Bruckner: Symphony No. 0 in D minor 'Nullte' - CD

Simone Young has had a huge impact on the Hamburg Philharmonic and the Hamburg State Opera, since starting as their Chief Conductor in 2005.

This is the sixth release in her survey of Bruckner’s Symphonic works, a series which has been met with great critical acclaim.

The second volume of cpo’s Bruckner cycle with Mario Venzago features the so-called ‘Symphony No. 0’ and Symphony No. 1. Venzago has assigned each pair of symphonies a specific orchestra of very different size, culture, and tradition. In Finland’s Tapiola Sinfonietta Venzago has found a relatively small but first-class orchestra that is especially receptive to his efforts towards refinement and classical limpidity.

This Bruckner Symphony (his second) is very rarely heard and was "annulled" rather than destroyed by the composer. He bequeathed it to the Linz Regional Museum and it was first performed posthumously in 1924 on the 100th annniversary of Bruckner's birth.

The other four orchestral movements on this SACD are world premiere recordings.

Daniel Barenboim’s Bruckner odyssey, recorded with the Chicago Symphony between 1973 to 1981, proved his credentials as a true Brucknerian. ”Barenboim’s Brucknerian instincts, and his orchestra’s, are formidable“ – Gramophone. The set also includes the Te Deum, with powerful soloists, the rarely-heard Helgoland for men’s chorus and orchestra, and Psalm 150 for soprano chorus and orchestra.

Soloists include Yvonne Minton, Jessye Norman, Samuel Ramey, David Rendall, and Ruth Welting.

“…The set is a document of considerable worth. Jochum’s dedication to Bruckner’s music throughout a long and distinguished career has been exemplary; he loves the music deeply and communicates that love with fervour.” (Gramophone).

The complete Bruckner symphonies (including “Die Nullte”) , the classic and authorative recording of the glorious Staatskapelle Dresden conducted by Bruckner veteran Eugen Jochum, a gem from the EMI catalogue, never having lost any of its grandeur, lucidity and spirituality.

Extensive liner notes on each symphony in the booklet.

The collection also includes Bruckner’s Symphony No. 0 – a work that is something of a phenomenon in music history, given that it was never assigned a number by its composer. Due to Bruckner’s evident unhappiness with the piece and its subsequent exclusion from the cycle, the work is rarely performed, but nevertheless its rich harmonic language and polyphonic character are wholly characteristic of the composer’s symphonic style – one which increases in length as the cycle progresses.

The influence of Wagner, Bruckner’s idol who he worshipped with an almost neurotic obsession, permeates throughout – there are echoes of Siegfried and Parsifal among other operas – and then of course there are the Adagios: sublime, timeless works of art in their own right. Joining the Saarbrücken Radio Symphony Orchestra and Stanislaw Skrowaczewski (Symphony No. 0) is the acclaimed Staatskapelle Dresden, directed by eminent German conductor.

The now completed and much acclaimed Bruckner-Cycle has spanned a period of 9 years. This set is the highlight of Marcus Bosch’s stewardship of this marvelous orchestra and will no doubt receive high praise from the music world. Including in this mid price set is the ‘study’ symphony in f minor (00) along with the Symphony in D minor (00).