Symphonic Sounds: Anton Bruckner and the Munich Philharmonic

Bruckner: organ virtuoso and misfit

Alongside Ludwig van Beethoven, Anton Bruckner is today regarded as one of the world’s most important symphonic composers. Born in Ansfelden near Linz in 1824, Bruckner would celebrate his 200th birthday on 4 September this year. The Munich Philharmonic’s principal conductor designate, Lahav Shani, plans to continue the orchestra’s long Bruckner tradition. The fact that the Austrian composer’s nine symphonies are regarded as some of the very best of their genre is not least down to the Munich Philharmonic, which performed Bruckner’s works in Munich early on. Two conductors especially helped him achieve wider recognition: Hermann Levi, under whose baton Bruckner’s Symphony No 7 was performed to great acclaim in 1885; and Bruckner’s student Ferdinand Löwe, who organised Munich’s first ever Bruckner Festival in 1905.

Late recognition

With an educational background as a school teacher, Joseph Anton Bruckner worked as a cathedral organist in Linz from 1855 and later became a professor at the Vienna Conservatory. A pious Catholic with rural roots, he was not readily accepted into Vienna’s society. Though celebrated as an organ virtuoso in Paris, he was generally regarded a misfit at home, where anecdotes of his sometimes peculiar behaviour abound. Bruckner is said to have had a penchant for counting and collecting (his collections included a large number of written marriage proposal rejection letters), but also for exams of all kinds. Among his contemporaries, he struggled to find recognition for his bold compositions, which proved instrumental in shaping the development of Western music. That Richard Wagner took no notice of his work weighed heavily on Bruckner. In fact, Bruckner’s oeuvre was not truly appreciated until the 20th century, only to have his reputation damaged by the Nazi regime’s ideological appropriation of his work.

Symphonic highlights

Bruckner composed a sizeable body of sacral music – including numerous motets and choral works – as well as nine symphonies. Not even on his deathbed did he cease to work, composing the finale of his Symphony No 9 in D minor, which he dedicated to God. The world premiere of the uncompleted Symphony No 9 in its unadulterated original version on 2 April 1932 is one of the highlights of the Munich Philharmonic’s Bruckner tradition. Conducted by Siegmund von Hausegger, it heralded a turning point in the performance practice of Bruckner symphonies. Lahav Shani will start the new season with his future orchestra with this work on 4, 6 and 9 September.

Shani will then himself take the soloist’s part at the piano to perform Bach’s Piano Concerto No 1, BWV 1052 – a taster of the wide range of his future programmes. Principal conductor designate Lahav Shani will take to the piano himself to open the season. Another Bruckner highlight at the Isarphilharmonie is the performance of the F minor Mass under the baton of Thomas Hengelbrock on 19 and 20 September. The Mass is a masterpiece of symphonic choral music. Its premiere was cancelled at the time because the conductor considered the work “too long and unsingable”. The Munich Philharmonic Choir will rise to the challenge and prove that it is indeed singable. They will also perform Charles Ives’ Psalm 90 for mixed choir, organ and bells.