Anton Bruckner (1824-1896)
Symphony No. 4 in E flat WAB 104 ‘Romantic’ (1878/81 version, ed. Benjamin-Gunnar Cohrs)
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra/Nathalie Stutzmann
rec. live, 13-16 November 2024, Atlanta Symphony Hall, USA
Warner Classics 2685432421 [72]

In 2021, Simon Rattle and the LSO performed and recorded this edition of the score by Benjamin-Gunnar Cohrs along with the earlier, discarded Scherzo, the pre-abridgement Adagio and the 1878 Volksfest finale, with somewhat mixed results (review). It is closer to the Haas edition in that it reflects the 1881 performance text, before Bruckner made the 1886 revisions for Anton Seidl; hence, for example, the horn recall at the end of the Finale coda is absent. Stutzman here just gives us a single disc containing a live performance of Cohrs’ edition based on that 1881 Karlsruhe performing version with the shortened Finale used at the première under Felix Mottl.

I found Rattle’s performance to be lacking in mystery; Stutzmann is reported in the notes as responding to that quality; regarding the first notes, she says : “…you hear this little horn call and you glimpse that picture, at once medieval and Romantic, and it transports you completely to another, bygone world.” She certainly manages that in her opening and the transition two minutes in, after the diaphanous introduction to full orchestral sound is mightily impressive. She applies rubato to phrasing tastefully, yet there is always a sense of forward momentum and really you could not distinguish between the Atlanta and any other of the foremost symphony orchestras in the world when it comes to heft and sonority. The climactic movements are really telling but there is a true singing quality to the lyrical passages. The return of the opening horn motif is slower and more assertive than in the opening and power of the tutti declaration of the main, falling, E-flat major octave theme is striking. The hike through the Alpine scenery is suffused with joy and optimism; after all, this clearly Bruckner’s most uplifting symphony as opposed to his more elegiac masterworks – and Stutzmann gets it. The peroration is a burst of brassy light.

I like her observation, too, about the “love and sensuality in this music…particularly in the slow movements – as if all the love Bruckner never had in his life was poured into the music.” That is clearly reflected in the Andante but she also brings out a yearning, courageous quality in the music, investing it with a little more energy and movement than is the norm. The Scherzo is similarly energised and positive; we are charging through the forest before finding repose in the sunny glade which is the Trio, sporting some lovely playing from the oboe, then the flute (Cohrs here following the Nowak order, whereas Hass reverses them) before the resumption of the chase. The finale is of course more martial and menacing than anything that has come before but that lends welcome contrast to the prevailing sunniness of this symphony and Stutzmann drives on towards a blazing, majestic and radiant conclusion, frequently urging the orchestra to let rip fff. In truth, the orchestral sound in climaxes is even a little coarse, especially among the brass – but that simply bears witness to their commitment.

The sound is impeccable; there is no audience noise and Stutzmann’s care for balance and transparency comes through unimpeded.

I like everything about this performance; the Stutzmann-Atlanta partnership is proving most fruitful.

Ralph Moore

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