The series of
Bruckner
symphonies by conductor
Markus Poschner
and the
Bruckner Orchester Linz
aims not just to record the composer's complete output in the genre but the complete catalog of versions for each one. This is an especially daunting task in the case of the
Symphony No. 3 in D minor, WAB 103
, which has no fewer than six versions; it remains unclear whether
Poschner
intends to record them all. The Viennese public detested this work, but
Wagner
, the dedicatee, admired it, and the two composers bonded over a marathon drinking session. Nevertheless,
successively trimmed parts of it in subsequent revisions, excising a
Beethoven
's
Ninth
-like catalog of themes, among other passages.
takes the symphony at a rather breathtaking speed, clocking in at just over 47 minutes, where the usual length is about an hour. This might be partially explained by the aforementioned circumstances surrounding the version's composition;
might be seen as recognizing
's impulse to slim the work down. However, his recording of the original 1873 version is also unusually quick. As it stands, one might be tempted to say that the album is of interest to those who like their
symphonies to be over as quickly as possible. Yet a more neutral evaluation might hold that a conductor can choose to emphasize the luxuriant length in
's symphonies or their overall lines and that
's reading here simply falls to one end of the spectrum.
Capriccio
's sound is reasonable, and one can sample and take one's choice, thankful for the continuation of
's synoptic set. ~ James Manheim