Staatskapelle Berlin

Anton Bruckner gave his Symphony No. 4 the name Romantic which avowedly refers to its mysterious, religious and pure character. What is more, since the composer surmised that his audiences felt a need for associative musical description – probably quite correctly – he gave his music a programmatic structure through a wide range of character sketches. He refers to “Daybreak” in a medieval town in which the “morning peals of bells” sound from its towers: “the gates open – knights burst out into the open on proud horses – they are enveloped by the magic of nature – the murmur of the forests and birdsong – and so the Romantic image continues to develop.” As in Beethoven’s Pastorale, the connection between nature and happiness is equally tangible in Bruckner’s 4th Symphony. This is supplemented by abrupt changes in dynamics and agglomerations of sound lending the music its general monumental character. It is no coincidence that Bruckner’s symphonies were compared to large cathedrals: through their organ-like “register instrumentation”, the composer created the acoustics of a church interior to which he was accustomed when playing the organ. Mozart’s Piano Concerto in C major also features symphonic monumentality – with the difference that the instrumental dialogue is extended to include the soloist, quasi as a primus inter pares. A general comment Mozart made about his Viennese piano concertos is certainly appropriate in this work: the music was “extremely brilliant” without however “descending into emptiness”. It is no surprise that K. 467 with its catchy melodies has advanced to become one of Mozart’s most popular piano concertos.