Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Thomas Dausgaard – Bruckner: Symphony No. 6 in A Major, WAB 106 (1881 Version) (2020) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Thomas Dausgaard – Bruckner: Symphony No. 6 in A Major, WAB 106 (1881 Version) (2020)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 53:21 minutes | 843 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Digital Booklet, Front Cover | © BIS

Anton Bruckner wrote his Symphony No. 6 over a period of two years, completing it in September 1881. And for once with this composer, the word ‘completing’ can be used without qualification: known for his habit of reworking and revising his works, Bruckner for once seems to have been satisfied with the result of his efforts. That doesn’t mean that the Sixth has enjoyed a smoother passage to the concert stage than other Bruckner symphonies, however. The only performance in Bruckner’s lifetime was a partial one, of the two middle movements, and when Gustav Mahler conducted the first ‘full’ performance in 1899, he made a number of substantial cuts and other amendments. In fact, the true premiere of the Sixth as Bruckner wrote it had to wait until 1935, almost 40 years after the composer’s death. And the work is still something of a Cinderella in the Bruckner catalogue, with far fewer outings in concert halls or on disc than for instance the Fourth or the Seventh. Bruckner called the Sixth his ‘boldest’ symphony – with a duration of ‘only’ some 55 minutes it is at any rate one of the shorter, but possibly the composer was thinking of the remarkably expansive Adagio or the ambiguous Scherzo, or of the way the so-called ‘Bruckner rhythm’ (different combinations of a duplet and a triplet) pervades the work. The present release is the first in a Bruckner ‘mini-series’ from Thomas Dausgaard and the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, appearing together on disc for the first time.

After an extraordinary Kullervo by Sibelius (Hyperion Records) and a no less remarkable Bartók album for Onyx Classics, it goes without saying that the levels of interest for the release of Anton Bruckner’s Symphony N°6 by Thomas Dausgaard with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra on BIS are high. His interpretation of Bruckner is full of life but not over-excessive, emphasising the different smooth voices of the polyphony, especially highlighting the woodwind section, thus establishing a new balance notably in the marvellously airy Finale (Bewegt, doch nicht zu schnell) reminiscent of a village a fête. A perfect vision, which all the same would have benefited from a clearer sound recording. – Pierre-Yves Lascar

Tracklist:

01. Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra & Thomas Dausgaard – Symphony No. 6 in A Major, WAB 106 (1881 Version): I. Majestoso (15:08)
02. Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra & Thomas Dausgaard – Symphony No. 6 in A Major, WAB 106 (1881 Version): II. Adagio. Sehr feierlich (16:51)
03. Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra & Thomas Dausgaard – Symphony No. 6 in A Major, WAB 106 (1881 Version): III. Scherzo. Nicht schnell – Trio. Langsam (08:10)
04. Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra & Thomas Dausgaard – Symphony No. 6 in A Major, WAB 106 (1881 Version): IV. Finale. Bewegt, doch nicht zu schnell (13:11)

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