Bruckner Ninth

  Anton Bruckner:

The Ninth Symphony by Beethoven set a standard back in the 1800’s. Many composers who lived many years later realized that their own “Ninth” would be inevitably compared with Beethoven’s. On this CD, Christoph von Dohnányi leads the Philharmonia Orchestra in a rousing live performance of Bruckner’s monumental Ninth Symphony, which stands alongside the other epoch-defining Ninth symphonies of Beethoven, Schubert, and Mahler. The movements are:

  • I. Feierlich, misterioso
  • II. Scherzo: Bewegt, lebhaft – Trio: Schnell – Scherzo
  • III. Adagio: Langsam, feierlich

Let me illustrate: First, here is Anton Bruckner Symphony No. 4 in E-flat major, “Die Romantische” (Romantic), with Christoph von Dohnanyi conducting the NDR Sinfonieorchester:  

I could not locate a recording of Dohnanyi conducting the Bruckner 9th. So here is the Bruckner Symphony No. 9 as conducted by Claudio Abbado and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra: