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Bruckner pins his hopes on a new symphony and new supporters. With Donald Macleod.

From our modern perspective, it can be difficult to appreciate why it took so long for Anton Bruckner to be recognised as one of the leading musical voices of the 19th century. His spectacular symphonies regularly pack out concert halls today, but his own era took many decades to warm to his music. Only in his sixties did Bruckner begin to achieve the popularity he deserved and, even then, he retained a reputation as a bit of an oddball. Colleagues were disturbed by his unsophisticated manners, unquestioning religious devotion and peculiar personal habits. His tendency to see enemies all around regularly tested his relationships. His romantic choices were routinely disastrous.

This week, Donald Macleod marks the 200th anniversary of Bruckner’s birth by examining Bruckner’s lifelong struggle to become the great composer we know today.

Today, Donald finds Bruckner in a paroxysm of ‘revision fever’ as he’s driven to revisit and rework his earlier works following the disastrous premiere of his third symphony. Eventually, he’s drawn back to writing music, including new symphonies and a grand Te Deum, and Bruckner begins to notice he’s attracted some new champions.

Prelude in D Minor
Gerd Schaller (organ)

Te Deum in C major (opening)
Anne Pashley (soprano), Birgit Finnilä (contralto), Don Garrard (bass), Robert Tear (tenor)
New Philharmonia Chorus
New Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Daniel Barenboim

Symphony No 7 in E Major (arr. Hermann Behn), (3rd mvt, Scherzo, Sehr schnell)
Julius Zeman, piano; Shun Oi, piano

Ave Maria, WAB 7 (Arr. for Horn Ensemble)
China Horn Ensemble

Symphony No 7 in E Major (Ed. Haas), (2nd mvt, Adagio, Sehr feierlich und sehr langsam)
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, conducted by Andris Nelsons