ANTON BRUCKNER
Sinfonie Nr. 4 in Es-Dur

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ANTON BRUCKNER Sinfonie Nr. 4 in Es-Dur »Romantische« | 1876

ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien | Markus Poschner

Continuing their survey of all of Anton Bruckner’s symphonies in each and every one of their various versions, Markus Poschner and his team now tackle the original 1876 version of Bruckner’s arguably most popular symphony, the Fourth. »1876? Surely you mean 1874!« might the Bruckner-maven go. Well, actually, recent research has brought to light that Bruckner was still fiddling around with his first go at that work, but not so substantially that the changes amounted to a separate version or, for that matter, the 1878 second »standard« version. Paul Hawkshaw’s liner notes detail all the differences if you’re interested – but of course, one can also just enjoy the raw and fresh music of Bruckner’s expansive first ideas.

REVIEW

Bruckner mit Arabesken

Rating: 5.0

»Poschner gives this version a very fresh and spirited mood. He cares about details and presents us with a very imaginative Bruckner and a very playful Fourth. Here we are far from the Bruckner of 1878, which sounds much more serious.

The many small details seem like arabesques and also bring a variety in transparency that one can only admire.

All in all, the Romantic thus acquires a light-heartedness that, like the recordings of the original version and the already partially published revisions, sheds a whole new light on this symphony.«

Remy Franck | Pizzicato | 04.11.2022

BRUCKNER: SYMPHONY NO 4 (CAPRICCIO)

»So much is beautiful in this great symphony, and throughout the four movements the great arches of sound are superbly performed by Poschner’s musicians – even more than in the Third Symphony; it is clear that the musicians believe in this version and enjoy playing its often-surprising themes. The recording is excellent, as if one is in the middle of the concert hall.«

Gregor Tassie | MusicWeb International | 08.01.2023

ANTON BRUCKNER Sinfonie Nr. 4 in Es-Dur »Romantische« | 1878–1880
Finale »Volksfest« | 1878

Bruckner Orchester Linz | ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien | Markus Poschner

»I am completely convinced that my Fourth Romantic Symphony is in pressing need of a thorough revision.« (Anton Bruckner, 1877). Since its successful first performance by the Vienna Philharmonic under Hans Richter on February 20^th, 1881, the Fourth Symphony has been one of Anton Bruckner’s most beloved works. The success of the Fourth did not come easily to the composer as he revised the entire symphony twice and its finale three times. The present recording features the second and most often performed version in a new edition by Benjamin Korstvedt, published as part of the New Anton Bruckner Collected Works Edition. It also includes Korstvedt’s edition of the »Country Fair« (Volksfest) Finale that Bruckner composed in 1878 and replaced in 1880.

REVIEWS

Record of the Week – Radio BBC 3

»This latest edition to their anniversary Bruckner-series is an excellent just to hear them at greater length this morning. This is not one of the Bruckner cathedral-acoustics, but the playing is warm-hearted and committed and Poschners sense of scale and pacing fields spot on.«

BBC3 | 07.05.2022

Bruckners Vierte in der zweiten Fassung

»Poschner remains true to his approach, which is to be welcomed, after all, one should not change horses in midstream. Thus again the aspects already heard in other contributions to the series play a role. These are a brightened sound structure, an interpretation that is attentive to detail but does not lead to a fraying of the flow, and a freshness that pushes the pathos aside.«

Uwe Krusch | Pizzicato | 17.05.2022

Bruckner SYMPHONY #4

RECOMMENDED

»Poschner makes the opening so grand, and ominous that the listener can scarce refrain from conjuring up mental images such as an approaching war host. The brass are especially impressive here but Poschner still finds poetry and subtlety to balance the prevailing martial clangour when the music defaults to free-flowing lyricism. The majesty and might of the crucial coda – one of the great conclusions in the symphonic canon – caps a masterful performance.«

Ralph Moore | MusicWeb International | 05.2022

ANTON BRUCKNER Sinfonie Nr. 4 in Es-Dur »Romantische« | 1888

ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien | Markus Poschner

Bruckner’s frantic revisions of his symphonies Nos. 3, 4, and 8 were borne out of his disappointment with Hermann Levi rejecting the original version of the 8^th symphony. Helping in this large-scale revamping effort were former Bruckner-students Franz and Joseph Schalk, Ferdinand Löwe, Max von Oberleithner, and Cyrill Hynai, which resulted in these versions’ reputation – and especially that of the last version of the 4^th – being varnished as something not quite Echt-Bruckner. It wasn’t until the discovery of photographs of the 1888 version’s manuscript score and the subsequent publication of Benjamin Korstvedt’s edition thereof that it became clear: This late edition really did reflect Bruckner’s intentions. To ears familiar with the still better-known 1881 version, the result might sound mystifying, even troubling, but it also surprises with many particularly exquisite passages!

REVIEWS

Die letzte Version der vierten Symphonie von Bruckner

Rating: 5.0

»Each of these versions can be heard with profit and each offers details that the others lack. The tempo markings and metronome indications have changed, among other extensive revisions.

Poschner and the ORF musicians from Vienna collaborated to create this overview of the Fourth Symphonies. In the currently recorded 1888 version, Poschner shows that he knows the scores intimately and knows how to convey his ideas.«

Uwe Krusch | Pizzicato | 14.05.2023

Anton Bruckner Symphony – No 4 in E-flat major (1888)

»Poschner establishes a fine balance between the serious, grandiose outbursts and the more idyllic, rustic sections but the mood is prevailingly sombre. The otherworldly coda is beautifully gauged bringing a finely controlled account to an appropriately imposing conclusion – one of the greatest in the Bruckner canon, regardless of edition.«

Ralph Moore | MusicWeb International | 16.05.2023

Anton Bruckner Sinfonie Nr. Es-Dur (Fassung von 1888)

»Markus Poschner zeigt in seiner Interpretation dieser Sinfonie eine bemerkenswerte Lebhaftigkeit und Direktheit.«

»Poschner schafft es überdies, eine feine Balance zwischen den ernsten und grandiosen Momenten sowie den idyllischen und rustikalen Abschnitten dieses Satzes zu finden. Die düstere Stimmung, die das Finale durchzieht, wird sorgfältig von Poschner und dem Orchester dargestellt, und die jenseitige Coda bringt die Aufnahme zu einem eindrucksvollen Abschluss mit dazu ergänzten geheimnisvoll tönenden Beckenschlägen. Ungewohnt und doch überzeugend.«

»Insgesamt bietet diese Aufnahme der vierten Sinfonie von Bruckner in der Fassung von 1888 eine faszinierende Reise durch die musikalische Welt dieses bedeutenden Komponisten. Markus Poschner und das ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien liefern eine engagierte und kompetente Interpretation, die Bruckners musikalische Entwicklung und seine tiefen Emotionen in dieser Sinfonie eindrucksvoll zum Ausdruck bringt.«

Dirk Schauß | Onlinemerker | September 2023

Foto: Reinhard Winkler