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Symphony No. 4: Georg Fritzsch / Badische Staatskapelle / Querstand CD
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There is little doubt that there is a strong Bruckner performance tradition in Germany and it has always surprised me t hear the excellent caliber of playing that comes from Germany's regional orchestra. Here is a perfect example. An excellent performance from a conductor and orchestra which knows how to perform Bruckner's music.
The history of today’s Badische Staatskapelle begins with a reckoning of the expenses of the court of the Margraves of Baden-Durlach. In 1662, the court musicians are mentioned for the first time. However, the exact founding date of the Hofkapelle is unknown. There must have been earlier musical performances at the court, but obviously no permanent ensemble. The residence of the Margraviate was at that time Karlsburg Castle in Durlach; the city of Karlsruhe was not founded for more than another 50 years. This first Hofkapelle was small. It consisted of five musicians, only three of whom received full pay. In addition, there was also a group of court trumpeters and a military drummer. Three and a half centuries later, a renowned orchestra with more than 90 musicians has evolved from these small beginnings. Since the 2020/21 season, Georg Fritzsch has been General Music Director of the Badische Staatskapelle. A new CD edition shows the competence of the orchestra, especially in performing the late-romantic repertoire, which has been alive in the Karlsruhe programmes since the times of Hermann Levi. On Vol. 3 of this edition, we find Symphony No. 4 in E-flat Major by Anton Bruckner, whose 200th birthday in 2024 is commemorated by the musical world. The Badische Staatskapelle has a special historical relation to this work. On 2 January 1874, Bruckner began work on his Fourth symphony and finished the first version of it in November. The second version of the symphony from 1878, together with the 1880 Finale, has been the most frequently played version of the symphony to date. It was premiered in this configuration on 20 February 1881 in Vienna with the Vienna Philharmonic under Hans Richter and can also be heard on this CD, using the 1936 edition by Robert Haas. The German premiere of the symphony took place on 10 December 1881 in Karlsruhe with the then Großherzoglich Badische Hofkapelle under the young conductor Felix Mottl. It was also the first-ever performance of a Bruckner symphony in Germany.
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