The air shimmers and glows, and somewhere in the mists, a solitary horn gives a lonely call. The stuff of fairytales? The truth is, it’s impossible to write about Bruckner’s majestic Fourth Symphony without letting the imagination soar; he never wrote anything more colourful, or more poetic. In Germany, they call it the ‘Romantic’ symphony, and it’s easy to hear why.

Sir Simon Rattle loves Bruckner’s Fourth, and on this new recording from LSO Live, he conducts the work in all its splendour: music that never gets any less stirring, and has never sounded so fresh. He is aware, too, that Bruckner’s inspiration burned so brightly that he ended up with more ideas than he could actually use. “There is much wonderful music which remains almost entirely unplayed” he says. On this album he steps inside Bruckner’s workshop, bringing to light some of the music that didn’t make the final cut.

This edition of the symphony and its discarded Scherzo and Finale by Benjamin-Gunnar Cohrs was published in 2021. The world premiere performance with Sir Simon Rattle and the LSO is a must-listen for lovers of Bruckner’s music, and gives us a glimpse into the composer’s untold musical thoughts.

Composer Anton Bruckner
Conductor Sir Simon Rattle
Performers London Symphony Orchestra

Disc 1

Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 in E-flat Major, ‘Romantic’ (Version 1878–81; Cohrs A04B)

1. Bewegt; nicht zu schnell (1881)
2. Andante quasi Allegretto (1881)
3. Scherzo. Bewegt – Trio. Nicht zu schnell. Keinesfalls schleppend – Scherzo da capo (1881)
4. Finale. Bewegt; doch nicht zu schnell (1881; abridged)

Disc 2

Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 in E-flat Major, ‘Romantic’ (Cohrs A04B)

1. [Discarded] Scherzo. Sehr schnell – Trio. Im gleichen Tempo – Scherzo da capo (1874/rev. 1876; Cohrs A04B–1)
2. [Discarded] Finale (‘Volksfest’). Allegro moderato (1878; Cohrs A04B–2)
3. Andante quasi Allegretto (1878; extended initial version)
4. Finale. Bewegt; doch nicht zu schnell (1881; unabridged)

Release Date 16 September 2022
LSO0875 | 0822231187523
LSO0875-D | 0822231187561

Producer Andrew Cornall
Engineers Jonathan Stokes and Neil Hutchinson for Classic Sound Ltd
Recorded 5 October 2021, in the Jerwood Hall at LSO St Luke's, London

Booklet in English, French & German

Bruckner's Symphony No 4 in E-flat Major (Cohrs A04B), and its discarded Scherzo and Finale (Cohrs A04B–1 & 2), is performed in the Urtext Edition by Benjamin-Gunnar Cohrs, published by Alexander Hermann Publishing Group, Vienna 2021. This is the world premiere recording.

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