Bruckner Symphony 2 Schaller

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.

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.

This series marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Anton Bruckner, which falls in 2024. It’s dedicated to Bruckner’s symphonies, most of them recorded in new transcriptions for organ by Hansjörg Albrecht. This 10th album was made on the organ at Fraumünster in Zürich using Erwin Horn’s transcription of Bruckner’s 9th Symphony and incorporating Gerd Schaller’s completion of the finale, which Bruckner left unfinished.