The 2014 Brucknerathon Playlist
By the end of this year, the Bruckner Orchestra of Nagoya will have completed a multi-year project of performing and recording all eleven Bruckner symphonies. We recognize this effort by presenting one of their recordings Symphony in D Minor "Die Nullte": Stephan Blunier / Beethoven Orchestra of Bonn Stephan Blunier has been actively performing Bruckner throughout Germany. Here is one a rare opportunity to hear a recorded performance Symphony No. 1: Dean Dixon / Hessian Radio Symphony Orchestra American born and educated, Dean Dixon spent most of his professional career in Europe. While he was Music Director of the Hessian Radio Symphony Orchestra in Frankfurt, he recorded several Bruckner symphonies for radio broadcast. Symphony No. 2: Georg Solti / Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra This will be a rare opportunity to watch a video presentation of of the Bruckner Symphony No. 2 and one where Georg Solti is not conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Symphony No. 3: Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos / Dresden Philharmonic While known primarily for the music of his native Spain, Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos was a champion of Bruckner's music. We pay our respects to this conductor who died this year with this performance. Symphony No. 4: Franz-Paul Decker / Barcelona Symphony Orchestra While Franz-Paul Decker was primarily active in Canada and New Zealand, the only commercial release of a Bruckner Symphony originates from a collection of orchestral music marketed in Spain. We mark his recent passing with this recording. Symphony No. 4 (Excerpt): Fritz Reiner / Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra A very rare opportunity to hear the only existing recording of Fritz Reiner conducting Bruckner. Only the first movement and part of the Andante are known to have survived. Symphony No. 5: Gunter Wand / NDR Symphony Orchestra A video presentation from the Schleswig Holstein Music Festival Symphony No. 6: Rafael Kubelik / Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra While associated with the Bavarian Radio in Munich, Czech conductor, Rafael Kubelik made several Bruckner recordings - some were for CBS Records, some were for the Bavarian Radio and some for television. Here is a rare opportunity to see a video performance of one of Bruckner's frustratingly least-performed symphonies. Symphony No. 7: Kurt Masur / Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra Kurt Masur, who will be the recipient of a Bruckner Society of America's Medal of Honor, has championed Bruckner's music throughout his long career. His cycle of Symphonies 1-9 made for Eterna Records in East Germany has been reissued several times. We honor the maestro's achievements with this performance. Symphony No. 8: Remy Ballot / Upper Austrian Youth Orchestra One of the highlights of recent BrucknerTage festivities at St Florian each August is a Bruckner performance by these gifted musicians at the Basilika of St. Florian. For the 2014 event, the Symphony No. 8 will be presented and it is our hope to be able to present this recording at the Brucknerathon. Symphony No. 9: Stanislaw Skrowaczewski / SW German Radio Symphony Orchestra This Point CD (and all its previous LP and cassette compatriots) never contained the first movement. On top of that, the recording was always credited to the South German Philharmonic conducted by either the fictional Cesare Cantieri or the factual Hans Swarowsky. Now we can hear the whole recording and give credit to the proper artists. Symphony No. 9: Finale: Ernst Marzendorfer / Rundfunk der DDR Here is a rare opportunity to hear this 1970 stereo recording of Ernst Marzendorfer's completion of the Finale to Bruckner's Symphony No. 9. It is an unusual approach and one that Marzendorfer later withdrew from performance, but fortunately this 1970 performance was recorded and preserved. |
