Bruckner Concert

To open the season, as we emerge from one of the darkest periods in recent American history, I turned, not to Beethoven, but to Bruckner: the Eighth, his greatest symphony. We had to come back in the grandest way possible. This work expresses great anguish but is finally about jubilation and love. It is not a piece for ordinary times, but it is perfect for our present moment. The BPO musicians are already full of anticipation: “I have been practicing for two months,” said our first trumpet back in July. I cannot wait to scale again the heights of this sublime masterpiece and share its spiritual vision with you.

-Benjamin Zander

This concert is now available to view On Demand and be sure to read through our support page for Boston Philharmonic virtual events.

There will be no intermission for this concert.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

Anton Bruckner Symphony No. 8 - 80 minutes

• Symphony No. 8 was the last symphony Anton Bruckner completed in his lifetime.
  
  
• The piece premiered in Vienna on December 18, 1892 performed by the Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Hans Richter. It would not premiere in the U. S. until 1909.
  
  
• Anton Bruckner dedicated the piece to Austrian Emperor Franz Josef I. Upon accepting the request for dedication, the emperor offered to help pay for the publication of the symphony.
  
  
• Austrian composer Hugo Wolf wrote that Bruckner's Symphony No. 8 was "the work of a giant" and that it "surpasses the other symphonies of the master in intellectual scope, awesomeness, and greatness".
  
  
• Listen to the Boston Philharmonic perform Bruckner's 8th Symphony.
  
  
• Listen to the Boston Philharmonic perform Bruckner's 9th Symphony.

All dates, repertoire, venues, and artists subject to change.