Symphony No. 3 (first version 1873)
Philharmoniker Hamburg
Simone Young, conductor
I am more a friend of live performances and don’t believe that much in studio
recordings,” commented Simone Young in an interview with Park Avenue
magazine. “Our CDs are therefore recordings of live concerts. This was demonstrated
with the Hamburg Philharmonic: that is an orchestra with which I can
make a statement.”
The press reacted with enthusiastic reviews of the first CD out of Hamburg
(Bruckner’s Second Symphony, Original Version of 1872): “More analytical than
her role-model Daniel Barenboim, but more impulsive than the unforgettable
Günter Wand, Simone Young awakes the works of Bruckner’s early years to
orchestral life.” (KulturSPIEGEL)
Now, following the fulminate success of the first CD comes Volume 2 with
the Third Symphony as a live recording, also in its original version (1873), with
the unmistakable acoustics of the Hamburger Musikhalle.
“So is life”
On Anton Bruckner’s Third Symphony
In fall 1872, immediately after finishing his
Second Symphony, Anton Bruckner began
composing his next one. He was in the most
fruitful creative period of his life. Between October
1871 and May 1876, Bruckner composed
his Second to Fifth Symphonies practically
without interruption, and his work on the Third
Symphony was likewise unusually rapid. The
first three movements of the work were already
finished by July 1873, and on August 31
of this year, he completed his sketches for the
fourth movement in Marienbad, after an outbreak
of cholera had driven him from Vienna.
With this manuscript in his luggage (together
with that of the Second Symphony), Bruckner
set off on his famous trip to Bayreuth to see
Richard Wagner, who after a short perusal of
the scores was willing to accept a dedication
– in the recently finished Third Symphony. Immediately
upon his return to Vienna, Bruckner
finished the incomplete sections of this work
and probably only then added musical quotes
by Wagner to it (it was not unusual at that
time to musically honor the person to whom a
work was dedicated). The work was complete
on December 31, 1873, after which Bruckner
immediately began work on the Fourth Symphony.
The Third Symphony has come down to us in
three versions. The original version, which
was neither published nor performed during
Bruckner’s lifetime, only remained in existence
thanks to the fact that it was dedicated
to Richard Wagner and preserved in the Bayreuth
archive. (This version was not premiered
until 1946!)
The next version was that from 1877/78,
which already contained major changes
and which was essentially the basis of the
premiere conducted by Bruckner himself on
December 16, 1877 in the Vienna Musikverein
– the legendary fiasco.
Finally, the composer himself submitted
the work to an extensive revision in 1889/90,
which like the second version, was published
during the composer’s lifetime. In addition, a
completely independent version of the Adagio
from the year 1876 also exists, which was not
premiered until 1980 (!) by the Vienna Philharmonic.
So much to the key dates regarding the origin
and further history of this symphony. We
now return to the year 1873. The rapidity of
Bruckner’s compositional process is all the
more amazing when we consider that the first
version of the Symphony No. 3 in D minor has
2056 measures, making it the longest work
that Bruckner would ever compose in his life
(we are not discussing performance length
here!). Not any less ambitious than the length
was the underlying plan of the work. Nothing
less than the Ninth Symphony of Bruckner’s
idol Ludwig van Beethoven – also in D minor,
of course, was the model for the structure,
and in some respects, it was also the model
for the character of Bruckner’s creation.
This is where the Janus-faced quality of
the man and artist Bruckner are reflected. On
the one hand, he was unsure and easier to unsettle
than hardly any other great composer;
on the other hand, he was only inspired by
the greatest forms and the boldest concepts,
which thus resulted in a tonal language that
in sound and expression were both at that
time – as well as now – completely unique. It
had to be Beethoven’s Ninth – the symphony
of symphonies! Bruckner had often analyzed
Beethoven’s formal language in his studies
and was particularly interested in the composer’s
Third and Ninth symphonies.
The correspondence between Beethoven’s
Ninth and Bruckner’s Third is apparent, especially
in the original version heard here. The
introduction could be considered the prototype
for all beginnings of Bruckner symphonies:
the famous main theme rising over a perfect
fifth, first in the trumpet, and then in a long
crescendo until it being presented in a unison
fortissimo by the entire orchestra. Upon closer
examination, the entire movement seems like
a copy of the first movement of Beethoven’s
Ninth, as does the five-part structure of the
following Adagio. Bruckner has only deviated
from his model in one point. The attempt to
write the Scherzo as the second movement
and the Adagio as the third movement – even
though he did accomplish this in the first version
of his Second Symphony – did not succeed
again until the Eighth and Ninth Symphonies
(the latter also in D minor!).
In the Finale, just as in his model, Bruckner
first states the motives of the previous movements
– a stylistic technique that he had already
discovered in the Second Symphony.
It is the immediate vicinity to the Second Symphony
that we will now look at more closely.
That the relationship between the two works
was not clear until now has partly to do with
the fact that both have only been known in
their later versions – not in the versions that
most clearly manifest these parallelisms. (Especially
the Second Symphony will not truly
achieve its just deserts and come out from under
the shadow of its “sister symphony” until
its original version is frequently performed
and heard.)
When Bruckner visited the “Master of all
Masters” (Bruckner on Wagner) to ask him for
permission to dedicate a work to him, he presented
him with both the completed Second
Symphony and the almost completed Third.
This means that for him, both pieces were
of equal value. It was only later generations
who came to view the Third as the more valuable.
The name coined for the piece by Bruckner
himself – “Wagner-Symphony” – did not
arise until after Wagner decided that the Third
should carry the dedication. This is why it
seems more probable that most of the Wagner
quotations in this symphony, which are excessively
stressed by many commentators, were
only later interpolated. That these “quotes”
are in truth very discreet and actually quite
hard to discern (and that except for one single
quote in the Adagio were eliminated in
later versions) is less discussed. The question
what Bruckner exactly “quoted” hardly
returns an unequivocal answer. The answer is
that the most well known are the quotes from
the Valkyries and Tristan – the “sleep motive”
from the former (the only quote that survived
in the later version of the second movement)
and the “longing” motive from the latter. Some
analysts even think they hear sounds from
Meistersinger and Tannhäuser; the quote
from Lohengrin, however – the important motive
from Act II, “Gesegnet sollst Du schreiten”
is heard here, although it is written using
very “Tannhäuser-esque” techniques. These
motives, however, are not to be taken literally;
on the contrary, they are consciously kept
free and retain an important relationship to
the actual thematic material. And not only the
Bayreuth master – whom Bruckner honored
above all – is quoted. As he did in the Second
Symphony, Bruckner quotes the “Miserere”
from the “Gloria” of his own Mass in D minor
at the end of the first movement exposition –
and even the main theme of the Second Symphony
is explicitly quoted!
In his book on Bruckner, musicologist Constantin
Floros also mentions a more or less
direct Liszt quotation, about which we will
speak later. All the quotes mentioned above
are not only musical, but must often be understood
with their associated text or dramaturgical
significance, and in relationship to the
whole. This makes it all the more unfortunate
that in order to have the work performed at all,
Bruckner saw himself forced to destroy the
web of quotes and allusions in later revisions,
probably at the urging of his closest circles.
Let us take a closer look at the formal structure
of the original version of the Third Symphony
from 1873, in order to be able to understand
the differences:
The tempo designation of the first movement
is Gemäßigt, misterioso. In later versions,
this was changed to Mehr langsam,
misterioso. However – as with Beethoven’s
Ninth, the movement is also an “alla breve”.
The beginning of the movement harks back to
its great ideal in every respect: shifting pianissimo
string figures, static chords in the
woodwinds – then in the fifth measure, the theme
with which Wagner is said to have associated
not only this symphony, but Bruckner himself:
the theme in the solo trumpet, sounding at a
whisper, and actually, a quote from an earlier
work – the theme which Bruckner (albeit
only in the strings) had opened his revoked
symphony, later known as the “No. 0”. And of
course, as it couldn’t be otherwise in Bruckner,
the movement is a sonata-form – though a
highly original one. After the first theme in the
trumpet, two further themes are established
in the exposition: a lyrical secondary theme
enters that doesn’t contrast all that much with
the quiet trumpet motive. In the course of the
entire work, especially in the development
of the first movement – but most of all in the
working out of the last movement – we see
just what is in the two beginning themes and
what Bruckner intends with them. The third
theme is formed by a chorale-like figure in the
winds before the exposition with the abovementioned
“Miserere”-quote. There is something
very particular about this chorale, as
was mentioned in the introduction. In addition
to all the Wagner quotes and self-citations,
Constantin Floros has discovered an indirect
Liszt-quote. The chorale reveals itself to be a
paraphrase of the Catholic chorale Crux fidelis
inter omnes as used by Liszt at the end of
his symphonic poem The Battle of the Huns
(it is of note here that Bruckner wanted to
dedicate his Second Symphony to Franz Liszt).
This results, of course, in a further connection
in the web of quotes and motives, especially
between the liturgical references in the first
movement.
The development which now follows is thoroughly
worked out in the variation technique
so typical for Bruckner, even if it is only complete
in the original version. The slow build-up,
characterized primarily by carefully layered
dynamics, first culminates in the triple forte of
the first theme. After this, the second theme
introduces the countermovement, which subsequently
leads into the recapitulation, where
the lyrical theme in the parallel major is heard.
Only in the coda does the movement find its
way back to D minor again. Towards the end
of the development, we hear one of the riddles
so typical for Bruckner, a riddle whose answer
(in the Finale) can be heard more easily in the
original version containing all quotes, than
in later versions, in which almost all of these
references have been expunged. For here,
Bruckner quotes not only Tristan (measures
463–466) and Valkyries (measures 479–488),
but also the main theme of his Second Symphony
– and no less than five times. Once
again, the dynamic structure of the movement
is heard in triple fortissimo – only to suddenly
break off. The lyrical second theme is heard
once again in a calm piano, only to be almost
ferociously “brushed aside” by the triple-forte
of the first theme, to bring the movement to an
absolutely explosive close after only 16 measures.
One of the most essential reasons that many
interpreters are returning to the original version
of this symphony is the structure of the
Adagio. Although the second movement was
subject to fewer cuts than the first or fourth
movements in later revisions, its grandiose
five-section architecture was reduced to
three sections. This movement also follows
the basic pattern of the Adagio in Beethoven’s
Ninth: in both, the Adagio in 4/4 alternates with
an Andante in 3/4. But what Bruckner did in
the original version of his Third Symphony
had never been heard before: he titles the
soft introductory string melody in E-flat Major
with the word Feierlich. It is interesting that
this movement begins one half-step higher
than the symphony’s key, but this is actually
the starting point of the movement’s curious
chromatics. The dynamics take off rather
quickly after eight measures, achieving a fortissimo
after a further four measures. Once
again, the introductory motive with its piano
celebratory mood tries to penetrate, but is
immediately silenced by a fortissimo. After a
G.P., with which Bruckner always means “I
have something important to say”, we hear
a typical Bruckner-cadence that couldn’t be
any more “Bruckneresque”. Robert Haas,
former publisher of the Bruckner Complete
Works, claims that this was his “favorite cadence”.
Horns now lead into the Andante. A
melody in the violas uses almost all tones of
the chromatic scale – immediately after the
second theme of the first movement exposition.
This melody is doubtless one of Bruckner’s
inspirations that uniquely characterizes
his work. One associates the preference of
developing and further developing thematic
material in the closest quarters with
Bruckner’s antipode Johannes Brahms. But the
opening of the Andante shows that Bruckner
was just as capable at this as Brahms. Once
again there is a G.P., which in this phase of
Bruckner’s creative work had very important
structural functions and whose almost complete
elimination in later versions (as in the
Second Symphony) adversely affected the
dramatic expression and understandability of
the works. Afterwards comes the Misterioso,
about which Bruckner later made a personal
comment (of which only very few exist), namely,
that the melody occurred to him on October
16, 1872, the name day of his beloved, but long
dead mother Theresia. In the closely related
Second Symphony as well, the background of
the Adagio was thoroughly biographical; there
is no reason to doubt Bruckner’s late disclosure.
When one considers that shortly before
the date mentioned by Bruckner, according to
his own statements, the Second Symphony
had been finished, this “Misterioso” inspiration
could be called a type of germ cell for the
entire symphony. Bruckner’s quotes and selfquotes
play a much greater role than one usually
wants to accept. Constantin Floros notes
in his Bruckner studies that the main theme of
the Adagio is clearly similar to the Benedictus
theme of the Mass in C Major, written in
1842 (the “Windhager” Mass). No one who
has thoroughly analyzed the structures and
learned about the development of Bruckner’s
works truly believes that this is purely coincidental.
In this connection, we once again hear
the “sleep motive” from Valkyries. Here, as
well, one must agree with Floros that there
is a connection to the “departed” mother.
We will pursue this train of thought further
– after returning for a moment to the further
course of the movement. After the Misterioso
which forms the second part of the Andante,
the music leads into the more dramatic Andante,
afterwards to return to the 4/4 Adagio.
The music then intensifies – occasionally with
ritards – to a fortissimo. It is interrupted by a
G.P. followed by a transition in the strings and
winds and then another G.P. The Andante then
returns, with the cellos carrying the melody.
After a short ritenuto, the second theme is
heard in the horns and the violins take over
the beginning – which has extremely difficult
syncopations – one of the many reasons why
the original versions are not that well received
by orchestral musicians. Suddenly, and now
we take up our original thought again, the
entire orchestra unmistakably intones the motive
from Act II of Wagner’s Lohengrin: “Gesegnet
sollst Du schreiten”. This can easily
be integrated into the previously mentioned
structure of the second movement. Only afterwards
does the fifth part of the movement – in
gradually receding waves – move into the last
Adagio block, using dynamics as well as rubati.
In the coda, where we have now arrived,
Bruckner presents the main theme two more
tims in a grandiose triple fortissimo, before the
movement rises again in a fortissimo and then
ends with the “sleep motive” in a pianissimo.
The Scherzo is typical for Bruckner, as he
often unmistakably appears in later works as
well. It is one of the movements that suffered
the least in the later process of revision.
Despite the tempo designation Ziemlich
schnell, the composer is in no hurry to get
to the point; we first hear a 16-bar introduction.
However, this introduction already contains
the basic pattern of the movement. Six
legato eighth-notes in the second violins
against three pizzicato eighths in the basses
characterize the movement’s essentials. The
surprising thing about this typically intense
Bruckner Scherzo is its middle section, which
first seems to be a Trio, but which only ends up
in opposition to the almost violent gaiety of the
introductory section. The actual Trio is related
to the Scherzo’s middle section, but its dancelike
character is more clearly worked out and
harks back not only to Austrian folk music, but
to Schubert as well. It also consists of three
parts – however, without the almost dialectical
contradiction formed by the frame.
The Finale is the movement in which the differences
between the original and the later
versions are most evident. The original version
has 764 measures. Later we have 638
measures, at the end, only 495! Here, however,
the number of measures clearly shows
the cuts Bruckner thought he had to make on
his work.
In this fourth movement – especially in the
first version – the model of Beethoven’s Ninth
that shines through. The short reprise of reminiscences
from previous movements (a technique
already tried in the Second Symphony)
is the clearest parallel.
Bruckner-lovers know that the composer
here – in contrast to his usual habits and preferences
– sometimes used irregular groups of
measures, a peculiarity that he later eliminated
(one is tempted to say, as a matter of course).
Notated in alla breve as in the first movement,
we no longer find here the Misterioso character.
In a clear “Allegro”, the string ostinato
does not have any slow secretiveness, but rolls
from a pianissimo into a fortissimo in only nine
measures, when the entire orchestra unites in
a furious outbreak, which seems to have an
unruly relatedness to the trumpet theme in the
first movement. This outbreak continues, in
order to return abruptly to the beginning and
then build up again to a G.P. lasting two full
measures. The secondary theme now enters
“Etwas langsamer”, a famous inspiration of
Bruckner, to which he likewise gave an explanation
later in life: when he once passed the
Vienna “Sühnhaus” with a student, where cathedral
builder Schmidt was buried, he heard
sounds of a dance coming from a neighboring
palace in the Schottenring street. Bruckner
said: “You see, here in the house is a grand
ball and next door, the master lies on his bier!
So is life, and this is what I wanted to describe
in the last movement of my Third Symphony.
The polka stands for humor and happiness in
the world; the chorale stands for the sad, the
painful in it.”
We hear the following: pizzicatos in the
cellos and contrabasses, horns and trumpets
begin a solemn chorale while the violins intone
a polka – and all of this over running pizzicatos
in the low strings. Here as well, the composer
expands the theme and then repeats it.
It is interesting too that in this second theme
complex the reminiscence of his own Second
Symphony resounds again. The third thematic
group consists of syncopated octaves performed
by the unison orchestra. It completes
the actual exposition in chorale-like form. In
the development, the close thematic relationship
between the first and last movements
becomes even clearer. The entire cosmos of
this powerful study begins to spread out and
resolve – something that is no longer clear in
later versions. The artistic connection of the
actual themes of the movements, their relationship
to the themes of earlier movements,
the hinted-at quotes are only really clear in
the original version. Before the coda, themes
from the previous movements are heard explicitly
once again. After the second theme of
the first movement, the introduction of Adagio
and Scherzo and then a short transition, we
hear trumpet fanfares and a fortissimo brass
chorale. This prepares the powerful close of
the immense symphonic construction: in a
brilliant D Major, the soft trumpet theme from
the beginning comes back as the coda – now
in triple forte.
There are simply no appropriate words to accurately
describe a musical masterpiece in
words. One can only try to make the reader
curious and indicate specific features. In the
course of my remarks, I have tried to point out
the superiority of many aspects of the original
version in contrast to later versions, at least
in regard to the understandability of the structure
and the basics of the overall architecture.
Of course, the original versions are more radical
in regard to dynamics, which are more immediate
and less prepared, in regard to tempi
and tempo relationships and the intricacy of
transitions – 21 G.P.s alone separate the periods
in the first version of the Finale; in the last
version, only 3 of these (!) remain. Then there
are the quotes and self-quotes. Above all, the
echoes of Wagner themes also have a clear
structural character, as many investigations
have clearly shown. The elimination of these
doubtless changes the transitions, and thus,
the context.
For orchestra musicians, as we said above,
the early versions are often significantly more
difficult than later versions. This is due to the
fact that at this time, the composer paid no
heed to making his music easier to play, easier
to listen to or to understand. The earlier scores
are in fact much more complex and may well
have more clearly reflected the brilliant organist
Bruckner. These breaks clearly derive from
the situation that occurs when new organ
stops during a performance require a short
rest. Bruckner integrated this feeling into the
musical fabric of his early works. Later – also
in the first version of the Fourth Symphony,
which immediately followed – the individual
orchestral groups were compositionally more
tightly woven with one another. Of course, in
the course of his revisions, Bruckner continued
to work on his motivic material, which in
some cases can certainly be considered as
condensation. Be it as it may – whatever the
advantages or disadvantages are must not be
decided: the versions exist peacefully side by
side. But without a doubt, one hears in this
first version that which was closest to Bruckner’s
heart when he composed it. Here – and
only here! – the form is completely preserved
in the overall plan of the architecture, the original
phrasing of many sections and finally, in
the unadulterated spiritual and musical construction.
This is why – especially in regard to
the Third Symphony – this version has come to
prevail with the new generation of interpreters.
One doesn’t need to be a prophet to see
that in the course of coming years, the first
versions of Bruckner’s symphonies will again
enjoy equal rights with later versions, both in
the concert hall as well as on recording media.
This live recording of a performance by the
Hamburg Philharmonic under the direction of
its GMD Simone Young, made in Hamburg’s
Musikhalle, is a further contribution to this.
Michael Lewin
Translation: E. Gahbler
The author of this essay is indebted to the following
publications for valuable notes and information:
Constantin Floros: Anton Bruckner, Hamburg 2004
Egon Voss: Bruckners Schmerzenskind. In: Die Symphonien
Bruckners, München 1998
Manfred Wagner: A number of papers, which the
author provided in manuscript copy and which
have been published in various works; especially:
Der Wandel des Konzepts; from this: Bruckners
Dritte Symphonie in d-Moll in den Fassungen
von 1873, 1878 und 1889.
Leopold Nowak: Forward to the score of the Third
Symphony in D minor, Vienna 1977
Anton Bruckner Complete Works: Third Symphony in
D minor. Report on revisions by Thomas Röder,
Vienna 1997
Dr. Wilhelm Sinkovicz for valuable corrections.
The Philharmoniker Hamburg
For over 175 years, the Hamburg Philharmonic
have played a major role in forming
the Hanseatic city’s classical sound. Founded
on November 9, 1828, the “Philharmonic Society”
rapidly came to be a meeting point for important
artists like Clara Schumann, Franz Liszt
and Johannes Brahms. Major conductors also
stood on the conductor’s podium: in 1905, Gustav
Mahler led the Hamburg premiere of his
Fifth Symphony; he was followed among others
by Sergei Prokofiev, Igor Stravinsky and
Otto Klemperer. Karl Muck, Eugen Jochum,
Joseph Keilberth, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Horst
Stein, Aldo Ceccato, Gerd Albrecht and Ingo
Metzmacher were some of the chief conductors
who shaped the ensemble’s programs
and sound; guest conductors like Karl Böhm
amazed audiences as well. Since August 2005,
Australian conductor Simone Young has been
the illustrious orchestra’s artistic director in
her position as Music Director.
Today, the Hamburg Philharmonic gives
30 highly successful orchestral and chamber
music concerts per season in the Laeiszhalle
as well as other venues such as the Church
of St. Michael. In addition to ten philharmonic
subscription concerts, four special concerts
including the extraordinarily successful New
Year’s Eve concert “Salut!” and the “Summertime”
concert – and numerous chamber
concerts are performed each season. The
Hamburg Philharmonic also performs almost
all operas and ballets at the Hamburg State
Opera.
The stylistic range of the ensemble’s 130
salaried musicians is unparalleled in Germany.
Music Director Simone Young links the works
performed in the annual concert program to
the group’s opera repertoire for that year in order
to create a common thread that promises
an exciting and highly varied concert season.
“Our program includes past and future – music
from Mozart up to contemporary works.”
Besides orchestral works by modern composers
like Peter Eötvös, Brett Dean and Friedrich
Cerha, major works of the classic and romantic
repertoire can also be heard. Top international
guest conductors are just as at home on
the podium of the Hamburger Philharmonic as
are top soloists.