Period-instrument ensemble brings new drama to Bruckner's Third
Belgian orchestra Anima Eterna, led by Pablo Heras-Casado, has recorded the original version of Bruckner's Symphony No 3 on period instruments. The release stands out for its dramatic intensity and clear, immediate sound.
A new recording offers a fresh take on Anton Bruckner's Symphony No 3 in D minor, a work whose origins are tied to a story about the composer's 1873 summer visit to Wagner in Bayreuth. According to the account, after the two composers had been drinking heavily, Bruckner forgot which of two scores he had promised to dedicate to Wagner. He reportedly wrote asking whether it was the symphony in which the trumpet opens the main theme, and received a confirming reply.
The symphony carries a strong Wagnerian imprint, audible both in its grand climaxes and in faint echoes of operatic writing. That influence is especially pronounced in the work's original, more radical version, which is the one chosen here by period-instrument specialists Anima Eterna.
The strength of period instruments
Gut strings and original woodwind and brass typically produce a sharper but lighter sound than modern instruments, meaning period ensembles can struggle to match the weight Bruckner's music demands. That is not the case on this recording: conductor Pablo Heras-Casado and his Belgian orchestra deliver one of the most explosive and visceral readings on record, playing with striking intensity.
Compared with Roger Norrington's lighter period-instrument approach and François-Xavier Roth's more aggressive pacing, Heras-Casado takes a more measured but equally vital path. The result is almost operatic, with the slow movement unfolding as an achingly lyrical aria, the frenetic scherzo playing out like a tense micro-drama, and the finale shifting abruptly between rugged turbulence and broad good humour.
Released by Harmonia Mundi, the recording is notable for its immediacy and instrumental detail, without sacrificing the music's sonic scale.
