Anton BRUCKNER (1824-1896)
Symphony No 3 in D minor
(‘Wagner Symphony'), WAB103 (1877 ed. Nowak)
Wiener Philharmoniker/Christian Thielemann
rec. 27-29 November 2020, Golden Hall, Musikverein Vienna
SONY CLASSICAL 19439861382 [61:13]
This is the second instalment of Christian Thielemann’s projected complete cycle of Bruckner’s symphonies with the Vienna Philharmonic. My previous review of the Eighth, the first in the cycle was unenthusiastic - I called it “lukewarm” and “anodyne” – so I was hoping for better here.
The booklet and cover do not tell us what edition is being played or give an overall timing (provided above)but it is the 1877 version with coda. It soon becomes apparent that this is a typically measured, even slow, account from Thielemann but that leisureliness is wholly without the enervated quality which in the Eighth emerged as verging on the lethargic; here, in the ‘Wagner Symphony’ the results are much more successful; the muttering opening has the right sense of “misterioso” foreboding and the VPO brass are resplendent. A sense of urgency is sustained and Thielemann’s careful gradation of dynamics is especially telling. If the Klang of the VPO strings is not that which, in Tennyson’s words, “in old days / Moved earth and heaven”, it is still mightily impressive, despite some slight thinness of tone. The re-statement of the main theme exactly half way through the first movement is really grand, aided by excellent sound and the ensuing exchange – argument, really - between strident, pulsing strings and the plaintive flute is beautifully judged, and the return to that wonderful opening ostinato is magical.
In addition to maintaining a firm grip as the symphony unfolds, Thielemann demonstrates that he can relax when necessary, too; the Adagio unfolds in stately but inexorable style, reminding us that by this stage Bruckner had found his true voice and written a movement which deserves to be spoken of in the same breath as the Adagios from the later symphonies, even if the same spareness of string tone mentioned above slightly vitiates its sumptuousness. The pulsing passage beginning around 4:20 is a delight and there is a lightness to Thielemann’s manner which belies his reputation for a propensity for weightiness; the conclusion to the movement has a shimmering plasticity despite its grandeur. The brief Scherzo is similarly tight and energised with a lilting Trio and a really raucous, brass-heavy coda which is truly exciting. The finale balances rustic charm with military fervour and there is never a hint of undue dilatoriness; Thielemann ensures that a tension obtains throughout a movement which can ramble in the wrong hands. The tripping section just before the mighty conclusion is almost ironically saccharine, then the orchestra rips into
the Wagnerian D major apotheosis with a thoroughly satisfying vigour.
I love the Third and emerge from listening to this recording with that devotion renewed. However, while listening to this, I realised that many of my favourite recordings employ either one of the earlier or later versions, so if you want the 1877 edition with coda, there is much less competition - which is provided by such as Wildner and Solti. This does not necessarily displace favourite versions of the 1889 edition by such as Karajan and Böhm, either, but it remains a majestic and wholly enjoyable account and augurs more promisingly for the remainder of the cycle than did its initial Eighth.
Ralph Moore
