BRUCKNER

 

Symphony No. 4 in E flat 'Romantic'

1 i. Bewegt, nicht zu schnell  19:36

2 ii.Andante quasi allegretto  16:38

3 iii. Scherzo (Bewegt) & Trio (Nicht zu schnell)  11:17

4 iv. Finale (Bewegt, doch nicht zu schnell)  23:48

 

Berliner Philharmoniker / Simon Rattle

 

Recorded live in concert at the Philharmonie, Berlin, October 10-21 2006

Producer: Stephen Johns

 

“When I went to Africa for the first time and was on safari, flying in little planes over enormous valleys full of zebra and wildebeest, the only music that ever came to mind was Bruckner. The only music that expresses the grandeur that expresses that type of nature. Also the only kind of music that expresses that type of moving rather slowly over an enormous space. It’s as though one’s caught up in a gigantic wave… which simply will not stop until the last note and in fact when the last note is sounded, very often the audience simply doesn’t applaud because there’s a feeling of it still going out into space…” – Simon Rattle

 

Following on from the recent release of Brahms’s Ein deutsches Requiem, Simon Rattle and the Berliner Philharmoniker continue their exploration of 19th-century Germanic greats in the orchestra’s 125th year.

 

This recording is released in the Berliner Philharmoniker’s birthday month; the orchestra was founded in May 1882.

 

Anton Bruckner’s fourth symphony - the “Romantic” - is considered one of his greatest achievements. It offers an uplifting spiritual journey across a huge musical landscape which demands to be experienced and will stay with the listener long after the final chords have died away.

 

Concert reviews

“Bruckner’s fourth was beautifully crafted … an ambitious interpretation, well-structured as usual, but Rattle wanted more this time: he emotionalised the work in a breathtaking manner. There were wonderful moments of quietness and exciting, joltingly moving climaxes full of life and not, as can be heard so often, just exalted, statical noise. Especially impressive was the fact that Rattle proved himself to be the master of permanent transition. He dissolves the disruptions typical for Bruckner’s music, develops one thought from the previous and combines everything logically. The stumbling blocks and rough edges were removed. Particularly the string section presented itself in great form, not just with lush sound, but … with fascinating work on detail and a compendium of gentle shades.”

rbb Kulturradio, October 2006

 

“[Rattle’s] interpretation possesses power and mildness, verve and tenderness, thunder and lightning.”

Berliner Morgenpost, October 2006

 

“It was a performance full of interesting moments which captured the sound beautifully. The individualisation in the andante by wind soloists Emmanuel Pahud (flute), Albrecht Mayer (oboe), Karl-Hein Steffens (clarinet) and Stefan Dohr (horn) was pure genius.”

Berliner Zeitung, October 2006

 

EMI 3847232