Bruckner (1824-1896) - Symphony No.3 : Valery Gergiev / Munich Philharmonic - Import CD

Credits:

Cilea, F.

Description:

The Munich Philharmonic's self-recorded Bruckner live performance at St. Florian's Abbey in Linz, Germany, with Valery Gergiev, who assumed the position of Chief Conductor in September 2015, and the Munich Philharmonic, is a combination of profound power, sparkling elegance, and beauty. The music of this new duo has been highly acclaimed for the concentration and urgency with which they have brought out the best in strings, winds, and percussion in response to Gergiev's fiery conducting, which has brought out the best in them. This recording of "Bruckner: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3" was recorded live at the richly reverberant St. Florian's Abbey in Linz, the church where Bruckner served as organist. The first draft of the "Symphony No. 3 in D minor" was completed in 1873. It is said that Wagner visited Richard Wagner in Bayreuth and showed him the complete score of the 3rd Symphony as well as the 2nd Symphony, and offered to dedicate one of them to him. The work contains clear allusions to Wagner's works, hence the subtitle "Wagner".However, the Vienna Philharmonic refused to premiere this first version because it was "unplayable," so Bruckner was forced to make major revisions, and the second version, completed in 1877, was premiered with the Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Bruckner himself. The music is magnificent with smoothly processed beautiful melodies, and each instrument is combined three-dimensionally to create a grand and majestic music of great scale. This performance was given on September 25, 2017, along with the Symphony No. 1, and it delivers the grandiose expression that Gergiev demands with a great sense of scale, but with beauty in the strings at key points. The long reverberation time of the venue, contributing to the scale of the performance, makes this a fulfilling performance worthy of Bruckner's symphonies, of which he was the organist. Valery Gergiev had the following to say. "The Munich Philharmonic has an incredibly talented group of players. They have succeeded in combining their technical ability and experience in Mahler and Bruckner works. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with these musicians.I hope that people all over the world will hear this wonderful music." The recording was done by Stephan Reh, a highly regarded engineer for labels such as CPO and BIS. The mastering was done by Christoph Stickel, an engineer who has worked on many Keith Jarrett albums, and was responsible for the new mastering under the supervision of ECM. Warner Music Japan

Tracklisting:

1.Symphony No. 3 in D minor WAB 103: 1. Mehr langsam, Misterioso
2.Symphony No. 3 in D minor WAB 103: 2. Adagio, bewegt, quasi Andante
3.Symphony No. 3 in D minor WAB 103: 3. Ziemlich schnell - Trio
4.Symphony No. 3 in D minor WAB 103: 4. Allegro