Review of Christian Thielemann – Bruckner: Complete Symphonies

Anton Bruckner’s 200th birthday next September has cast a long shadow over his demographic a year ago. The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, already closely associated with the music of Linz due to its history, recorded all eleven symphonies for the first time between 2019 and 2022 under the baton of Christian Telemann, including “Annullierte” and the Study for the Symphony in F minor as a première for repertoire. While the latter still sounds like Mendelssohn and Schumann, the one the composer pulled out, which can be classified between the former and the latter, is full of motive and harmonic experiments and boasts unexpected virtuosity – a welcome expansion of the traditional law of nine.

Thielemann created this through his love of the overall architecture of the symphony in question and the large lines within the movement. He explores with surgical precision the sound of an orchestra, whose strings often shimmer silver and whose rich, warm brass creates dark contrasts. The inherent musical drama is exploited extensively in many places. In the slow passages in particular, Thielemann does not shy away from pathos, which sometimes becomes a touch too sublime. Despite the often supported approach, the cycle as a whole does not remain static. Bruckner’s dense counterpoint remains transparent, and the finely differentiated dynamics down to the final bars are convincing. Containing eleven comprehensive essays, the CD box booklet provides additional reading for the historically interested Bruckner listener.

Bruckner: All symphonies

Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Christian Telemann (conductor)
Sony classic

Christian Thielemann

Full of passion and always searching for perfection – Christian Thielemann is a conductor who likes to wave the baton provocatively, but always cares about quality. When it comes to the music, it keeps it coming

Wiener Philharmoniker

The concert on 28 March 1842 with members of the Vienna Court Opera Orchestra under the direction of Otto Nicolai is considered the birth of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Since then, the principles have remained in force until today: only in the court opera orchestra… they persist