Symphony in D minor (Bruckner)

Symphony in D minor
by Anton Bruckner

A portrait of Anton Bruckner, c. 1860
Key D minor
Catalogue WAB 100
Composed 1869
Published
Recorded 1951 Henk Spruit, Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra
Movements 4
Premiere
Date 12 October 1924
Location Klosterneuburg
Conductor Franz Moissl

The Symphony in D minor, WAB 100, was composed by Anton Bruckner in 1869 between Symphony No. 1 (1866) and Symphony No. 2 (1872). In 1895 Bruckner declared that this symphony "gilt nicht" (does not count) and he did not assign a number to it. The work was published and premiered in 1924.

Composition

Bruckner composed this symphony from 24 January to 12 September 1869. The D-minor symphony of 1869 was initially designated Symphony No. 2, while the C-minor symphony of 1872 was his Symphony No. 3.[1] In 1895, when Bruckner reviewed his symphonies in order to let issue them, he declared that this symphony "gilt nicht" (does not count). He wrote on the front page "annuliert" (nullified) and replaced the original "No. 2" by the symbol "∅".[2] According to the conductor Georg Tintner, this lack of confidence in the work arose from a question by the puzzled conductor of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Felix Otto Dessoff, who asked Bruckner, "Where is the main theme?"[3] This symbol "∅" was later interpreted as a numeral zero[4] and the symphony got the nickname Die Nullte ("No. 0"). As written by David Griegel, "Like many other composers, I believe Bruckner was merely being too self-critical, and the unnumbered symphonies are also works worthy of our enjoyment".[1]

Because of the designation Die Nullte, biographs Göllerich and Auer felt that it was composed before Symphony No. 1. Against this assumption, the autograph score is dated 24 January to 12 September 1869, and no earlier sketch or single folio of this work has been retrieved.[4]

The work, which is sometimes referred to as "Symphony in D minor, opus posthumous", but in English most often called "Symphony No. 0",[4] was premiered in Klosterneuburg on 12 October 1924.

Editions

The symphony is available in two editions:

Analysis

The score calls for a pair each of flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, timpani, and strings.

It has four movements.

First movement, Allegro

The work begins with an ostinato in the strings that is in D minor.

Leopold Nowak suggested that the answer to Desoff's question is that the principal theme is in the first movement of Symphony No. 3 in D minor, which also begins with an ostinato.

Second movement, Andante

Nowak places all markings of Andante for this B-flat major movement in parentheses.

Third movement, Scherzo: Presto – Trio: Langsamer und ruhiger

Loud and rather ferocious, the theme has something of the qualities of the Mannheim rocket, but its chromaticism suggests the future music of Shostakovich.

The Trio's theme in G major has hints of G minor.

Unlike later scherzos, this one has a separate coda for the reprise of the Scherzo.

Fourth movement, Finale: Moderato – Allegro vivace

The movement begins with a slow introduction. The theme in the violins,

is accompanied by semiquavers (i.e. sixteenth notes) in the woodwinds (music that shows up again in the development). This gives way to the main theme of the following allegro-movement,

which does double duty as a third theme. The second theme

reminds some listeners of Rossini.[6]

Selected discography

The first commercial recording of the symphony was by Fritz Zaun with the Berlin State Opera Orchestra in 1933. It included only the scherzo, in the Wöss edition. The first commercial recording of the complete symphony was by Henk Spruit with the Concert Hall Symphony Orchestra in 1952.

Performances and recordings of the "complete" Bruckner Symphonies often exclude this "nullified" Symphony, most notably excepting the boxed sets of Riccardo Chailly, Eliahu Inbal, Bernard Haitink, Georg Tintner, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski and former Chicago Symphony Orchestra conductors Daniel Barenboim and Sir Georg Solti.

Wöss edition

This long out-of-print recording has recently been transferred to CD: Klassic Haus CD GSC 010

Nowak edition

This long out-of-print recording has recently been transferred to CD, together with the historical recording of the Windhaager Messe by Wolfgang Riedelbauch: Klassic Haus KHCD 2012-007

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 David Griegel, Bruckner Symphony Versions
  2. ↑ C. van Zwol, p. 674
  3. ↑ Georg Tintner, leaflet to CD 8.554215-16
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Hawkshaw, Paul (1983). "The Date of Bruckner's "Nullified" Symphony in D Minor". 19th-Century Music 6 (3): 252–263. doi:10.2307/746590. JSTOR 746590.
  5. ↑ "Anton Bruckner Critical Complete Edition – Symphony in D minor". Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  6. ↑ Anonymous. Recording notes for Bruckner: Symphony No. 0 and Motets, SWR Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sir Neville Mariner.

Sources

External links