BRUCKNER’S ROMANTIC SYMPHONY

Crucial for Anton Bruckner’s (1824–1896) compositional career was his knowledge of Richard Wagner’s oeuvre, with which he became acquainted through his teacher in Linz, Otto Kitzler, who later for many years, from 1868 to 1898, served as the artistic director of the Brünner Musikverein, a German musical association active in Brno in the second half of the 19th and the first half of the 20th century. The Munich staging of the opera Tristan and Isolda, which Bruckner saw in 1865 and at which he met Wagner in person, provided the definitive impulse for Bruckner’s creative direction, which consisted of an effort to transfer Wagner’s compositional style into the symphony.

Written in 1874, Bruckner’s Fourth Symphony in E flat major “Romantic” had to wait a long time for its premiere. The Wiener Philharmoniker deemed only the first movement viable, seeing the others as confused and mad. Only in February 1881 was the complete work first performed, by the famous conductor Hans Richter. In 1891, the final version was published. The first Czech performance took place in Brno under Otto Kitzler’s baton on 21 April 1893; by presenting the Romantic Symphony in spring 2023 we commemorate the 130th anniversary of this event, and the Friday performance takes place on the very date.

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART

Piano Concerto No. 17 in G major

ANTON BRUCKNER

Symphony No. 4 “Romantic”

Melvyn Tan piano

Filharmonie Brno

conductor Dennis Russell Davies

Concert program can be downloaded here.

Cast of the orchestra can be downloaded here.