Bruckner · Anton Bruckner
Bruckner Symphony No. 2 in C minor
From "unplayable" to the "Pause Symphony"
- Key
- C minor
- Composed
- 1872
- Premiere
- 1873 Vienna
- Duration
- About 60 min
- Movements
- 4 movements
- Instrumentation
- Woodwinds 2·2·2·2 · Brass 4·2·3·0 · Timpani · Strings
The story behind this piece
Written in 1871–1872, this piece was even rehearsed by the Vienna Philharmonic in 1872, but the conductor Otto Dessoff and the players judged it too hard to play and didn't put it on stage. In the end, Bruckner himself conducted the Vienna Philharmonic in the premiere the following year, on October 26, 1873.
There are many places where the music drives toward a climax and then suddenly stops in silence, so people at the time teased it as the "Pause Symphony." Later, Bruckner showed this piece and No. 3 to Wagner together, and Wagner chose No. 3.
What to listen for
- First movement: count the moments when the music swells and stops for a full rest. That silence is part of the performance too.
Listen · Score
Credits