The Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne, conducted by François-Xavier Roth - Bruckner 9 - Music box, June 10^th, 2024.

An album released by Myrios on April 12^th: Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 9, with the Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne, conducted by François-Xavier Roth.

For many major music labels, the 200^th anniversary of Bruckner's birth, celebrated in 2024, is a chance to release recordings of his full symphonic cycle and also an opportunity for the audience to rediscover Bruckner, a composer who was born in 1824 and passed away in 1896, and who's compositions caputre a Germanic Romanticism, different from that of Richard Wagner.

Among the orchestras that are involved in the project of recording Anton Bruckner's full symphonic cycle, is the Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne. The Symphonies Nos. 3,4, 7, and 9 have already been released, while the Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2 are going to be release on June 28^th.

Today, we will listen to Bruckner's Symphony No. 9 in its final version, meaning with only three completed movements before the composer's death. This symphony is dedicated to God, a tribute to the original source of inspiration in Bruckner's works. Although Bruckner left sketches for a fourth movement, after his passing, these pages were scattered and lost as many curious visitors rummaged through his belongings. As a result, Bruckner's final symphonic testament is known today as a poignant slow movement, in which we hear echoes of Wagner and Schöenberg, but most importantly, the unmistakable style of Bruckner, expressed in both the orchestration and artistic conception.

In a restless world focused more on the superficial aspects of life, listening to Bruckner's final symphony feels like it's from another world, and François-Xavier Roth enhances this feeling through the way he constructs the melodic chords, and also through the almost quasi-chamber-like sound. François Xavier Roth, a French conductor with an impressive international career, and who values authenticity, brings out every detail of Bruckner's Ninth Symphony with great care, capturing a humble man before God.