Bruckner's symphonies in their original sound
Study

Anton Bruckner turned to symphonic music late in life. He composed the Symphony in F minor, his first work, in 1863 at the age of 38 at the end of his two-year apprenticeship in Linz with Otto Kitzler, which earned it the nickname "Study Symphony" . Bruckner himself clearly regarded the work, which, despite all the influences of musical tradition that naturally found expression here, already had an individual style and an unconventional tone, as his "journeyman's piece" and initially made active efforts to have it performed.

Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy's Sinfonia VIII in D major, which was clearly influenced by Wolfgang Amadé Mozart, was also composed in 1822 as part of his composition lessons with Carl Friedrich Zelter for practice purposes. As the only one of the twelve "string symphonies" , the 13-year-old added wind parts to it by 1823, transforming it into his first 'fully-fledged' symphony. In contrast, Ludwig van Beethoven began writing a piano concerto in 1786 at the age of 15 in order to introduce himself to the public as a pianist and composer. He spent 15 years revising the work, which was based on the models of Viennese Classicism. It was not published in print until 1801 as Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major, although it is actually the first.

The three "study works", with which their composers developed the respective genre, will be performed by the Concentus Musicus Wien, conducted by Stefan Gottfried and with keyboard virtuoso Kristian Bezuidenhout, a veritable original sound star, who performed works by Bruckner for the first time in its history at the International Brucknerfest Linz 2018 and has since been a regular guest at the Brucknerhaus Linz again after a break of well over a decade.

Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809-1847)

Sinfonia VIII ("String Symphony", in the version with winds) in D major, MWV N 8 (1822-23)

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 2 in B flat major, op. 19 (1786-92, rev. 1793, 1794-95, 1798, 1801)

- Pause -

Anton Bruckner (1824-1896)

Symphony ("Study Symphony") in F minor, WAB 99 (1863)

Kristian Bezuidenhout | Piano

Concentus Musicus Vienna

Stefan Gottfried | Conductor