Anton Bruckner described his Fourth Symphony as "Romantic," and under this name it soon became his most popular work. Introduced by an idyllic horn call motif, the Fourth Symphony - Bruckner's first in a major key - is characterized by a warm, natural, luminous underpinning. Both the slow movement, with it's funeral march character, and the sometimes frighteningly dark and powerful final movement are in stark contrast to the symphony's initial warmth. As was often the case, Bruckner revised the symphony numerous times in the run-up to it's premiere, which was given by the Vienna Philharmonic in 1881. Fabio Luisi recorded the 1878 version, with the finale from the 1880 version, with the Philharmonia Z�rich. This version has long-since established itself as the official concert version of Bruckner's Fourth Symphony.

Bruckner's Fifth Symphony is considered the absolute pinnacle of his oeuvre. Bruckner himself saw it as his "contrapuntal masterpiece". The Viennese musicologist Robert Haas calls Bruckner's 5th Symphony a "monumental work of confession" and "a high gift to the music world." It is an expression and example of human creative power. It delights with it's beauty, and inspires to the idea of a higher purpose in life. Born in 1901 in North Moravia, Franz Konwitschny - a trained violist - gave up the musical direction of the Hanover Opera House in 1949 to take over the direction of the "Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra" in the Soviet Occupation Zone. Between 1953 and 1955 he also directed the "Dresden Staatskapelle". In addition to that he also took over the direction of the East Berlin "Staatsoper Unter den Linden" in 1955and held this dual position until his death in 1962. The busy Konwitschny was certainly the most important conducting personality of the early GDR - and with his omnipresence in the country's music centers, in a sense the general music director of the young state. These recordings, first released in 1962 on the GDR label "Eterna", are still regarded as a reference by subsequent generations of young musicians and listeners. Thanks to a loving analog remastering of the original tapes, these recordings now resound in new splendor and in a previously unheard-of sound quality.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music