Anton Bruckner (1824-1896)
Symphony No. 3  in D Minor, WAB 103 (First Version, 1873, ed. Nowak)
Gürzenich-Orchester Köln/François-Xavier Roth
rec. live , September 2022, Philharmonie, Cologne Germany
Myrios Classics MYR033 [62]

I last year recommended Roth’s recording of Bruckner’s Fourth Symphony (review) for those who would like a leaner approach to that music, and this account of the original version of the Third is similarly tight and taut – a far cry from Rémy Ballot at 87 minutes and very similar to Blomstedt with the Gewandhausorchester on the Accentus label.

I have long opined that the opening to the Third is the most gripping of all Bruckner’s symphonies, in that it is a kind of paradigm of everything Bruckner does best, redolent of mystery, menace and tension enhanced by the two-bar rest and the thunderous brass outburst building to a grand peroration. Roth certainly catches the mood and generates real excitement; my only reservation is that he sounds as if he is in a hurry to reach that goal. Not everyone will share my concern and I happily concede the validity of his approach.  His background in period performance is manifested in his concern to bring out individual instrumental lines over creating a more generalised, “monumental” sound-world, and there is no doubting the coherence and integrity of his interpretation and fortissimo outbursts are still mightily impressive – there is no lack of weight in the orchestral sound. My preference for a more spacious delivery is just that and others will appreciate Roth’s urgency. He is a genuine Brucknerian in his feeling for the music and the way he gradually ratchets up the intensity from half way through the movement is admirable and ultimately thrilling. He does this while also encompassing the enchantment of the gentle, songful interludes in that first movement, such as the one fourteen minutes in; this is a magically absorbing reading of one of the great movements in Bruckner.

I am less enthused by Roth’s take on the Adagio, which is decidedly unsentimental and played with minimal vibrato. Nonetheless, he give the pauses proper respect and if the pulse is more Andante than Adagio, that chimes with Roth’s conception of the symphony as a whole, even if I still feel that he misses somewhat of its potential for transcendence. The momentum of the coda, however, is thrilling; Roth certainly knows how to gauge climaxes. The Scherzo is first ghostly then frightening – very hard driven – kudos to the sonorous brass cohort. The brief Trio first seems to lack charm but  then Roth pulls back into a rallentando which lends the fast waltz more grace. The finale begins – yes, of course – very quickly but the rustic polka is more relaxed, contrasting vividly with the stern brass chorale; Roth embraces both diametrically opposed  moods with equal command and the D major apotheosis is riveting, if hectic.

The clarity and balance of the sound here are impeccable. If Roth’s way with Bruckner is yours, this is indispensable.

Ralph Moore
(This review posted here by kind permission of The Bruckner Journal)

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