is constantly misunderstood. "We think of Bruckner as always on his knees in church, but in fact he was very worldly. He liked the ladies, and he liked to have a drink. In one of his symphonies, he combines a church chorale and a polka, but most conductors find that an outrageous idea, and take the music so slow you can't hear it as a polka."

I would assume he is referring to the Third Symphony.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/classical-music/looking-forward-different-life-conductor-roger-norrington-last/



See also this YouTube performance and the discussion in the comments: one person says that he considers "the 1874 and the 1878/80 versions almost as two different symphonies based on similar themes."


https://www.youtube.com/v/fyN0ObSYNpE&t=979s


A talk between musicologist Benjamin Korstvedt and conductor Warren Cohen on a newly discovered score of the Fourth Symphony:


https://www.youtube.com/v/S0pqacDjmdQ



And Gerd Schaller - who apparently wants to be the heir to Eugen Jochum - has a website for his Bruckner 2024 Project:

"...Anton Bruckner created true cathedrals of sound with his wonderfully emotional but at the same time highly complex music. But like no other composer, he repeatedly fine-tuned nearly all of his works, especially the symphonies, constantly striving for the ideal form and making changes.

Therefore, there are different variants or versions of his symphonies existing, which Gerd Schaller and his orchestra, the Philharmonie Festiva, now are recording in their own artistic handwriting within the framework of BRUCKNER2024.

The very possibility of being able to compare these different versions directly, interpreted by one and the same orchestra and conductor is intended to help listeners to even better understand the fascinating and multifaceted musical personality of Anton Bruckner.

The basis for this is Gerd Schaller's internationally acclaimed Bruckner cycle, in which several symphonies are already available in different versions on CD, but also the first oratorical and organ works have been published. The recordings of the still missing variants of the symphonies and the other works will be realised in the coming years and will appear on the CD label Profil Günter Hänssler.

The editions used take into account the current state of musicology. However, this is not enough for Gerd Schaller. And so it is a major concern of his not to neglect the important findings of previous generations of editors. In some cases, he even includes the first printed editions of Bruckner's works, which also convey information that is important in terms of performance history and is worthy of tradition. As world premiere recordings, he has also recorded a number of intermediate versions in the editions of William Carragan. Most important for Gerd Schaller, however, is one's own critical research and dealing with the respective autograph. This led to the fact that he even created his own editions of several versions. Gerd Schaller would like to present the symphonies in editions that are not only based on knowledge that is currently favored and may already be outdated in a few years. Rather, he strives for a timeless overall view of all symphonies that are based on musicology and that are as timeless as possible. important performance-historical aspects are also taken into account....

   0:)

See:

https://www.bruckner2024.com/en/

[Roasted Swan]

And Gerd Schaller - who apparently wants to be the heir to Eugen Jochum - has a website for his Bruckner 2024 Project:

   0:)

See:

https://www.bruckner2024.com/en/

"The editions used take into account the current state of musicology. However, this is not enough for Gerd Schaller. And so it is a major concern of his not to neglect the important findings of previous generations of editors. In some cases, he even includes the first printed editions of Bruckner's works, which also convey information that is important in terms of performance history and is worthy of tradition. As world premiere recordings, he has also recorded a number of intermediate versions in the editions of William Carragan. Most important for Gerd Schaller, however, is one's own critical research and dealing with the respective autograph. This led to the fact that he even created his own editions of several versions. Gerd Schaller would like to present the symphonies in editions that are not only based on knowledge that is currently favored and may already be outdated in a few years. Rather, he strives for a timeless overall view of all symphonies that are based on musicology and that are as timeless as possible. important performance-historical aspects are also taken into account...."

So just to be sure I understand Schaller's goal - HIS interpretations ALONE will be the "timeless" versions superceding all previous performances and never needing to be replaced..... ever.  Good to know, I'll tick Bruckner off the list..........

[Cato]

"The editions used take into account the current state of musicology. However, this is not enough for Gerd Schaller. And so it is a major concern of his not to neglect the important findings of previous generations of editors. In some cases, he even includes the first printed editions of Bruckner's works, which also convey information that is important in terms of performance history and is worthy of tradition. As world premiere recordings, he has also recorded a number of intermediate versions in the editions of William Carragan. Most important for Gerd Schaller, however, is one's own critical research and dealing with the respective autograph. This led to the fact that he even created his own editions of several versions. Gerd Schaller would like to present the symphonies in editions that are not only based on knowledge that is currently favored and may already be outdated in a few years. Rather, he strives for a timeless overall view of all symphonies that are based on musicology and that are as timeless as possible. important performance-historical aspects are also taken into account...."

So just to be sure I understand Schaller's goal - HIS interpretations ALONE will be the "timeless" versions superceding all previous performances and never needing to be replaced..... ever.  Good to know, I'll tick Bruckner off the list..........

Will somebody please find Gerd Schaller's watch?!   

[Cato]

Advertised as being available on January 7th: I thought it might be of interest not only because of Karl Boehm, but also due to the presence of...

Paul Hindemith's Concerto for Woodwinds, Harp and Orchestra.

In spite of his many recordings for Deutsche Grammophon and London/Decca, this recording of the Bruckner 7th has never been previously released. Audite went into the archives of the Swiss radio to retrieve this Lucerne Festival concert from September of 1964. The CD also includes a performance of Paul Hindemith's Concerto for Woodwinds, Harp and Orchestra.

See:



https://www.abruckner.com/store/abrucknercomexclus/current-releases-cds--dvds--blu-ray--lps/symphony-no-7-karl-boehm--lucerne-festival-orchest/

[Cato]

Interesting 2022 concerts noticed recently:


Berg's Violin Concerto paired with the Bruckner Seventh Symphony.



https://www.musikverein.at/konzert/eventid/45507



Schoenberg's Piano Concerto paired with the Bruckner Ninth Symphony.



https://www.clevelandorchestra.com/attend/concerts-and-events/2122/severance/wk-11-Mitsuko-Uchida-Returns/


It will be interesting to see whether this becomes a trend.  Probably just a coincidence: Die Neue Wiener Schule und Bruckner!


I will again direct people to Dika Newlin's book:





https://www.amazon.com/Bruckner-Mahler-Schoenberg-Dika-Newlin/dp/1406756237

[Cato]

Here is the thesis of Dika Newlin's book mentioned above:



(From the Preface)

The idea of this book originally came to me during my years of
study with Arnold Schoenberg in Los Angeles (1938-1941).

At that time I was first introduced to the most "radical" works of Schoenberg,
works virtually unknown in this country so far as public performances
are concerned. I felt the need of a historical background which would
explain the origins of the new style.

It was this which brought me to a study of the works of Mahler and Bruckner; for Schoenberg's oft-
expressed indebtedness to Mahler plainly indicated that the roots of Schoenberg's style might be found in Mahler's scores (however different
Mahler's music might be in texture from Schoenberg's), and the relationship between Mahler and Bruckner seemed well established.

Thence, it was but a step to the conclusion that Schoenberg is not only the heir of Bruckner and Mahler but also the heir of the great Viennese
classical tradition, which they transmitted to him. It is this conclusion which I have tried to prove in the following pages; it has been my desire to portray Schoenberg's works as the culmination of several centuries of historical development, rather than as the products of a wilful iconoclasm. To this end, I have attempted to place Schoenberg in the Viennese cultural scene by analyzing, not only the musical background, but also the literary, artistic, and political background of his generation a task which I have likewise performed for the period of Bruckner and of Mahler.

A later excerpt on Bruckner: looking at stylistic bonds among all 9 symphonies, she observes the opening bar of Symphony #1.

"...we shall first give our attention to that opening measure in which, apparently, nothing happens. For it is this type of beginning which is to become one of the most characteristic earmarks of Bruckner's style.

Looking at the openings of the nine symphonies, we invariably find a harmonically static beginning characterized by a tremolo or ostinato figure over which the theme unfolds itself.
Obviously, such a beginning is a far cry from the succinct opening of the classical symphony in medias res. The difference calls for some kind of explanation. Many German writers on Bruckner have followed the lead of August Halm in providing a mystical-philosophical elucidation of the phenomenon. Halm writes:

'Before the motive, "that which moves," originates, we experience something like a moment before time, something almost timeless; there, time and events
themselves seem to be doled out to us gradually.  For the first time in Bruckner we feel completely the holiness of the fundamental.  We think we are inhaling something like the breath of creation, when we are enveloped in the first tones of his Seventh, Ninth, or Fourth Symphonies.

We feel it; it is not just a piece of music which begins here, but music itself commences. The classic composers are able only to lead us into the specific piece of musicof the moment; in rare instances, they give us at least a hint of a real musical  beginning.

They themselves felt this lack from time to time, and then tried to make up for it by means of an introduction.'

(Newlin continues later...)

"...We must avoid confusing the technique employed in the opening bars of these symphonies with that used in the introduction of the
classical symphony.

Bruckner himself has given us the clearest indication that they are different when, after the fifty-bar slow introduction to the first movement of the Fifth Symphony (the only symphony in which he uses such an introduction), he still deems it necessary to precede his main theme with four bars of his customary tremolo.

After such a long introduction, what purpose does the tremolo serve?

Alfred Orel...has made an interesting suggestion...

... he concludes that Bruckner's purpose in using the tremolo or ostinato type of accompaniment so consistently may have been to set off the emphatic rhythm of the main theme against a background of more neutral tone, so that the hearer's attention would be concentrated on that one theme. Orel's theory has much to recommend it..."

[Cato]

Perhaps this will be of interest: some religious music for the Christmas season was sent to me.

The Mass #3 in a televised performance with Herbert Blomstedt conducting.




https://www.youtube.com/v/bTdng8p5GLM

[Cato]

I discovered the existence of a "Bruckner Orchestra of Nagoya, Japan."

Founded c. 30 years ago, they have performed and recorded all Eleven Symphonies, some more than once.


Here is the First Movement of the Fourth Symphony:


https://www.youtube.com/v/x_KW9Kgiuik

[Cato]

I have never heard of this work!


I am glad that it was sent to me:


https://www.youtube.com/v/zs-Iz9U2UbQ


Schatten sind des Lebens Güter,
Schatten seiner Freuden Schar,
Schatten Worte, Wünsche, Taten;
Die Gedanken nur sind wahr.

Und die Liebe, die du fühlest,
Und das Gute, das du tust,
Und kein Wachen als im Schlafe,
Wenn du einst im Grabe ruhst.
   

Shadows are the goods of life,
Shadows its joys,
Shadows words, wishes, acts;
Thoughts alone are true.

And the love that you feel,
And the good that you do,
And awakening only in the sleep
When you once rest in the grave.

[LKB]

Perhaps this will be of interest: some religious music for the Christmas season was sent to me.

The Mass #3 in a televised performance with Herbert Blomstedt conducting.




https://www.youtube.com/v/bTdng8p5GLM

I played this work when l was principal oboe in the university orchestra (  back when dinosaurs walked the Earth... ). I must say that the memories aren't especially positive, as there are no memorable oboe solos and l found the mass only tolerable to listen to.

But my tastes then were quote parochial, and l was a snob to boot. If a composition had nothing good for the oboe, it was obviously second-rate. 

I'll give this a listen. Now that a few eons have passed and I'm something like an adult, perhaps the work will have some value for me.

[Cato]

I played this work when l was principal oboe in the university orchestra (  back when dinosaurs walked the Earth... ). I must say that the memories aren't especially positive, as there are no memorable oboe solos and l found the mass only tolerable to listen to.

But my tastes then were quote parochial, and l was a snob to boot. If a composition had nothing good for the oboe, it was obviously second-rate. 

I'll give this a listen. Now that a few eons have passed and I'm something like an adult, perhaps the work will have some value for me.

I am revisiting works and composers from 50-60 years ago and hearing things I do not recall hearing, or having reactions to the music which I had never experienced!

An example is the Mendelssohn Symphony #3 - especially in the performance with Harnoncourt and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe: By gum, the man thinks the symphony is by Bruckner!

https://www.youtube.com/v/vh6vlsEluHM

Another example is this performance of another choral work by Bruckner which I recently discovered:

(with Alphorns!)

https://www.youtube.com/v/TKTbEmI0wok

[Sergeant Rock]

Another example is this performance of another choral work by Bruckner which I recently discovered:

(with Alphorns!)

Gorgeous piece! Thanks for posting this.

Sarge

[Cato]

Gorgeous piece! Thanks for posting this.

Sarge

You are quite welcome!

The secular choral pieces of Bruckner are not to be missed!

Here: Troesterin Musik ( Music, The Comforter)

https://www.youtube.com/v/e-VPg5tNX3U

[Roasted Swan]

Gorgeous piece! Thanks for posting this.

Sarge

It is a glorious piece indeed!  Here's another YouTube version - very authentically Viennese and I love the church setting.  For what its worth - Bruckner wrote for Horns imitating alphorns not actual alphorns

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPT6c12DWlU

[Cato]

It is a glorious piece indeed!  Here's another YouTube version - very authentically Viennese and I love the church setting.  For what its worth - Bruckner wrote for Horns imitating alphorns not actual alphorns

Okay!  These scores (i.e. scores for the secular choral works) are not in my possession, so I depended on the YouTube channel.

Still, using real Alphorns would be awesome!   

And speaking of other instruments...here is another version of Troesterin by The Bruckner Trombone Quartet (a Dutch group out of Rotterdam (I think)



https://www.youtube.com/v/fQ-8UwwcUG0&t=24s



See also the group's website:

https://sebastiaankemner.com/articles/bruckner-quartet

[André]

Superbly evocative indeed. There's only a couple of recordings and none are available easily, it seems. 

[Cato]

Thanks to the discussion on What Are You Listening To?, I found that YouTube has this performance of the 1873 version of the Third Symphony: Georg Tintner on NAXOS.

When I bought this CD some years ago, I found it a revelation!


https://www.youtube.com/v/CI7HOnfFWFU&list=OLAK5uy_mhj0Q94TGWIHanOYvwv_upBRAMJBJWlIE

[foxandpeng]

Thanks to the discussion on What Are You Listening To?, I found that YouTube has this performance of the 1873 version of the Third Symphony: Georg Tintner on NAXOS.

When I bought this CD some years ago, I found it a revelation!


https://www.youtube.com/v/CI7HOnfFWFU&list=OLAK5uy_mhj0Q94TGWIHanOYvwv_upBRAMJBJWlIE

The Tintner cycle was the first I ever owned, and I confess that through familiarity and regular listening then, these are what I gravitated toward as being 'real' Bruckner. I understand a little more now than I did back then, but they are still the recordings I enjoy most.

[Cato]

The Tintner cycle was the first I ever owned, and I confess that through familiarity and regular listening then, these are what I gravitated toward as being 'real' Bruckner. I understand a little more now than I did back then, but they are still the recordings I enjoy most.

I also have Tintner's Bruckner Second Symphony, which uses the 1872 original version: it is excellent!  Some might find it more powerful than the revised version.

[foxandpeng]

I also have Tintner's Bruckner Second Symphony, which uses the 1872 original version: it is excellent!  Some might find it more powerful than the revised version.

My bias is always toward the Tintner , although the Inbal and Chailly are really good! It's been such a long time since I have spent any time with Bruckner and I had frankly forgotten just how great the symphonies are. I had also forgotten just how many YouTube rips and unidentified downloads I have from various places, including the Bruckner website. Ha. So much for making listening plans at the start of the year.