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The New Bruckner Edition - FAQ

The New Bruckner Edition - FAQ

The New Bruckner Edition - FAQ
I have received some question regarding the New Bruckner Edition that is being prepared in Vienna. Thanks to Prof. Paul Hawkshaw, one of the lead editors of the edition, here are the answeres to some frequently asked questions;

(1) The older Complete Edition has some serious gaps. Several critical reports remain unissued. While the MWV Web site lists almost all of these as being "in preparation", Will these critical reports simply be abandoned in light of the new Complete Edition? The new Complete Edition has separate critical reports for each version of a work, and I am not sure if this is an improvement.

All critical reports from here on will be attached to the new editions. We are committed to including the reports and extensive introductions in the scores of each version. The volumes would be too cumbersome if we tried to include reports for all versions at the same time. Witness the critical reports on symphonies 3 and 8 in the Nowak edition. Unlike the earlier editions, no score will be released without a report.


(2) William Carragan did not live to see the 200th anniversary of the composer to whom he dedicated so much work. He was tasked with the critical report for the Symphony No. 2, and it presumably remains unfinished. Other than his two editions of the Symphony No. 2 for MWV, none of his editions have been published. Are there any plans to publish his other work (e.g., his experimental intermediate version of the Symphony No. 8) or preserve it for posterity?

I am not aware of plans to publish Prof. Carragan's other editions. Prof. Carragan did not complete his critical reports for the Symphony No. 2. New editions and critical reports will be issued.

(3) Even for the editions in general availability (most of the older Complete Edition), what are the ultimate plans by MWV for their future availability? Will they simply be "taken off the market" when the new Complete Edition is finished?

In the past they have kept the scores of both versions available until the stock of the earlier on runs out. When older versions do run out, I expect they will be digitized in the Bruckner Lexicon in Bruckner Online where the Haas Editions and the First Editions are available now.

(4) When will the new edition scores be available?

Several of the full size directors scores are available now. The study scores will follow after the individual directors scores are issued. So far, only the Symphony No. 4 in the second version is available in the study score.

General information about the New Critical Edition is also available at the MWV Website