Bruckner - Symphony no.4 - The Romantic

Anton Bruckner (4 September 1824 – 11 October 1896) was an Austrian composer known primarily for his symphonies, masses, and motets. His symphonies are often considered emblematic of the final stage of Austro-German Romanticism because of their rich harmonic language, complex polyphony, and considerable length. Bruckner's compositions helped to define contemporary musical radicalism, owing to their dissonances, unprepared modulations, and roving harmonies.

Bruckner's first great success was his Symphony No. 4 in E flat major, more commonly known as the Romantic Symphony, the only epithet applied to a symphony by the composer himself. The 1874 version has been seldom played and success came only after major revisions in 1878, including a completely new scherzo and finale, and again in 1880/1881, once again with a completely rewritten finale. Bruckner made more minor revisions of symphony in 1886-1888. It is one of the composer's most popular works. It was dedicated to Prince Konstantin of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst. It was premiered in 1881 by Hans Richter in Vienna with great success. (In a well-known and amusing story that illustrates Bruckner's good-natured naivety, the composer gave a coin to the aristocratic conductor after a successful rehearsal and told him to buy himself a beer.) The symphony's nickname of Romantic is derived from the program that Bruckner was persuaded to attach to it.


Tracklist:

01. Bruckner (Adolph) - Bewegt, nicht zu schnell
02. Bruckner (Adolph) - Andante
03. Bruckner (Adolph) - Scherzo Bewegt
04. Bruckner (Adolph) - Finale Bewegt, doch nicht zu schnell