Is Anton Bruckner's Symphony No 4 from 1888 a genuine or corrupt version?

Posted October 18th, 2024 | Updated November 3rd, 2024

The calendar covers for the 2024-2025 season will feature musical works known as symphonies. This theme was chosen based on a survey I did on the Talk Classical website from September 8th to 12th; with a total of 16 votes and a 43.8% preference for the Symphonies category. Thus, I'll start with Bruckner's Symphony No. 4, version 1888 edited by Benjamin M Korstvedt and published in 2004. I chose this symphony to commemorate Anton Bruckner's 200th birthday and because it is one of the most beautiful pieces we know.

October 2024 

Image: Benjamin Korstvedt's book cover from the website Your Classical and Jazz. Source Animation: PhotoFunia.

Romantic is the only symphony with a name in the form of a postscript, and its connotation is very different from the romanticism that evolved in the 19th century. Let us remember that Bruckner was a firm believer in God, Our Lord. However, there may be inconsistencies between various authors regarding the true meaning of Romantic and the words used by Bruckner to characterise it (nature, one-sided love, knights and castles); some have even referred to the use of a name as a way of making it appealing to the audience, a type of marketing as we know it today.

The stately Fourth Symphony was reworked over a 15-year period, which may imply that Bruckner was a conscientious composer who was open to criticism and appreciation, as well as a constant search for ways to improve his work. Although his legacy includes other types of works, it is possible that he had in mind a musical symphonic project that resonated with him and was looking for one and n ways to convey it adequately, and that in order to do so, he needed to listen to different perspectives and seek assistance from other composers, conductors, or students.

The first version was written from January to November 1874. From January to September 1878 a new score was written and in December he finally wrote the scherzo we know today; later, between November 1879 and June 1880, the Finale movement was completely reformulated, and «this is the version (1878-80) published in 1936 by the International Bruckner Society under the editorship of Robert Haas, and later reprinted with small amendments and corrections by Leopold Nowak» (Simpson, 1967). The 1888 version «published in 1889 by Albert J. Gutmann (Vienna) -with a dedication to Prince Constantin Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst, who had presented the Knight's Cross of the Order of Franz Joseph to Bruckner on 9 July 1886»- was performed for nearly half a century (Korstvedt, 2006).

We have only ourselves to blame for the consequences of using our eyes rather than our ears (Simpson, R. 1967) 

Benjamin M. Korstvedt has conducted extensive research on the genealogy of the 1888 version, and his findings provide evidence to refute Robert Haas' accusation that it was corrupt. Haas utilised a variety of strategies to undercut the 1888 version, including a false photograph and portraying Bruckner as timid and insecure. Unfortunately, Leopold Nowak accepted Haas' arguments. As a result, orchestras ignored the 1888 version for the most of the twentieth century, sustaining an inaccurate and misleading portrayal of Bruckner's personality. Korstvedt's study also serves as a warning that publishers must be ethically accountable because errors spread to the public, resulting in a difficult-to-stop snowball effect.

Korstvedt published a new edition of the 1888 version in 2004; the Tokyo New City Orchestra under conductor Akira Naito premiered it in July 2005.Right now, a simple search on websites like YouTube and Spotify yields recordings of this edition. I'll give some links at the end for those who want toenjoy it.

In 2010, David Hurwitz of Classics Today wrote, «for the five people in the universe who confuse Bruckner with the God he worshipped so fervently, no amount of this nonsense is enough». This is a disparaging criticism directed at both Korstvedt's research and Bruckner music lovers. Hurwitz refers to it as a «historical» exercise -as if it were a leisure activity- and claims that purchasing this «bastard» edition, which is essentially a «parody» of Gutmann's edition, is too expensive.

Reflexion

There are numerous types of authors and readers. However, scientific study is occasionally misconstrued, especially by those who don't grasp what knowledge is or how to gain it. When some people feel powerless in this scenario, they utilise gang lingo to convey their dissatisfaction.  Hurwitz concludes that Korstvedt's research is «a fraud, It is sickening, It is a disgrace» mentioning four times that it is a form of dubious «scholarship» camouflaged as a «joke». Hurwitz's counter-criticism appears to be a tantrum, an exercise in fury with no additional value directed at something he enjoys mocking, the so-called musical scholarship that he has read without  comprehending. 

Feedback (Updated November 3rd, 2024)

During this season, I planned to dedicate a section of the monthly post to Feedback. On this occasion, I'll include a screenshot of an extremely fascinating and insightful remark on the broad subject of Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 4. I am very grateful to Sébastien LETOCART for his comments in the Talk Classical Forum. I'll provide a link at the end of the image. Enjoy! 

From Talk Classical Forum

Bruckner, A -Symphony No.4 Romantic (1888 Version, Korstvedt Edition), links:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXGm5ynAnpU&list=OLAK5uy_n5U_Q7VabcKS9hYsuJ7kjAdPR4yQk6hPs

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/3TvUkuLcmDplNvmNOLclS6

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/pl/album/bruckner-symphony-no-4-in-e-flat-major-wab-104-romantic/1622214287

Survey 2024

Image: Survey results from Talk Classical website. Animation: PhotoFunia.

References

Bruckner, A. (2005). Symphony No.4 "ROMANTIC". [Album recorded by The Tokyo New City Orchestra]. Delta Entertainment (1888 Version, Korstvedt Edition).

Chinen, N. (August 28, 2024). Anton Bruckner's bicentennial invites a deeper dive, and scholar Benjamin Korstvedt is here to help. WRTI Your Classical and Jazz Source. https://www.wrti.org/wrti-spotlight/2024-08-28/anton-bruckners-bicentennial-invites-a-deeper-dive-and-scholar-benjamin-korstvedt-is-here-to-help

Hurwitz, D (July, 2010) Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 “Romantic” (1888 Version). Benjamin M. Korstvedt (ed.) Musikwissenschaftlicher Verlag Der Internationalen BrucknerGesellschaft Wien (2004/6). Study Score. Classics Today.  http://www.classicstoday.com/features/Bruckner-4th.pdf

Korstvedt, B. M. (2006).  The 1888 Version of Bruckner's Fourth Symphony: Apprehensions and Misapprehensions. The Bruckner Journal, (10) 1, 15-23. http://www.abruckner.com/articles/brucknerjournal/volume10no1july200/

Marcus, J. S. (September 17, 2021). There Are Three Versions of Bruckner’s Fourth. Why Choose? The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/17/arts/music/symphony-bruckner-hrusa-bamberg.html

Simpson, R. W. L. (1967). The essence of Bruckner: an essay towards the understanding of his music. Vic Tor Gollancz LTD. London.