Symphony n° 5 of Anton Bruckner

The symphony n° 5 in major B flat is written during one time of darkest of the existence of Anton Bruckner. It begins the Adagio on February 14th 1875. The first drafting of the whole of the symphony is completed on May 16th 1876. But in 1877, it reads again three times of continuation the Finale, takes again the first movement and revises the Adagio. It is only on January 4th 1878 which the fifth symphony is finished and dedicated to the one of its guards: the Minister for education, Karl Ritter von Stremayr, with which it owes its nomination at the university. This composition culminates of combinative audacity and it is undoubtedly most traditional of the symphonies of the type-setter whom he appointed itself like sound: “ masterpiece of counterpoint ” because of the performance of the Finale. The comprehension of this symphony requires, a priori, no analysis. Indeed, it is enough to be let transport by the faith inébranlable which seems to emerge from such a music. Bruckner called this work " besides; Fantastique". This nickname was not retained with the posterity. The symphony is in four movements:

1. Adagio, Allegro moderato

2. Adagio: sehr langsam

3. Scherzo: molto long-lived

4. Final: adagio, allegro moderato

Data sheet

Composition: February 1875 - May 1877 with Vienna (Austria)

Edition; 1896 with Vienna - Doblinger (with the cuts of Schalk) and 1937 with Vienna and Leipzig

Dedication: With Karl Ritter von Stremayr, Minister for education

The first hearing: April 8th 1894 with Graz under the direction of Franz Schalk.

Execution time: 75-80 minutes

Orchestral manpower: 3 Flute S, 2 Oboe, 2 Clarinet S, 2 Bassoon S; 4 horns, 3 Trumpet S, 3 Trombone S, 1 tuba; drinking cups; cords

Movements

The movement of head is only symphonic work of Bruckner to comprise a slow introduction. The principal part is a movement of Sonate structured well with an exposure, a development and a réexposition. The tonality of the unit is symmetrical; the extreme movements are in major B flat and the two movements of the medium in minor D. The rate/rhythm of the second movement in triplets contrasts with the duolets of the topic emitted by the oboe. Lastly, the last movement is an imposing combination of a sonata fuguée with the resumption of topics mixed with reasons isolated from all the movements.

I. Adagio, allegro moderato

After a slow introduction; the solemn pizzicati of low support a furtive gun. Suddenly, one quivers with the fortissimo unisono of the brass bands of the orchestra about as a whole. When the choral deploys all its forces begins the Allegro introduced by the tremor of the cords: the violins bourdonnent; clarinets, violas and violoncellos hesitate then launch in unison their cry which evolves to a tutti : it is the first topic. But this force moves back in front of the choral of the cords to the modulations suaves: it is the second topic. A third topic is given to the flute, the clarinet and the oboe expressivo . An interior fight is established and the choral of the wind instruments (already heard in the introduction) decides exit of the combat. With the recovery, the various topics represented ravel intact. The solemn pizzicati with low heard with the introduction mark the beginning of the final part of this movement where the brass bands of the introduction and the first topic are given some to heart joy.

II. Adagio: sehr langsam (minor D)

It offers to wood with wind a simple, religious and sorry song; with the cords: an accompaniment bercor and gripped. This topic on several occasions alternates with a kind of religious walk that the violins play largo assai on the cord of ground. The development is tearing.

III. Scherzo: molto long-lived (minor D)

One can call quite simply it pastoral ball ; the minor tone invites to the meditation. The cords quickly transform the rate/rhythm of the adagio into a rate/rhythm of dance. What wood give to unison and in antithesis presents an engaging consonance little, in spite of crescendo which tries to force the atmosphere. A waltz slow (clean in Austria), entrusted to the first and second violins molto piu slow succeeds in creating a better climate. Then, one listens to alternatively the fast dance and this waltz; the dance loses more and more its melancholy to become merry and the slow waltz disappears. The trio (allegretto) is presented in the form of a pleasant dance to roulades in spite of the dissonances of the horn.

IV. Finale. adagio, allegro moderato

He repeats the introduction but calls of clarinets, briefs and worrying get along with the law. The wind instruments engage the first contacts, a short quotation of the beginning of the adagio made there continuation (second movement); in the low ones of the cords a topic of attack built like a Fugue thunders. The violins oppose a topic to it from which is born an episode similar to the Siegfried-Idyll from Richard Wagner. Abruptly, the topic of the attack springs in a powerful unison constant by the cords then it is pushed back. A choral allegro assai misterioso opens the sumptuous final which is an imagination fuguée choral society. The imposing final one gives the choral and in counterpoint the first topic of the final one.

Version

Contrary to other symphonies of Bruckner, the Fifth did not know that only one version interpreted by its pupil, the leader Franz Schalk which altered work (1892-1894) as a practitioner of enormous cuts and who presents it for the first time to Graz. and which is used as a basis for the Doblinger edition. In December 1895, another edition of the Schalk version is made under the direction of the Austrian leader, Ferdinand Löwe with Budapest. It is necessary to await 1935 to obtain the primitive version of this symphony.

Discography

Among the very many recordings of this symphony, here probably richest, major and succeeded:

Carl Schuricht with the Philharmonic orchestra of Vienna
Sergiu Celibidache with the Philharmonic orchestra of Munich
Eugen Jochum with the royal Orchestra of Concertgebouw (recording of 1986)
Otto Klemperer with the Orchestra Philharmonia
Claudio Abbado with the Philharmonic orchestra of Vienna

These same chiefs left other recordings of the symphony, several in the case of Jochum, but all lower than those.

Günter Wand, Herbert von Karajan, Wilhelm Furtwängler and Lovro von Matačić left them-also interesting recordings of this work, just like, more recently, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Riccardo Chailly, Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Christian Thielemann.

Source

Summits of the Music by C. Howeler, French version (Flammarion Edition in France).

Bonds

Discographie supplements
Synopsis of the symphonies of Bruckner

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