Intermezzo in D minor (Bruckner)

History#

Bruckner completed his String Quintet in 1879 for a group headed by Joseph Hellmesberger Sr. However, Hellmesberger found the work’s “curious, elfin scherzo” to be too challenging for the group to perform. The Intermezzo (WAB 113) was in the same key (D minor) as the original scherzo and used the same trio section, but its tempo was slower and it was less technically challenging. The Intermezzo was originally intended as a less difficult alternative to the scherzo of the Quintet. The Intermezzo, which became an independent work scored for string quintet, was premiered on 23 January 1904 in Vienna by the Fitzner Quartet during a concert of the . There is no record of an earlier public performance. The manuscript of the Intermezzo is stored in the archive of the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek. It appeared in a complete critical edition in 1963, as appendix to the String Quintet, in Band XIII of the edited by Leopold Nowak.

Music#

Intermezzo, Moderato in 3/4: * Theme: bars 1–42 * Development: bars 43–90 * Reprise: bars 91–142 Trio, Langsamer in E-flat major: * Theme: bars 1–8, with repeat * Development: bars 9–32 * Reprise: bars 33–40 Intermezzo da capo al fine Although, as reviewer Wayne Reisig remarks, Bruckner “never wrote anything which could be termed ‘pops’ beyond the Austrian-German border”, the Intermezzo might be considered in that genre: it is a “sunny little work saturated with the feel of the Tyrol”. The piece was inspired by folk dances, particularly the ländler.

Selected discography#

The Intermezzo is sometimes put as additional piece to recordings of the String Quintet. At the end of manuscript of the Intermezzo Bruckner wrote “Trio”, by which he meant the Trio from the original Scherzo. Since the first edition of the Intermezzo was issued without the Trio, people thought that the Intermezzo had no Trio, and so some recordings are without Trio and reprise. The first recording occurred in 1956: * Vienna Konzerthaus Quartet, Ferdinand Stangler (second viola). Bruckner: Quintet for Strings in F Major; Intermezzo for String Quintet. LP: Amadeo AVRS 6030. Without Trio. A selection among the about 15 other recordings:

Without Trio#

• L’Archibudelli, Anton Bruckner: String Quintet. Intermezzo. Rondo. String Quartet. CD: Sony Classical Vivarte SK 66 251, 1994 – on historical instruments.
• Fine Arts Quartet, Gil Sharon (second viola). Bruckner: String Quintet in F Major / String Quartet in C Minor. CD: Naxos 8.570788, 2007.

Full performance#

• Vienna Philharmonia Quintet. Bruckner – String Quintet in F major, Intermezzo in D minor for string quintet. LP: Decca STS 15400, 1974.
• Sonare Quartet, Vladimir Mendelssohn (second viola). String Quintet in F major / Intermezzo in D minor. CD: Claves CD 50-9006, 1990
• Melos Quartet, Enrique Santiago (second viola). Bruckner – Streichquintett F-Dur. CD: Harmonia Mundi HMC 901421, 1992
• Raphael Quartet, Prunella Pacey (second viola). Bruckner: String Quintet; Rondo; Intermezzo. CD: Globe 5078, 1992
• Vienna String Quintet, Bruckner: String Quintet in F, Intermezzo in D. CD: Camerata 30CM-399, 1994
• Leipzig String Quartet, Hartmut Rohde (second viola). Bach, Beethoven, Bruckner - Encores – CD: MDG Gold 307 1362-2, 2005.
• Fitzwilliam Quartet, James Boyd (second viola). Anton Bruckner: String Quintet / String Quartet. CD: Linn LC 11615, 2011 – on historical instruments
• Bartholdy Quintet, Bruckner – Zemlinsky String Quintets – CD: CAvi Music 8553348, 2013

Sources#

• Anton Bruckner: Sämtliche Werke: Band XIII/2: Streichquintett F-Dur / Intermezzo d-Moll, Musikwissenschaftlicher Verlag der Internationalen Bruckner-Gesellschaft, Leopold Nowak (Ed.), Vienna, 1963; revised edition by Gerold G. Gruber, 2007
• Cornelis van Zwol, Anton Bruckner 1824–1896 – Leven en werken, uitg. Thoth, Bussum, Netherlands, 2012.
• Uwe Harten, Anton Bruckner. Ein Handbuch. , Salzburg, 1996.

External links#

• Intermezzo d-Moll, WAB 113 Critical discography by Hans Roelofs
• Live performance by iPalpiti Soloists (2012): Bruckner - Posthumous Intermezzo - without Trio