Bruckner’s Third Symphony

St Andrew’s Cathedral, Inverness, 7/12/2025

The Mahler Players, conductor, Thomas Leakey

Bruckner’s Third Symphony: Versions, Innovations and a Performance in Inverness

Deciding which edition of a Bruckner symphony to perform is a considerable challenge, as several of his works exist in multiple versions—some with almost as many iterations as a Taylor Swift album. The Third Symphony exemplifies this, having undergone two major revisions, with various editors later contributing their own perspectives and alterations to each version.

Fortunately, Bruckner’s original score has seen a resurgence in popularity over recent years, mirroring a broader revival of interest in Bruckner himself. For much of the twentieth century, he was overshadowed and often neglected, caught between the legacies of Wagner and Mahler.

The Third Symphony, which Bruckner dedicated to Wagner, contains numerous quotations from ‘Tristan and Isolde’ and ‘Die Walküre’. However, in response to a sceptical and conservative Viennese musical establishment, Bruckner removed many of these references in subsequent revisions. Despite this, Bruckner emerges as something of a modernist, with his formal and harmonic innovations paving the way for Mahler and other musical “subversives”. Some commentators have suggested that the repetitive, terse string figures prominent in this work anticipate elements of minimalism. Indeed, sections of the finale would not seem out of place in a Philip Glass opera.

In this performance, Thomas Leakey directs the Mahler Players—a reduced but well-balanced ensemble—at St Andrew’s Cathedral in Inverness. The orchestra adopts a more relaxed tempo in the opening than is common in other recordings, which proves beneficial; the passage can sometimes feel rushed and lose its essential “misterioso” character. Although the violins appear slightly tentative in the pianissimo opening, the linear, minimalistic development that follows is executed beautifully, building tension towards one of the explosive full-orchestra unisons that punctuate the symphony.

The second thematic group is delivered with lush warmth and lyricism, providing an ideal contrast to the tension established in the opening section.

By the second movement adagio, any initial lack of confidence has vanished. The hymn-like theme is rendered with measured reverence. This movement includes intricate syncopated rhythmic motifs, exchanged between the first and second violins, which have presented difficulties for even the most accomplished orchestras. Here, however, the motifs are played with assurance and clarity. Notably, the first violins sustain this motif for a full two minutes in the concluding 12/8 section, while the rest of the orchestra offers contrasting lines. Maintaining tension and musicality for this duration is no small achievement, but the Mahler Players manage it with apparent ease.

The scherzo, with its rustic dance rhythms, anticipates Mahler’s later fascination with folk themes. Although the punchy, staccato trumpet figure at the fortissimo climax is somewhat obscured by the cathedral’s acoustics, this is a rare exception; large ensembles often struggle more in such settings. The finale is taken at an effective pace—neither hurried nor sluggish—with the persistent, energetic violin figures propelling the movement forward. The polka section is charming, and Bruckner brings the symphony full circle by recalling the initial theme group before driving towards a thrilling and majestic D major conclusion. The orchestra’s evident enjoyment of this climactic moment was infectious, leaving listeners with the kind of elation typically reserved for Mahler’s music.

Special mention must go to the woodwind section, whose playing was consistently sweet, confident, and controlled throughout the performance.

The concert was prefaced with a very enjoyable D minor scene-setting rendition of Mozart’s Don Giovanni Overture.