Anton Bruckner (1824-1896)
Symphony No. 1 in C Minor (1868 Linz version – ed. Roeder)
Bruckner Orchestra Linz/Markus Poschner
rec. 2023, Rehearsal Hall, Musiktheater, Linz, Austria
Capriccio C8092 [45]

This is the eleventh instalment in Markus Poschner’s “Bruckner 2024 -Complete Version Edition”.

I have hitherto recommended Gerd Schaller’s live recording of the original, 1866 version of this symphony as edited by William Carragan (review); this is a considerably brisker reading than Schaller’s, shaving around a couple of minutes off every movement except the Scherzo, which is still half a minute faster. I have in previous reviews of issues in this series remarked upon Poschner’s penchant for swiftness, which sometimes results in a successful performance, and sometimes not.

Fortunately, this is a symphony which can take brisker tempi; the opening march is spritely but not inappropriately so, even if I prefer Schaller’s steadiness. What is slightly odd, however, is the initial over-prominence of the woodwind and brass – or, to put it another way, the sonic balance which makes the strings too recessed throughout. Nonetheless, Poschner generates plenty of drive and excitement, steering the music towards a thrilling conclusion, reining back persuasively before the final acceleration. The Adagio does not have the breadth and grandeur of those in Bruckner’s later symphonies – there is rather too much “noodling” by strings and flutes – but Poschner is adept in his moulding of the phrasing and the gradation of dynamics and the final section beginning at 8:19 is especially atmospheric, again building to an imposing climax, with flutes and strings soaring over gently pulsating timpani. The opening attack in the Scherzo is startling, even if here for the first time I feel that Poschner is reverting to his default position of an over-hasty beat – but it is undeniably arresting. By contrast, the Trio is almost sleepy, such that the resumption of the fast subject jolts the listener – not unpleasantly, though. The finale is similarly hard-driven but once again, the conductor is careful to sustain interest through the episodic succession of disparate musical ideas by dint of nuanced phrasing and dynamics and his double basses perform sterling service in providing a frequent fierce, grumbling underlay; for the third time, the peroration of the movement is gripping, its abrupt cut-off deftly handled.

This is a tight, driven account of the earliest version of the First Symphony, which is a success even if I still prefer Schaller’s slightly more relaxed recording.

(The cardboard slipcase is fit only for recycling.)

Ralph Moore

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