Indeed, I personally have trouble putting my finger upon a favorite Symphony no. 6 on record. The promise of the first movement is rarely carried through to the end, at least for this listener. The connection with the work on the whole hasn't quite happened for me yet either.
I do love the opening thematic material, perhaps due to its cinematic qualities. I almost detect an exotic quality to the first movement's harmonies, reminding me of Lawrence of Arabia, or some such filmic epic set abroad. I daresay, there is an edgy quality here as well, one offset by the rest of the opening movement's motives which follow. It is both heroic whether the theme is stated rising or falling, for the leaping intervals are dramatic in themselves, as are the incessant galloping rhythms.
Of course, the second motive which follows is more lyrical than the opening. The third is brassily virile, but not as satisfying as the opening. The musical idea moves in unexpected directions and I suppose directs the music through some turmoil. Plus, for a symphony set in the bright key of A Major, a sharp key noticeably moving Bruckner away from his beloved flats, it sure takes the composer a long time to settle into the title key. While it starts off with uncertainty, Bruckner finishes off securely in A Major, although the previously mentioned harmonic exoticisms and progressions bolster the heroic mood than the landing in the title key.
Can I tell you one thing which drives me nuts in Bruckner's symphonies, which also rears its head in these second and third themes? The triplet crotchet vs duple crotchet rhythms. This sort of polyrhythm is so confusing to my mind, I lose my listening direction in the music. I don't mind the subdivided triplets, as they are subdivisions of the basic pulse driving the music forward, but the long swathes of same-note cross rhythms just do not jive with my brain in Bruckner's music.
In many interpretations, the second movement often times longer than the first, or are at least of similar length. I love the opening descending bass line against the rising motives o'er top, and again, Bruckner offers harmonic ambiguousness regarding whether we are landing in major or minor keyed landscapes. If nothing else, there is a solemnity which the composer holds onto in the opening portions.
A second theme is taken over by a middle instrument, immediately overlapped by an upper instrument, an interesting texture for a thematic device. This one soars a fair bit more than the beginning suggests, where I do like the delicate nature of its melody making. And yes, a third theme makes itself known, one which also bandies between major and minor. Of course, having three themes indicates a Sonata form on the part of Bruckner, an usual choice from the composer in a second movement. I do like how dramatic tension is built across the middle third of the movement development, although the ad nauseam repeated musical material across four-eight measures towards the end is another feature from Bruckner I do not enjoy and is amply found in the other symphonies.
The third-movement Scherzo is one of my least favorites across his symphonies, maybe because I find it the least Scherzo-ish. I find no humor here, as such a title might indicate, nor do I receive a satisfying contrast to the music around it. Add to that a bucolic Trio section, and it all becomes too much for this listener.
There is a different character in the third movement, however, and I appreciate its subtle contrast. A light, skitterish Mendelssohn-ian flavor and texture pervades, one which is driving and filled with light tension, but generally amiably so. The Trio's horn-ensemble features are another Teutonic pleasure from Bruckner.
The last movement is shorn of any marked key signature, again placing an ambiguous feeling over the finale's opening. This could indicate a parallel minor situation, but Bruckner starts on a d-minor avenue. There is a threat of sturdy nobility here, ably supported by brass exhortations and a commencement-march bass line. Long bass pedals build dramatic tension, while some brass swaggering almost recalls the exoticisms from the first movement, perhaps not as strongly foreign as the earlier musical ideas.
While I won't in depth as before, there are again three motives presented in a contrasting manner, followed by a development of Bruckner's themes. This is the third movement to proceed in this way, maybe leading to some of my feelings from earlier, and yet, the composer ably juxtaposes his musical ideas effectively each Sonata form he creates, with perhaps too much endless sequencing on the composer's part. More effectively, there is a drawn-out mysterious quality before he arrives at his musical destination.
Symphony no. 6 tends to range from 50 to 60 minutes in length, although 50 seems too far on the speedy side for a serious look at this music, yet those over 60 minutes sound too meandering to my ears. As I said before, I am not sure if there is a perfect Sixth Symphony recording, whether such a phrase is to be laid on me as listener, Bruckner as composer, or his interpreters as performers. Perhaps the unusually speedy Venzago on CPO needs to be explored...
Luckily, whether exploring the Haas or Nowak editions, there is little difference between them to prefer. Hopefully your experience with this symphony is less fraught than mine.
1979: Karajan
1980: Solti
2005: Nagano
2014: Jansons
2021: Mena
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.