Symphony No. 2 in C Minor, WAB 102 (1872 Version) [Live]
3/20/2020, 4 Tracks, 1:24:46
Featuring
Rémy Ballot
Altomonte Orchester St. Florian
Anton Bruckner
Did you know?
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Performer Biography
The Altomonte Orchester St. Florian, founded in 1996, expands for the annual Brucknertage to include renowned professionals and young musicians from many countries, creating a 'St. Florian Family Celebration'.
Composition History
Bruckner's Second Symphony was originally much longer, lasting as long as Beethoven's Ninth, but was significantly shortened at the suggestion of his patron, Hofkapellmeister Johann Herbeck, to avoid overwhelming the audience.
Recording & Production
The 5.0 channel high-resolution master for this recording was made using only five omni-directional Neumann and Peluso microphones, with each feeding a single channel of the digital recorder without further manipulation.
Historical Context
The 19th-century 'musical conflict' in Vienna, described by Nikolaus Harnoncourt, divided the music world into two camps: conservatives (Hanslick, Brahms) advocating for abstract beauty and strict structure, and the New German school (Liszt, Wagner) promoting music that illustrates extramusical content.
Composition History
The original 1872 version of Bruckner's Second Symphony was considered 'orphaned' for 133 years until it was edited and published in 2005 by the prominent Bruckner scholar William Carragan.
Recording & Production
This recording is part of a surround-sound Bruckner symphony cycle for Gramola Records, captured in public concerts in the Basilica Church of St. Florian, Austria, to preserve the unique ambience of 'Bruckner's Church'.
Composer Biography
Anton Bruckner, despite being an unknown composer in Vienna at 49, was already a renowned organist and composer of three masses across Europe.
