Bruckner: Symphony No. 00 'Study Symphony' / 'Volkfest' (1878) Finale to Symphony No. 4

Anton Bruckner (Composer), Georg Tintner (Conductor), Royal Scottish National Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Royal Scottish National Orchestra
• Conductor: Georg Tintner
• Composer: Anton Bruckner
• Audio CD (April 11, 2000)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Naxos
• ASIN: B00004RGDP
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #152,881 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SYMPHONY NO. "00" AND THE "VOLKSFEST", September 15, 2000

By 

"davidsbundler" (Belleville, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bruckner: Symphony No. 00 'Study Symphony' / 'Volkfest' (1878) Finale to Symphony No. 4 (Audio CD)

PERFORMANCE: 9 out of 10.

RECORDING: 9 out of 10.

THE "STUDY" SYMPHONY:

Fortunately, there is only one version of this symphony. It is full of Beethovenian, Mozartian, Mendelssohnian and Schumannesque touches. The scherzo is the most original of the movements. Some conductors tried to inflate this symphony to sound like the others. Wisely, Tintner steers clear of that temptation. The 1st Symphony is quantum leap above this and was only written a couple of years later. Nevertheless, it is quite a pleasant piece. The edition is by Nowak. (The total time of this performance is shorter than those of other conductors. This is simply because Tintner did not repeat the expositions in the outer movements, not because he adopted any controversial tempos.)

THE "VOLKSFEST" FINALE OF THE 4TH:

This is the 1878 version of the finale (ed. Nowak). One can play this after the first three movements of the "1878-80" version which Tintner recorded for this series. It's a shortened and simplified reworking of the original finale of 1874. Like the 1874 finale, the "Volkfest" lacks the slow c minor section (repeated in different keys) that Bruckner added to the "1878-80" version. It's an interesting piece, but I could never prefer it over the "1878-80" finale.

SUMMARY:

This CD lives up to the high standards that Dr. Tintner and Naxos have set. I heartily recommend the entire series to all those who are unfamiliar with the composer and to comparative "Brucknerheads".

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, early Bruckner, September 8, 2000

By 

Bengt Gallmo (VISBY Sweden) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bruckner: Symphony No. 00 'Study Symphony' / 'Volkfest' (1878) Finale to Symphony No. 4 (Audio CD)

Get this CD! You are unlikely to find a public performance of Bruckner's "00", and there are not many recordings either. It is lovely music, and very interesting if you know the later Bruckner symphonies. That Tintner, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and Naxos, can produce a good recording goes without saying.

Symphony "00" is an exercise during Bruckner's studies. It is clearly not mature Bruckner. Tintner, in the acompanying booklet, compares it to Schumann and Mendelsohn. As a Scandinavian, I am even reminded of Grieg sometimes (his symphony, also an early work, is contemporary with Bruckners "00"), but he was also influenced by Mendelsohn, so Tintner is, of course, right. Then, in the middle of it all, you can hear the coming Bruckner (ending of first movement, scherzo). The juxtaposition of Mendelsohn and Bruckner, and the glimpse of Bruckner's development as a composer, is fascinating! It seems that he went through both a Mendelsohn period and a Wagner period, with more and more of himself, before he became the "real" Bruckner - nobody else could have written his 9th!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Hidden Gem, June 6, 2000

By 

Allan R. MacLeod - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bruckner: Symphony No. 00 'Study Symphony' / 'Volkfest' (1878) Finale to Symphony No. 4 (Audio CD)

Once again Georg Tintner has made a convincing case for a neglected Bruckner work. Earlier, it was the original version of the third. This time it is Bruckner's first symphony--the study symphony. Other versions never ask to be listened to a second time, but this one does. It is unusual for Bruckner in that it is early Romantic in style--Schubert or Schumann, although the scherzo sounds like the Bruckner we know. Tintner brings out its lyricism (with a little cheating, he admits). It certainly ranks with the symphonies of Schumann. Once again, the RSNO is superb and the sound is excellent. But do not listen to the "filler" too soon after listening to the symphony. This second version of the last movement of the fourth was quite properly rejected by Bruckner. Although as usual the performance is excellent, it just isn't good Bruckner. But it is the Bruckner we know as opposed to this romantic lyricist of the symphony and the contrast between the two works is so extreme that you almost find yourself wishing Bruckner had not become Bruckner. But the CD is a splendid addition to what has been a spendid series.