ANTON BRUCKNER
Sinfonie Nr. 4 in Es-Dur

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.

#bruckner24 – ein gemeinsamen Projekt von Bruckner Orchester Linz, Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien und dem Label Capriccio unter der Leitung von Markus Poschner, das bis 2024 alle Sinfonien Anton Bruckners in allen Fassungen vorlegen wird.
Bruckner Symphony #4 | C8084 – erschienen 11/2022

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REVIEWS

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

Die Klassik-CDs 2022

Die besten Neuerscheinungen des Jahres 2022 – zum Nachhören im »Presse«-Podcast MUSIKSALON.

Was dem Klassik-Kritiker in Erinnerung geblieben ist:

»Zu den bemerkenswerten CD-Reihen, die derzeit produziert werden, gehört – in Vorbereitungen des Bruckners-Jahres 2024 – die Gesamtaufnahme der Bruckner-Symphonien durch den Linzer GMD Markus Poschner: Er nimmt die Werke in den bekannten Fassungen mit seinem Linzer Brucknerorchester auf und kontert dann jeweils am Pult des RSO Wien mit den Urfassungen der Stücke, die sich oft enorm von den etablierten Werken unterscheiden. 2022 erschien beispielsweise die Erstfassung der Vierten, der vom Komponisten selbst so genannten ›Romantischen‹. Da ist noch nicht einmal das beliebte ›Jagdscherzo‹ enthalten und die Musik nimmt wildere, dämonische Farben an.«

Wilhelm Sinkovicz | Die Presse | 12.2022

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

»This… is heartily recommended to readers who know and love the Fourth. It’s almost like a new piece, and the earlier scherzo… is worth knowing as well. The orchestral playing is excellent, and the sonics are first rate.«

Paul L Althouse | American Record Guide | 05.2023

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.

#bruckner24 – ein gemeinsamen Projekt von Bruckner Orchester Linz, Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien und dem Label Capriccio unter der Leitung von Markus Poschner, das bis 2024 alle Sinfonien Anton Bruckners in allen Fassungen vorlegen wird.
Bruckner Symphony #4 | C8083 – erschienen 05/2022

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REVIEWS

Record of the Week – Radio BBC 3

RECORD OF THE WEEK

»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.«

»I cannot imagine anyone being disappointed by this superb recording, especially as in addition to a superlative account of the third version of the Fourth Symphony, it includes the bonus of the ›Volksfest‹.«

Ralph Moore | MusicWeb International | 05.2022

»If you don’t expect or want to be overwhelmed, then, by some old-fashioned Bruckner playing, there is no reason not to consider this new recording… This is the first of Poschner’s projected Bruckner Fourths, and I am looking forward to his recordings of the symphony’s original version (1874) and its final version (1888), both also in new editions by Korstvedt.«

Raymond Tuttle | Fanfare | 01.2023

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!

#bruckner24 – ein gemeinsamen Projekt von Bruckner Orchester Linz, Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien und dem Label Capriccio unter der Leitung von Markus Poschner, das bis 2024 alle Sinfonien Anton Bruckners in allen Fassungen vorlegen wird.
Bruckner Symphony #4 | C8085 – erschienen 05/2023

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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

Bruckner par Markus Poschner : la version 1888 de la »Romantique«

»La direction est efficace : on apprécie la belle musicalité de “l’andante” qui avance avec simplicité et poésie et le “Finale. Mäßig bewegt” est parfaitement construit dans la gestion des contrastes.«

Pierre Jean Tribot | Crescendo Magazine | 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 | 09.2023

»Poschner and the orchestra are at their best in the music’s quieter moments, where a sensitive turn of phrase, if you will, can touch the heart. The second movement is eloquent and personal. …this is alert playing with no trace of routine.«

Raymond Tuttle | Fanfare | 01.2024

»… Poschner was a conductor who tended to push things along, rather than sitting back and letting the grandeur of Bruckner take over.

The final 1888 version is re-orchestrated and feels smoothed out in dynamics and connections among sections.«

Paul L Althouse | American Record Guide | 03.2024

Foto: Reinhard Winkler

ANTON BRUCKNER Sinfonie in d-moll »Nullte« | 1869

Bruckner Orchester Linz | Markus Poschner

Although the work did not belong to the corpus of nine numbered symphonies which the composer had identified in his will as worthy of preservation in the imperial library, and for which he is best remembered, he did not destroy it. Hoping perhaps, to ensure that future generations would assess the symphony in what he considered its proper perspective, he wrote annotations at various places in the manuscript: »invalid« [ungiltig] »completely void« [ganz nichtig] and »annulled« [annulirt]. This new complete Bruckner Symphonies edition from Capriccio reassesses these enduringly enigmatic and complex works. Presented by the Bruckner Orchestra Linz and the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, and featuring all 19 available versions, the cycle is scheduled for completion in 2024, Bruckner’s 200th birthday. 

#bruckner24 – ein gemeinsamen Projekt von Bruckner Orchester Linz, Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien und dem Label Capriccio unter der Leitung von Markus Poschner, das bis 2024 alle Sinfonien Anton Bruckners in allen Fassungen vorlegen wird.
Bruckner Symphony #0 | C8082 – erschienen 02/2022

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Bruckners Nullte, keine Nullnummer

»Poschner and the Bruckner Orchestra Linz remain true to their chosen path and deliver a fresh und bright interpretation.«

Uwe Krusch | Pizzicato | 04.02.2022

»With Markus Poschner and the Bruckner Orchestra, everything sounds like a unified whole…«

»This interpretation is wonderfully detailed, thoughtfully chamber-musical and, despite the brisk pace, very lyrical – this above all because of the clear, nuanced and warm orchestral sound.«

Guy Engels | Pizzicato | 04.02.2022

Ungültig, aber großartig

»… in einer herausragenden Interpretation.«

»Dass Bruckner für den Dirigenten ›eine Art Absprungpunkt in eine andere Welt‹ ist, beweist diese Aufnahme eindrucksvoll.«

Kulturabdruck | 17.02.2022

Nullte und Achte

»Poschners Ansatz ist eher kammermusikalisch und insofern die gar nicht so kleine Diskographie durchaus bereichernd. Er vermeidet Klangmischmasch und zielt auf sehr gute Durchhörbarkeit, unterstützt von der wirklich exzellenten Tontechnik (Aufnahme: Musiktheater, Linz, 22.-24. Februar 2021). Mit Poschners eigenen Worten gesagt, sei das Schaffen Bruckners „bis heute provokativ, unfertig, streitbar, unangepasst radikal und damit zeitlos modern“. Die beschreibt letztlich auch treffend seine Interpretation. Das Bruckner Orchester Linz ist selbstredend in seinem Element. Es ist auch nicht dessen Erstbeschäftigung mit dem Werk.«

Daniel Hauser | Opera Lounge | 02.2022

A Thrilling, Epic Quality

»The Bruckner Orchester Linz plays superbly throughout and Markus Poschner’s enthusiasm for this music allows him to reveal details of orchestration that, maybe, were hitherto missed. This is a splendid third volume in Capriccio’s ongoing cycle of the complete Bruckner symphonies, in exciting sound quality and detailed annotations.«

Gerald Fenech | Classical Music Daily | 01.03.2022

Bruckner: Symphony in D minor (Linz/Poschner)

»Fortunately this performance is impeccable, in the safe hands of Markus Poschner, and I look forward to the continuation of the series.«

Michael Tanner | BBC Music Magazine | 17.03.2022

Bruckner Symphony 0

»A brisk, crisp, purposeful start in crystalline sound promises well for this recording. The march morphs seamlessly into the beguilingly languorous and dignified slow section graced with some lovely woodwind playing; nonetheless, overall Poschner favours brisker tempi which suits the mood of this symphony. … Poschner is in complete control of his material here.«

»… again, Bruckner’s conception could not be more feelingly realised.«

Ralph Moore | MusicWeb International | 03.2022
Ralph Moore | A Shortlist of Bruckner Symphony Recommendations

»El ciclo que Markus Poschner pretende culminar en el aniversario bruckneriano de 2024 se enfrenta a la Sinfonía n. 0, escasamente grabada e interpretada, dejando una interpretación que colmará a cualquiera por su brillo y calidad.«

Ritmo | 03.2022

Review: Bruckner Symphony No 0

»Recording quality and playing are both first-class, the woodwinds and brass especially eloquent in quieter passages. The phrasing and sonority of the violins in the sublime introduction to the finale is another highlight.«

Christian Hoskins | Gramophone | 04.2022

Bruckner des extrêmes avec Markus Poschner

»Markus Poschner trouve un ton juste dans cette partition encore assez brute, ouverte aux influences mais déjà fort personnelle dans sa motorique et ses équilibres entre les pupitres. La direction du chef est assez horizontale avec des tempi forts justes et un grand soin apporté à la texture orchestrale. Le Bruckner Orchester Linz répond avec concentration à cette direction respectueuse …«

Pierre Jean Tribot | Crescendo Magazine | 04.2022

Video Review: The best of the worst?

»Why, oh why, do we not take Bruckner at his word? He discarded this symphony, and so should we. With that said, you won’t find a more knowing, intelligent performance than this one, from a conductor who clearly understands the work’s problems and does his very best to minimize them.«

David Hurwitz | The Ultimate Classical Music Guide | 26.04.2022

»This reading makes the work more impressive and mature than the others I know (Young, Skroweczewski, and Haitink). The sound and playing are excellent.«

Roger Hecht | American Record Guide | 05.2022

»Poschner’s reading is appealing and musical, its strong suit being freshness.«

Huntley Dent | Fanfare | 07.2022

»Marcus Poschner, chief conductor of the Bruckner Orchestra Linz since 2017, does sufficient justice to the first movement. His pacing is alert but unrushed, and the flow feels natural, linking all the sections together. And the orchestra is rhythmically secure in the many syncopations.«

Gil French | Fanfare | 07.2022

»This performance of Symphony No. 0 now joins that company with a special directness of appeal and sheer rhythmic verve. In his program notes, Poschner describes the approach: ›Over and over we were amazed during the rehearsal process, what explosiveness, what bright colors, and what tremendous daring could be found in Anton Bruckner’s symphonies—if only one was sufficiently willing to question the score and separate wrong tradition from true tradition.‹

… Poschner brings to his reading the kind of deft excitement we more commonly expect from Bizet or Saint-Saëns. It almost comes across as a shock to think of Bruckner just wanting to kick up his heels. But that happens here. Nothing is morose. It’s just music, well played and recorded.«

Steven Kruger | Fanfare | 07.2022

»A la tête du l’Orchestre Bruckner de Linz, Markus Poschner en donne une version extrêmement convaincante. Bénéficiant d’un excellent orchestre (la petite harmonie est parfaite), le chef allemand dirige l’Allegro initial avec une maîtrise évidente… «

Sébastien Gauthier | ConcertoNet.com | 10.2022

Foto: Reinhard Winkler