My Favourite Bruckner Recordings (episode 9) -- Symphony No. 3 in D minor

Here is the list categorized by the versions employed in the recordings:

1873 version 

[Nowak (1977) edition]

Herbert Blomstedt / Gewandhausorchester Leipzig (3-4/9/1998) (Querstand VKJK 0507 - CD1 of a 5CD set)

If you browse through Bruckner's huge discography, it is indeed quite unusual to see a venerated Brucknerian 'of the old school' and an orchestra with a long history of Brucknerian heritage playing or recording the first versions of the Third or the Fourth. Not so for Blomstedt and the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig. Georg Tintner, during my interview, asserted that the first version of Symphony No. 3 was the best among all its versions and that each subsequent revision just made it less good. However the acceptance of this 1873 version takes time and its recordings are relatively few compared with the later versions. A glance at Mr John Berky's complete discography will give you an idea (www.abruckner.com).

It is a truly engrossing performance. It is a showcase of the excellent ensemble and mesmerising sound of the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig. The opening of the first movement exudes a special aura when the trumpet theme is bathed in a sea of rich bass. How beautiful Blomstedt shapes the second thematic group (beginning 4'22"). The final peroration, contrasted with the quiet phrases before it, is so enriching. The violas towards the end of part 2 in the Adagio are riveting (6'29"). The dance rhythm in the Trio (beginning 2'15") just shows us that it is not unique to the Vienna Philharmonic to play it so idiomatically; the Leipzig players are also up to it. In the Finale, the urgency of the third theme (beginning 4'40") contrasts well with the second, a delicate touch not very common in other performances. The heaven opens in the coda, particularly at the moment when the first theme of the opening movement is recapped. The music is followed by a long applause when it ends at 15'10".

1877 version

[Nowak (1981) edition]

Guiseppe Sinopoli / Staatskapelle Dresden (4/1990) (DG 431 684-2)

My encounter with this disc was a strange accident of fortune almost 20 years ago. It has remained a treasure in my mind ever since. A truly memorable recording. The Dresden strings, the East European timbre of the woodwinds and horns, and a detailed yet plush and flowing reading form a wonderful combination that is rarely found in other conductor-orchestra pairings.

Sinopoli's buildup of the crescendo in the first thematic group of the Adagio is a goose-pimples-inducing experience yet to find in other recordings in my collection (up to now 62 B3s).

Michael Gielen /  SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg (3-5/5/1999) (Hänssler CD 93.031)

Gielen's reading is lithe and lean, full of details that you cannot hear in many other performances. He makes you aware of the Schubertian and Beethovenian roots in this symphony and here the orchestra plays with an ardour to match. The rhythmic drive is exorbitant but it never sounds hard-driven. It also imparts a sense of modernity to this symphony, looking far beyond the period in which it was written. A pleasant contrast to Sinopoli's.

[Oeser (1950) edition]

Rafael Kubelik / Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (30/1/1970) (Audite 92.543 SACD)

Kubelik's antiphonal placing of the violins is a nice and heart-winning touch, not just in Bruckner's symphonies, but also in Brahms', so much evident in his set of symphonies issued by Orfeo. There are always moments of impact, thanks to his expressive fervour combined with a nobility of tone in his sound palette. Constantin Floros has written that "the most outstanding characteristic of the Third Symphony must be the enormous abundance of its contrasts". And Kubelik simply excels in this regard, exhibiting a nice balance of light and shade, particularly in the Adagio. The SACD sound, not to speak of letting us compare the edited and original versions of the recording in different tracks on this disc, is a generous bonus.

1889 version 

[Nowak (1958) edition]

Karl Böhm / Wiener Philharmoniker (9/1970) (Decca 448 098-2)

This famous recording needs no introduction. I've always felt that the truncated 1889 version's Finale needs someone who plays with ardour to gel the rather unconvincing gaps together. Böhm is exactly this person. His Bruckner never disappoints me, from his pre-war recordings of B4 and B5, to his Vienna Philharmonic's recordings in the 1970s and also his miraculous performance with the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra in 1978 (Palexa CD-522). In his readings of Bruckner's symphonies, you can sense his almost palpable conviction, an attribute that brings life to his studio recordings and an exuberant soul to his live performances. 'Fussy', 'fusty' and 'fuzzy' are not words in his dictionary because he never drags, dawdles or dulls the music of Bruckner.

The playing of the Vienna Philharmonic is full of splendour here, and shows why they are famous in Bruckner. The recording is immediate and vibrant, capturing the full glory of this orchestra. It is almost superfluous to praise Böhm's mastery of the Austrian idiom in the Trio and the polka in the Finale. What else can you ask for?

 

[Rättig (1890) edition]

Kurt Sanderling / Gewandhausorchester Leipzig (6/1963) (Berlin Classics BC 2151-2)

Sanderling gives us a true misterioso in the first movement. I'm also impressed by the vigour in the reading. There is always a sense of direction, a point almost too obvious and yet unfortunately is lacking in too many readings I encountered. His good use of the Generalpauses adds to the sense of structure so much evident in this recording. The woodwind timbre has a melancholic feel to it. The strings are beautiful, as in the opening passages in the Finale. A vintage choice.

Carl Schuricht / Wiener Philharmoniker (2-4/12/1965) (Medici Arts MM016-2); (EMI TOCE-3404)

 

Again this recording needs no introduction. Exciting, forward-moving and restrained grandeur are terms I can think of to describe this performance. The Medici Arts remastering is a marked improvement on the Japanese transfer.

Remarks:

1) The catalogue numbers are those of the CDs in my collection. There may be other issues of a particular recording by the same label or even other labels, with a different catalogue number.

2) Not included in the list are those 'sets' I considered en bloc; see episodes 3 (link) & 4 (link).

3) Selections for this symphony are based on a database of 62 distinct recordings, excluding single movements, e.g. 1876 Adagio, and transcriptions.

I welcome your sharing of your favourites. Please leave your comments. Thank you.


(The old Episodes 9a & 9b combined)