Anton Bruckner (4 September 1824 – 11 October 1896) was an Austrian composer known for his symphonies, masses, and motets. The first are considered emblematic of the final stage of Austro-German Romanticism because of their rich harmonic language, strongly polyphonic character, and considerable length. Bruckner’s compositions helped to define contemporary musical radicalism, owing to their dissonances, unprepared modulations, and roving harmonies.
Symphony No. 1 in C minor, WAB 101
I. Allegro (C minor)
II. Adagio (A-flat major)
III. Scherzo: Lebhaft (G minor) – Trio: Langsam (G major)
IV. Finale: Bewegt und feurig (C minor)
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by Bernard Haitink
Movements I/III 1st version « Linz » (1866)
Movement IV: Revised « Linz » version (1877)
Description by Michael Jameson [-]
The work today known universally as Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No. 1 in C minor was far from being his first attempt in the symphonic genre. Like most of its siblings, it underwent several revisions, for the composer was given to near-pathological self doubt, and lacked almost all confidence in his own abilities. The eminent Bruckner scholar Robert Haas described no less than four separate versions — those of 1866, 1877, 1891, and 1893. Only two versions of the symphony are generally known and performed; they are called the « Linz » and « Vienna » versions. The Linz version corresponds to the 1877 version, not the 1866 version as often claimed. The 1866 version heard at the premiere also differed from the 1877 score in a number of ways, especially in the Finale. The Vienna version, too, departed widely and often from earlier editions of the score. For some considerable time, the « Linz » version enjoyed limited success. Subsequently, Bruckner’s 1891 Vienna version was adopted as the definitive version of the work, however today (largely thanks to the work of pioneering scholars like Robert Haas and Leopold Nowak) the original Linz score has been rehabilitated as the standard performing version of the First Symphony.
Although Bruckner’s formative models were the symphonies of Beethoven, Schumann, and Mendelssohn, he was also profoundly affected by the music of Richard Wagner, which to a greater or lesser degree, permeates almost all of his music. Wagner’s influence can be felt in each of the four movements of the First Symphony, from externals (such as the extended duration of the Adagio slow movement) to the remarkably progressive harmonic language employed. The opening movement (Allegro) is cast in conventional sonata form. But unusually, the exposition also includes an additional third theme, given out by the trombones, an architectural device which is more typically encountered in Bruckner’s later works. The slow movement is placed second. Set predominantly in the key of F minor, the language is both confessional and at the same time deeply expressive and solemn. Then comes the rhythmically propulsive Scherzo, derived from a number of rustic-sounding thematic groups, dispersed around a central trio section in a more relaxed vein. Much later in his life, Bruckner observed « never was I so bold and daring » when writing about his first symphony. It seems probable that the reference applied chiefly to the Finale of this work, outwardly a positive and forthright expression of optimism and confidence in the grace of the God whom Bruckner faithfully honored throughout his life, but certainly both « bold » and « daring » in the masterfully diverse and effective use of counterpoint in the treatment of three highly contrasted thematic ideas.
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