Of the several revisions of Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 3 in D minor that have been regularly performed and recorded, the 1877 version has had defenders, though it is by no means as established in the concert hall as the 1889 version, nor has it been championed by younger conductors who favor Urtext Bruckner, particularly the original version of 1873, replete with its Wagner quotations. Thomas Zehetmair's decision to play the 1877 version with the Swiss chamber orchestra Musikkollegium Winterthur for MDG probably won't ...
Read More
Of the several revisions of Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 3 in D minor that have been regularly performed and recorded, the 1877 version has had defenders, though it is by no means as established in the concert hall as the 1889 version, nor has it been championed by younger conductors who favor Urtext Bruckner, particularly the original version of 1873, replete with its Wagner quotations. Thomas Zehetmair's decision to play the 1877 version with the Swiss chamber orchestra Musikkollegium Winterthur for MDG probably won't raise many eyebrows, though the choice of tempos, transparent instrumental colors, and streamlined orchestral textures may startle dyed-in-the-wool traditionalists, who like their Bruckner homogenous, weighty, and slow. Zehetmair's recording is efficiently paced and lasts barely over 50 minutes, where other recordings tend to be longer by ten minutes or so, and the tempos are noticeably brisk and even agitated. Since the accretions of early 20th century Teutonic practice have given...
Read Less