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Tonight is the opening concert of the new season at Staatskapelle Dresden. Christian Thielemann will conduct Max Bruch’s famous violin concerto and Bruckner’s 1st Symphony. We celebrate the event with part one of our ’10 Best’ series of recommended recordings of the latter.

Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No. 1 in C minor (WAB 101) was the first symphony the composer thought worthy of performing, and bequeathing to the Vienna national library. Chronologically, it comes after the Study Symphony in F minor and before Symphony in D minor (“No. 0”). The first version of the Symphony No. 2 in C minor was completed after the Symphony in D minor.

The Symphony No. 1 was premiered under Bruckner in 1868. It was dedicated to the University of Vienna, after Bruckner was granted an honorary doctorate in 1891.

Bruckner gave it the nickname “das kecke Beserl”, roughly translated as “saucy maid”.

1a. Eugen Jochum with Berliner Philharmoniker (1965)

1b. Eugen Jochum with Staatskapelle Dresden (1978)

2. Gunter Wand with Kölner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester (1981)

3. Wolfgang Sawallisch with Bayerisches Staatsorchester (1984)

4. Sir Georg Solti with Chicago Symphony Orchestra (1995)

5. Stanisław Skrowaczewski with Saarbrücken Radio Symphony Orchestra (1995)