Over the course of almost 17 years, Anton Bruckner made numerous changes in his Symphony No. 3 in D minor, though it was the revision of 1877 that was first published, and also arranged for piano duet by Gustav Mahler and Rudolf Krzyzanowski. In this reduction for four hands, the symphony was more widely known than the original orchestral version, which received a disastrous premiere under the composer's direction in Vienna in 1877, and was not performed again until 1890. For all practical purposes, the piano arrangement is ...
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Over the course of almost 17 years, Anton Bruckner made numerous changes in his Symphony No. 3 in D minor, though it was the revision of 1877 that was first published, and also arranged for piano duet by Gustav Mahler and Rudolf Krzyzanowski. In this reduction for four hands, the symphony was more widely known than the original orchestral version, which received a disastrous premiere under the composer's direction in Vienna in 1877, and was not performed again until 1890. For all practical purposes, the piano arrangement is a competent and faithful rendition that mostly works, but it is least enjoyable in the numerous passages where open fifths and octaves prevail; this hollow-sounding harmony is mysterious and evocative in the original orchestration, but it is annoyingly clangorous on the piano, especially in doublings. Other than this unpleasant feature, Mahler's straightforward transcription of the first, second, and third movements is quite effective; and Krzyzanowski's pianistic liberties in the...
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