Richard Pennycuick responded to David Harbin:

> >I see there is a 2CD set coming up on Naxos with a reconstructed finale
> >(conductor Wildner).
>
> I assume you're referring to the 9th symphony.
>
> >Can I please ask who completed this?  I liked the version by three
> >Italian scholars but not the one by a US scholar (name started with C).
>
> Chandos once released a completion by William Carrogan played by the Oslo
> Philharmonic/Yoav Talmi.  This could be the one you have in mind, although
> I don't know Carrogan's nationality nor whether the Chandos is currently
> available.   ...

The completion by the American William Carragan has been re-released by
Chandos (CHAN7051):

   http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000000ABF/classicalnetA/

It comes with a straight performance of the sketches too, which I
consider a major attraction.  The opinion about this performance and
reconstruction seems to be quite polarized.  I like the reconstruction
better than many - it just seems more idiomatic to me than those by
Samale/Mazzuca or Samale/Phillips/Mazzuca/Cohrs.  I would agree that the
performance is just good.  I have half a dozen other recordings of the
first three movements that are better.

I also have to admit to a relationship, though brief it was.  I worked
for a couple of weeks providing input for an article on Bruckner revisions
that Carragan wrote for ARG back in 1996 or 1997.  I remember him stating
at that time that he had spent the last decade working on a new performing
edition of the last movement of Bruckner's 9th that he was much more
pleased with, and I think he was hoping to get the new version recorded
by Naxos for the Tintner series.  It doesn't appear that will happen
now, but I do very much look forward to hearing it.  This new edition
has been recorded by the Saratoga Symphony in performance earlier this
year, though I haven't heard that CD.

I wrote a brief article on this for Classical Net, and it can be found
linked from the Bruckner page there.  Also very worthwhile is the Bruckner
Symphony Versions Discography edited by John Berky, also linked from the
Bruckner page.

Dave
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