Compiled by our Classical Music desk.
As we’re celebrating Anton Bruckner’s 200th birthday this year, all the more reason to explore some of his work.
Anton Bruckner, born 4 September 1724, was an Austrian composer that left us a small, but much loved and treasured oeuvre. At Concertzender Live Archive, we’ll also take joy in listening to some of his works. At the beginning of September, we were a bit busy celebrating our own 40th anniversary, but now we’d like to put Anton Bruckner centre stage.
Bruckner’s biggest achievements are his symphonies: he wrote nine in total (not counting two recalled works) and all of them are considered masterpieces. At the Concertzender we rarely record symphony orchestras, so little can be found in our archive. But Bruckner also wrote a string quintet as well as chamber music, which we do record regularly. Listen to this recording of a very special quintet from 1997 with Vera Beths and Heleen Hulst on violin, and Anner Bijlsma on cello.
Bruckner also left us some fine church music. He was a devout Catholic his whole life, religion influencing every aspect of his life. As a young composer, he wrote some very traditional, short church music works, that are still quite rewarding. Later, he wrote three Masses that at the time were considered very modern – with them Bruckner showed how relevant the catholic faith still was and that it could be expressed in such modern ways! We’ll listen to his Mass no 2. in E minor, as well as the still very popular Locus iste.
As the quintet and Mass leave little time in the programme, we’ll play you half a symphony. Gustav Mahler, a student of Bruckner in Vienna and very much influenced by him, transcribed the Symphony no. 3 in D minor for two pianos. You can listen to two parts from this arrangement, recorded by the Concertzender in 2011.
Playlist
1. String quintet in F major
2. Locus iste
3. Ave Maria
4. Mass no. 2 in E minor
5. Symphony no. 3 in D minor: part I and III (arr. for two pianos)
Performers
Gli Archibudelli: Vera Beths (violin I), Heleen Hulst (violin II), Jurgen Kussmaul (viola I), Guus Jeukendrup (viola II), Anner Bijlsma (cello) (1)
Collegium Musicum Amstelodamense conducted by Kees de Wijs (2, 3, 4)
Amsterdams Blazers Ensemble (4)
Geoffry Madge, Daan Vandewalle (piano) (5)
