Anton Bruckner: Symphony No. 5, Te Deum (First Part)

Featuring

Eugen Jochum
Maria Stader
Sieglinde Wagner
Ernst Haefliger
Peter Lagger
Wolfgang Meyer

Concertgebouworkest
Berliner Philharmoniker
Chor der Deutschen Oper Berlin
Anton Bruckner

Did you know?

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Composition History

Bruckner composed his Fifth Symphony during a depressing period, facing misunderstanding and contempt from critics in Vienna.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Bruckner found solace in his faith and creative work, noting in his journal, "As I see only weakness everywhere in the humanity around me, I take refuge in strong music."

Compositional Technique

Bruckner considered his Fifth Symphony his "masterpiece of counterpoint," showcasing colossal dimensions, abstract nature, and complex writing and structure.

Performer Biography

Eugen Jochum, the conductor on this album, was a German conductor born into a Roman Catholic family, and his father was an organist and conductor.

Composition History

Bruckner never heard the original version of his Fifth Symphony during his lifetime; it was premiered in a radically shortened form in 1894 and the original not until 1935.

Performer Biography

Eugen Jochum made his conducting debut with the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra in 1926, performing Bruckner's Seventh Symphony, which became his "favourite work."

Critical Reception

Critics in Vienna, particularly Eduard Hanslick, dismissed Bruckner's symphonic art as monstrous, pompous, and formless, contrasting it with Johannes Brahms's music.