Christian Thielemann & Wiener Philharmoniker - Bruckner: 11 Symphonies (2023) [Hi-Res]

Anton Bruckner: 11 Symphonies" is the first complete recording of the symphonies of the Vienna Philharmonic under a single conductor - Christian Thielemann - who enjoys a close relationship with the world-class orchestra and has established himself as one of the most respected interpreters of the romantic Austro-German repertoire of his generation.

The edition contains 11 symphonies, in addition to the well-known symphonies Nos. 1 to 9, the so-called "Zeroth", as well as the "Study Symphony", and a 172-page booklet. The release of the complete recording comes in the run-up to the composer's 200th birthday in 2024. Few orchestras can boast such a special closeness to Bruckner as the Vienna Philharmonic, which this year won the OPUS-Klassik "Orchestra of the Year" award for its pre-released recording of Anton Bruckner's Ninth Symphony.

Bruckner's cycle of nine numbered and two unnumbered symphonies is one of the great spiritual autobiographies of musical literature. The symphonic journey began in 1863 with his so-called "Study Symphony", a work that demonstrated the composer's fluency in the musical language of his time. Three years later, Bruckner wrote Symphony No. 1, whose bold conclusion heralded the beginning of a great symphonic career. Demanding and self-critical, Bruckner suppressed his next symphony of 1869, which became known as the "Zeroth Symphony" and was often excluded from complete recordings. That hasn't stopped musicians like Christian Thielemann from recognising its exciting qualities, including a rousing scherzo and a riveting finale.

Bruckner's buoyant Symphony No. 2, which followed, is one of his freshest and lightest-footed works. In 1873 he wrote a symphony modelled on Beethoven's iconic Ninth, but inspired by the melodicism of Richard Wagner. Symphony No. 3 is a bold and sonorous symphony written during the composer's most prolific creative period. It was followed by the composer's most popular symphony ever: Bruckner's "romantic" Symphony No. 4 can seem like a musical monolith chiselled from a single block. Few symphonies convey Bruckner's unmistakable combination of mystery and warmth like this extraordinary, luminous work. A deeply disturbed Bruckner completed the 5th Symphony in 1876, and the work's tragic disposition leads to an overwhelming resolution in the last movement. The 6th Symphony, completed in 1881, is one of Bruckner's most fascinating and unusual creations - a work in which the composer's gothic structures take on a translucent elegance, serene, delicate, sublime and noble. None of his works gave Bruckner as much joy and pride as his 7th Symphony. It is his most tender orchestral creation and his most immediately beautiful - a work that contains a heartfelt eulogy to Wagner, but also brims with excitement and flexibility. It was completed in 1883.

Vier Jahre später beendete Bruckner die erste Fassung seiner 8. Sinfonie, einer manchmal düsteren spirituellen Suche, die in glühender Positivität endet, deren unbeantwortete Fragen aber noch lange nach dem Erklingen der letzten Note nachwirken. Es ist ein Werk von zauberhafter Feierlichkeit und fesselnder Zeitlosigkeit, und es ist auch die erste Bruckner-Sinfonie, die den unverwechselbaren Klang der Harfe in sich trägt. Das Schicksal wollte es, dass Bruckners 9. Sinfonie seine letzte sein sollte. Tatsächlich lag sie unvollendet auf dem Schreibtisch des Komponisten, als er im Oktober 1896 starb. Selbst in den drei Sätzen, die der Komponist fertigstellte, erleben wir intensive Kraft, kataklystischen Schrecken und erlesene Zärtlichkeit. Ein großes, verklärendes Adagio bildet Bruckners Epitaph.

"...that recordings have been made here which no one in the 21st century will be able to surpass so quickly. ... How profoundly orchestra and conductor explore Bruckner's cosmos here... Addictive potential!" (WAZ)

"Masterful, kapellmeisterlich, dreamlike." (Der Standard)

"Beautiful to the point of tears and artistically perfect. The interpretation of the Fifth may be called a milestone. The way the musicians realised this work was simply grandiose." (Kurier)

"Only the highest musical perfection sounds like this." (Die Presse)