Certainly, many find his Fourth Symphony the beginning of Bruckner's mature symphonic works. And yet, with the 'Romantic' subtitle, I also sense a wont to acknowledge those the composer hailed as 'Romantic' into this work as well.
It should be important to note, this symphony is the first with a major-key title, and despite that, Bruckner is very willing to dwell in minor just as often as the home key in this music.
I won't even fathom to mete out all of the various editions of Symphony no. 4. Suffice to say, there are three versions, the earliest being the most different. Versions 2 and 3 are more similar to each other and have been the most recorded, with the Haas and Nowak editions of the second version being the most popular. I like the third version, if not for a little extra timpani. Many historical recordings use the Gutmann edition of the third version, whereas more recent recordings make use of the Korstvedt edition. As I have said before, I am not a gatekeeper of the many differences and similarities between editions, nor have I met the keymaster, so as long as a conductor and orchestra make the best of whichever edition they choose, I am usually on board.
Some consider the following duple/triple rhythm as a separate motive, one which is a rhythmically common appearance in Bruckner symphonies, but I hear its use more as transitional and textural rather than motivic. Then again, music theorist, I am not.
More contrasting is the jumping dance sequence as a second motive, which is first given to the strings. This is followed by another area which takes its cue from the opening horn idea, already mentioned as a microcosm of this entire work.
Of course, Bruckner takes all of these musical ideas and mixes them up to create a satisfying musical argument. To me, there is a recurring brass ensemble moment which pops in every now and then, one made up of harmonic surprises, which always gains interest to my ears.
The second movement gets right down to business with a beautifully melancholy song, first taken up by the cello in C minor, and is a most effective element in this portion. It takes no time at all for Bruckner to set the song against pizzicato strings in a light Allegretto march. Some may use the term funeral march, but I don't sense dread nor a want of solace here, so I am fine with leaving it as a light march without an emotional adjective as of yet.
What is more interesting, is the militaristic attitude of this slow movement. The dotted rhythm of the opening movement is apparent, and Bruckner creates a slow build up towards a menacing quality across this movement's runtime. One expecting a beautifully lapping, pastoral Adagio will be in for a real surprise.
The Trio on the other hand is lovely, with Bruckner pulling back the tempo for a rustic reverie, although it is rather short lived before it returns to the main Scherzo again.
The final movement bears the weight of the symphony. Following the B-flat from the third-movement Scherzo, the last movement begins in B-flat minor. It features a similarly descending motive on horn from the opening, although the dotted rhythmic idea won't return until the final pages of the movement.
This is an aggressive brassy turn from Bruckner, often crying out in harsh unison tones, a musical sound I am never in love with, and so it is here. The second movement pizzicato march gets a reprise of sorts here, as well as the previously mentioned dotted motive from the opening. More apparent throughout, however, is the Bruckner duple/triple from the first movement, used more liberally in this last movement. Depending on which version you hear, the timpani gets a fair bit more to do, ramping up the snarling quality. So too, Bruckner takes time to remind us of brass chorales and slower moments, although in different forms here.
I have never been in love with Bruckner's Fourth Symphony, but sometimes it depends on the performance. Since there are a lot of versions to choose from, there are endless variations to enjoy, whether one prefers the majestic or aggressive stances. Even the early first version has its fair share of champions, although it is one I don't give much thought to.
1954: Knappertsbusch
1973: Böhm (Vienna)
1976: Karajan
1981: Solti
2018: Nelsons
2022: Schaller
For now, we will have a very basic list of Bruckner reviews above. Those recordings I mentioned as an example in the text above, or performances I have come to respect which await future reviews, are listed above in greened bold. My actual reviews can be found in the typical Oozy Keep orange. Until we at The Oozy Channel Keep have gotten ourselves up and running, this should suffice and we can reorganize the page a little more coherently in the future.