Anton Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 & Symphony No. 7 (Adagio)

Featuring

Wilhelm Furtwängler
Berliner Philharmoniker
Anton Bruckner

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Recording & Production

This album features live recordings of the Berliner Philharmoniker conducted by Wilhelm Furtwängler, from concerts in Berlin in 1942 and 1944.

Composition History

Bruckner's Symphony No. 9 remained unfinished at his death, with only three movements completed, despite extensive sketches for a finale.

Composer Biography

Anton Bruckner, the composer of the symphonies on this album, was familiar with Richard Wagner's music since 1863 and attended the Bayreuth premieres of the Ring and Parsifal.

Compositional Technique

Bruckner's Symphony No. 7 notably uses 'Wagner tubas'—rich, velvety brass instruments invented by Richard Wagner for his Ring cycle—for the first time in a symphony.

Composition History

The Adagio of Bruckner's Symphony No. 7 was written in the weeks preceding Richard Wagner's death, and Bruckner added a poignant coda as an explicit tribute upon hearing the news.

Critical Reception

The premiere of Bruckner's Symphony No. 7 in 1884, conducted by Arthur Nikisch, was a triumph, with the composer receiving a quarter-hour ovation and two laurel wreaths.