Guest at Upper Austrian Abbey Concerts

St. Florian, Stiftsbasilika
19:00 Uhr

»Since Beethoven, nothing even remotely similar has been written!« That was the verdict of the conductor of the world premiere, Arthur Nikisch, on Anton Bruckner’s Seventh Symphony – and it is safe to assume that this praise must have deeply moved the composer, who was often lacking in confidence, especially as Beethoven was his great role model. He was strongly influenced by his upbringing and his regular visits to St Florian Abbey, where we will also be performing during our short tour with our honorary conductor Manfred Honeck. Bruckner’s grave is located there – and it was there that, on 5 September 1883 at the age of 59, he completed the manuscript of his Seventh Symphony, the work that finally brought the long-awaited international breakthrough as a recognised composer of orchestral works. Obviously, his self-confidence got a real boost from this, for unlike in the past, he no longer found it so difficult to fend off scathing remarks. The notorious critic Eduard Hanslick, for instance, sneered at the piece as a »symphonic giant serpent« and a »wild dream« – and the influential publisher Alfred Dörffel of the publisher Peters strongly recommended that Bruckner rework the piece, which he found »a bit confused«, to which the composer countered: »Confused? You see, they said the same thing in Vienna when Beethoven performed his First Symphony – the buggers!« Today, at any rate, Bruckner’s Seventh ranks among his most popular works: a highly romantic piece with wonderful melodies, in which, in the words of the eminent musicologist Constantin Floros, »the movement is kept in a constant flow«.

Manfred Honeck Conductor

Anton Bruckner Symphonie Nr. 7 E-Dur WAB 107