Bruckner 4 Schaller

Sound and space are mutually dependant. Which works sound best in which environment? Where can the spirit and character of the music most clearly be expressed? These questions are what inspired the conductor Gerd Schaller to embark on an ambitious major project in 2007: in the impressive environment of the abbey church that once formed part of Ebrach’s Cistercian monastery in Franconia, he directed his festival orchestra, the Philharmonie Festiva, in recordings of all of Anton Bruckner’s symphonies. What is special about this Bruckner cycle is that Schaller in some cases selected less well-known, ‘interim’ versions or variants that had previously never been performed but give revealing insights into Bruckner’s compositional approach.

Founded in 2008 by Gerd Schaller, the Philharmonie Festiva is a symphony orchestra comprised of selected exceptional musicians from a number of Germany's top orchestras. Right from the outset, the conductor and his musicians were attracted by the incentive and the challenge of creating a sound all their very own: an exciting task, because the instrumentalists bring with them a host of different ideas about sound as a result of their work in their various 'home orchestras' - and yet this is also a highly appealing undertaking, because nothing is set in stone in the Philharmonie Festiva; there is always scope for new experiences and experiments.

Recordings of Bruckner’s last and greatest Mass are not exactly scarce but this most recent live performance from the celebrated Ebrach festival has claim to being regarded as special, not just for its own considerable merits, but also as it is presented by Profil in a double CD package in tandem with the barely known Psalm 146 and the further bonus of conductor-musicologist and performer Gerd Schaller playing six works on the Eisenbarth organ in the Abteikirche.

Immediately after completing the Second Symphony, Anton Bruckner (1824 1896) continued a fruitful compositional spree by starting the draft of his Third. He had no way of knowing then that this work would continue to occupy him for the rest of his life. Dedicated to Richard Wagner, the work was written in 1873, revised in 1877, and again in 1890. It is regarded by many as Bruckners artistic breakthrough. According to Rudolf Kloiber, the third symphony opens the sequence of Bruckners masterpieces, in which his creativity meets monumental ability of symphonic construction. On this release, Gerd Schaller leads the Philharmonie Festiva in the performance of the Third Symphony in its 1890 revised version. German conductor Gerd Schaller is best known for his performance and recording of rare works. He conducted the first full recordings of Bruckners output.