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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Magnificent Bruckner as you've never heard it, 19 Jul 2001
By A Customer
There's a lot of confusion about the myriad versions of Bruckner's symphonies, and the problem is best treated by avoiding it. Suffice it to say that there are early and later versions of some symphonies, with notable differences. Everyone can decide which one suits their fancy, but no matter what, it's extremely interesting to explore all the different versions, because it casts new and new light on the same work. This is a unique Brucknerian experience, scarcely found elsewhere, and we should welcome it, instead of quibbling over which version is the "right" or "definitive" one.Inbal was the first conductor who in the 80s systematically explored all the first concept versions (3,4,8) which had been (and still are) treated as somewhat rough-hewn early drafts, more like brainstorming sessions than carefully worked-out compositions. This version of the Fourth is especially considered inferior to the later "Fassung" of 1880, but it isn't. Rough-hewn and brainstorming-like it may seem to be, but oh what a brainstorming this is. These early utterances of Bruckner (No. 1 through 4, especially 3 and 4) have a candid magnificence and youthful exuberance that is barely matched by any of the later symphonies, however mature and masterly they might be. This is a work of extreme power (you can hear Bruckner exulting in the striking new idiom he's just discovered), directness, beauty and even playfulness. At first hearing it may sound strange, even primitive, especially if you know the later version (the original Scherzo is downright exasperating at first), but it's well worth hanging on to it: as it is usual with Bruckner, once you get used to the sound of it, the quirkiness slowly dissolves, and you encounter a magical terrain that you'll never let go of as long as you live. Inbal and his players live up to the work, too: the playing is spirited, vigorous, and beautiful. This is a first-rate performance of a supreme masterpiece, as it is very rarely heard. Go for it.
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