Berg's Violin Concerto - transcendence born of heartache. Bruckner's Eighth Symphony - a cathedral of sound. Two remarkable musical visions.
Two Austrian composers, two monuments of music - this will be one of the most profoundly moving concerts of the 2012 season.
Alban Berg's Violin Concerto was dedicated to "the memory of an angel", the beautiful Manon Gropius (daughter of Alma Mahler and the Bauhaus architect Walter Gropius) who died just 18 years old. This is deeply felt music that transcends the heartache of its inspiration.
Then, over the course of 70 minutes, Anton Bruckner builds a cathedral of sound and fills it with turbulent power, rhythmic vitality, brooding tragedy and radiant serenity. If you're new to Bruckner, then the concert hall is the place to hear his music: fully surrendered to the mighty sound of the symphony orchestra and Bruckner's epic vision.
BERG Violin Concerto
BRUCKNER Symphony No.8 (Nowak 1890)
Donald Runnicles conductor
Julian Rachlin violin
AUDIO PLAYER LISTING
Track 1 - BERG Violin Concerto: I Andante Allegro
Track 2 - BERG Violin Concerto: II Allegro - Adagio
Arthur Grumiaux (violin) with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by Igor Markevitch
DECCA ELOQUENCE 480 0481
Track 3 - BRUCKNER Symphony No.8: II Scherzo (Allegro moderato)
Track 4 - BRUCKNER Symphony No.8: IV Finale (Feierlich, nicht schnell)
Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Sir Georg Solti
DECCA ELOQUENCE 442 9235
Audio kindly supplied by Silver Partner Universal Music