Overview
Introduction
Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 2 in C minor was completed in 1872, and revised, like most of Bruckner's other symphonies, at various points thereafter. This work is sometimes known as the "Symphony of Pauses".
It was composed after the Symphony "No. 0" in D minor (which was itself composed after the Symphony No. 1 in C minor). It is the only "official" Bruckner symphony (that is to say, excluding "No. 0") without a dedication: Franz Liszt tacitly rejected the dedication, and Richard Wagner chose the Symphony No. 3 in D minor instead. The premiere was given with Bruckner himself conducting in 1873.
Description
The score calls for a pair each of flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, timpani, and strings.
The symphony has four movements:
- Moderato, C minor
- Scherzo: Mäßig schnell (Moderately fast), C minor — Trio: Gleiches Tempo (Same tempo), C major (Put in 3rd position in the later versions).
- Feierlich, etwas bewegt (Solemnly, somewhat animated), A-flat major
- Finale: Ziemlich schnell (Fairly fast), C minor
Versions
1872 version
This version has been published in an edition by William Carragan (published 2005).
- 1873 adjustment
This version, which was used at the premiere, replaces the horn in a solo at the end of the Adagio, considered unplayable by the hornplayer, by a clarinet and the viola section, deletes repeats in the scherzo and replaces a "very dissonant section of the development" in the Finale. This version has been recorded by Kurt Eichhorn.
- 1876 adjustment
Certain details of this version, together with details of the 1873 version, appear in the Carragan edition of the symphony. It has also been recorded by Kurt Eichhorn.
1877 version
The editions by Robert Haas (published 1938) and Leopold Nowak (published 1965) are both based on this version. Haas' edition contains some features of the previous version, which, as in the 1890 version of the 8th symphony, were crossed out by Bruckner in the 1877 manuscript. The edition by William Carragan (published 2007) is a corrected Nowak edition. Most recordings of the symphony are made of the Haas and Nowak versions. The Carragan edition has been recorded by Daniel Barenboim.
- 1892 adjustment
This version was edited by Cyrill Hynais. Until recently it was thought to be inauthentic, but Carragan has shown that it corresponds closely to the 1877 version. A cut version of the scherzo of this version was used in the first recording of this symphony, by Fritz Zaun in 1934. There are two full recordings of this version: one by Hermann Scherchen with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in 1965, and one by Hun-Joung Lim and the Korean Symphony Orchestra from 2016.
Selected discography
The first commercial recording of part of the symphony was made by Fritz Zaun with the Berlin State Opera Orchestra in 1934. It contained only a cut version of the scherzo, in the 1892 first published edition.
The oldest surviving complete performance is by Georg-Ludwig Jochum with the Bruckner Orchestra of Linz. It dates from 1944 and uses the Haas edition.
The first commercial recording was by Volkmar Andreae with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra in 1953, also using the Haas edition. The first recording on Hybrid SACD was by Simone Young conducting the Hamburg Philharmonic.
1872 version
- Georg Tintner conducting the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, studio recording, 1996, Naxos
- Simone Young conducting the Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra, 2006, BMG SACD
- Gerd Schaller conducting the Philharmonie Festiva, live recording, Profil PH 12022, 2011
- Herbert Blomstedt conducting the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, 2012, Querstand SACD
1873 version
- Kurt Eichhorn conducting the Bruckner Orchestra Linz, 1991, Camerata
1876 version
- Kurt Eichhorn conducting the Bruckner Orchestra Linz, 1991, Abruckner.com BSVD-0103
1877 version
Haas edition
- Franz Konwitschny conducting the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, live recording, 1951, Berlin Classics
- Erich Schmid conducting the Southwest German Radio Symphony Orchestra, studio recording, 1965, Ampex
- Horst Stein conducting the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, studio recording, 1973, Decca/London
- Christoph Eschenbach conducting the Houston Symphony Orchestra, live recording, 1996, Koch
Hybrid of Haas and Nowak editions
- Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berliner Philharmoniker, studio recording, 1981, Deutsche Grammophon
Nowak edition
- Carlo Maria Giulini conducting the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, studio recording, 1974, Testament
- Eugen Jochum conducting the Staatskapelle Dresden, studio recording, 1980, EMI
- Stanisław Skrowaczewski conducting the Saarbrücken Radio Symphony Orchestra, studio recording, 1999, Arte Nova/Oehms Classics
- Hiroshi Wakasugi conducting the Saarbrücken Radio Symphony Orchestra, studio recording, 2004, Arte Nova
- Thomas Dausgaard conducting the Swedish Chamber Orchestra, studio recording, 2010, BIS
Carragan edition
- Daniel Barenboim conducting the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, 1997, Teldec
1892 version
- Hermann Scherchen conducting the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, 1965, Disco Archivia CD
- Hun-Joung Lim conducting the Korean Symphony Orchestra, 2016, Decca
