In the 7th Philharmonic Concert of the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra on 3-4 March 2024 in the Great Hall of the Elbphilharmonie, Chief Conductor Kent Nagano will present the Fifth Symphony by Anton Bruckner, whose 200th birthday is being celebrated this year.
“In this Bruckner anniversary year, one might well ask: ‘Who was Anton Bruckner?’, as opinions on his music continue to differ controversially,” says Kent Nagano on the occasion of the 7th Philharmonic Concert. “Some see his music as the epitome of the naïve, coarse and redundant, while others want to recognise precursors of modernism in his sound combinations, the outmoded avant-garde of his era. While it is generally agreed that Bruckner’s symphonic form consists primarily of a dynamic sequence of immense waves of intensity, the thematic work is merely the surface, where the almost ‘physical’ or ‘bodily-organic’ process of expansion, of stretching towards huge, excessive outbursts and concentrated climaxes is decisive. In this concept, we sense how the ‘centrifugal forces’, which were initially held together by the technique of counterpoint, eventually expand until they can no longer be contained. The underlying dynamisation of development can no longer be tamed. If one reflects on social developments in Europe in this context, one quickly realises the topicality and profound relevance of Bruckner’s creativity.”
7th Philharmonic Concert
Anton Bruckner Symphony No. 5 in B flat major WAB 105
Conductor Kent Nagano
Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra
Sunday, 3 March 2024, 11:00 am, Elbphilharmonie Grand Hall
Monday, 4 March 2024, 20:00, Elbphilharmonie Grand Hall
