This new edition of Bruckner's First Symphony, edited by Thomas Röder, is the initial instalment of the New Anton Bruckner Complete Edition (Neue Anton Bruckner Gesamtausgabe), first announced by Musikwissenschaftlicher Verlag of Vienna in 2011. 1 When completed, this project will consist, according to the promotional pamphlet, of '39 musical volumes and 12 volume-supplements with sketches, drafts, and fragments'. 2 The edition under review contains a full score of the symphony, which is supplemented by the score of an earlier discarded version of the Scherzo movement, along with a volume containing an extensive introduction to the history of the symphony and a detailed editorial report, both of which are presented in the original German and an English translation. Although it has been more than 120 years since the composer's death, textual problemsand perceived textual problemsin Bruckner's symphonies still loom large for scholars and researchers, as well as for conductors. This situation stems ultimately from Bruckner's own constant urge to improve his works, especially his earlier ones, which resulted in multiple versions of the several of the symphonies. The main issue facing us today is that of determining what makes a version definitivein other words, at what compositional phase the work should be regarded as final. Seven of Bruckner's nine numbered symphonies were published between 1878 and the time of his death in 1896. Two symphonies were published posthumously, the Sixth in 1899 and the unfinished Ninth in 1903 in an edition prepared by Ferdinand Löwe, who conducted the premiere in that year. Normally, publication in an authorized edition is seen as a strong indication of the authenticity, if not the definitiveness, of a version. However, starting in the 1920s, scholars came to believe that Bruckner routinely collaborated with students and his 'disciples' in questionable ways when editing his works for publication and performance. As a result, these early published editions were rejected for much of the last century. The first Gesamtausgabe of Bruckner's works, with Robert Haas as its chief editor, was conceived with the intention of rectifying this situation by publishing authentic versions that would replace the supposedly compromised musical texts of the first printed editions. Between 1934 and 1944 Haas's edition produced 'original versions' of eight of Bruckner's symphonies, but his project was left incomplete when Third Reich collapsed. This edition was highly significant for the subsequent reception of Bruckner's music and formed the basis for postwar performance and study of these works; however, in some ways it made this 1 For the titles so far, see Musikwissenschaftlicher Verlag, Gesamtkatalog/Complete Catalogue, www.mwv.at/pdf/Gesamtkatalog.pdf (accessed 8 July 2018).
