Bruckner - Symphony No. 00 'Studiensinfonie' - Young, Philharmoniker Hamburg [Oehms]

Bruckner: Symphony No. 00 in F minor 'Study Symphony'
Hamburg State Philharmonic Orchestra, Simone Young
Oehms - OC686

The Study Symphony is a summing-up of the craftsmanship acquired by Anton Bruckner – it did not particularly serve the development of his own artistic profile.

“It is”, evaluates his biographer Matthias Hansen, “as if Bruckner – one last time – wanted to play through what he had learned, taking great trouble and care not to forget the slightest detail”. Here, Bruckner tested the limits of the classical-romantic models, according to Hansen, “with a ‘borrowed’ looseness and flexibility, even with elegance” that he then dropped with the Symphony No.0.

“this latest instalment of Simone Young's Bruckner cycle has the sturdiness of an old oak: roots deep in the earth, branches of wisdom...The Philharmoniker Hamburg roared in Young's Bruckner Eighth but here they approach the material with poker-faced restraint and delicacy. This is a disc that makes you listen with fresh ears to this slice Brucknerian juvenilia.” Gramophone Magazine, Awards Issue 2014

“This minor piece has had a surprising number of recordings - more than his masterpieces had 50 years ago. Simone Young's live performance in her ongoing series is as good as any, and well recorded.” BBC Music Magazine, November 2014 ****