Composer: Anton Bruckner
Orchestra: SWR Sinfonieorchester des Südwestrundfunks, Saarbrücken Radio Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Michael Gielen
Number of Discs: 10
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: SWR Music
Catalogue: SWR19014CD
Release: 2016
Size: 2.46 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
CD 01
Symphony No. 1 in C minor
01. I. Allegro
02. II. Adagio
03. III. Scherzo: Lebhaft
04. IV. Finale: Bewegt, feurig
CD 02
Symphony No. 2 in C minor
01. I. Allegro: Ziemlich schnell
02. II. Andante: Feierlich, etwas bewegt
03. III. Scherzo: Schnell
04. IV. Finale: Mehr schnell
CD 03
Symphony No. 3 in D minor ‘Wagner Symphony’
01. I. Gemäßigt, mehr bewegt, misterioso
02. II. Andante: Bewegt, feierlich, quasi Adagio
03. III. Scherzo: Ziemlich schnell
04. IV. Finale: Allegro
CD 04
Symphony No. 4 in Eb Major ‘Romantic’
01. I. Allegro
02. II. Andante quasi allegretto
03. III. Sehr schnell – Trio: Im gleichen Tempo
04. IV. Allegro moderato
CD 05
Symphony No. 5 in B flat major
01. I. Introduction: Adagio – Allegro
02. II. Adagio: Sehr langsam
03. III. Scherzo: Molto vivace
04. IV. Finale: Adagio – Allegro moderato
CD 06
Symphony No. 6 in A major
01. I. Maestoso
02. II. Adagio. Sehr feierlich
03. III. Scherzo: Nicht schnell
04. IV. Finale: Bewegt, doch nicht zu schnell
CD 07
Symphony No. 7 in E Major
01. I. Allegro moderato
02. II. Adagio. Sehr feierlich und sehr langsam
03. III. Scherzo: Sehr schnell
04. IV. Finale: Bewegt, doch nicht schnell
CD 08
Symphony No. 8 in C minor
01. I. Allegro moderato
02. II. Scherzo: Allegro moderato – Trio: Allegro moderato
03. III. Adagio Feierlich langsam, doch nicht schleppend
CD 09
Symphony No. 8 in C minor
01. IV. Finale: Feierlich, nicht schnell
CD 10
Symphony No. 9 in D Minor
01. I. Feierlich, misterioso
02. II. Scherzo: Bewegt, lebhaft
03. III. Adagio: Langsam feierlich
This extensive release is the second installment of a ten-volume tribute to conductor Michael Gielen. + Some of Michael Gielen’s very first broadcast recordings made in the 1960s were of Bruckner’s symphonies. + The development of the SWR Symphony Orchestra Baden-Baden and Freiburg is visible in these recordings, from the very earliest recording all the way to the incredible 2013 performance of Bruckner’s Symphony No. 9. + All of Bruckner’s symphonies are included on this release. Four of these performances have never been previously released.
Before his retirement in 2014, conductor Michael Gielen was one of the leading specialists in modernist music, though like several of his colleagues, he also demonstrated a strong aptitude for the standard symphonic repertoire, including the symphonies of Anton Bruckner. Gielen’s recordings of the nine numbered symphonies with the SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg and the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Saarbrücken are presented on 10 CDs in this trimline box set from SWR Music, the second of two volumes. (The first volume consisted of Gielen’s recordings of works by Bach, Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, and Schubert.) Here, Gielen conducts a mix of original versions and revised editions, which may confuse some listeners. For the most part, the symphonies are not dramatically different in their musical content, except for the original version of the Symphony No. 4 in E flat major, “Romantic,” which differs substantially from the later, more familiar revisions, and the Symphony No. 8 in C minor, which Gielen presents in its original version with the garish C major conclusion of the first movement. Aside from these matters, Gielen leads the orchestras in efficient and straightforward readings that are faithful to the scores and free of tempo fluctuations and exaggerated effects. This set may not appeal to traditionalists who like their Bruckner reverent, weighty, and ponderous, but it will interest listeners who have an open mind about this composer and his complicated methods.