Bruckner · Anton Bruckner
Bruckner Symphony No. 4 in E♭ major "Romantic"
A horn in the dawn mist, and the composer's own title "Romantic"
- Key
- E♭ major
- Composed
- 1880
- Premiere
- 1881 Vienna
- Duration
- About 67 min
- Movements
- 4 movements
- Instrumentation
- Woodwinds 2·2·2·2 · Brass 4·3·3·1 · Timpani · Strings (1878/80 version, Nowak edition)
The story behind this piece
Of Bruckner's symphonies, this No. 4, "Romantic," is the only one whose nickname the composer himself gave. In a 1884 letter to the conductor Levi, Bruckner described the first movement by saying "the horn announces the day." A more detailed scene is also passed down, of dawn in a medieval city, the gates opening, and knights riding off into the forest, but this isn't something Bruckner wrote himself; it's a story that came down through other people.
He first completed it in 1874, but Bruckner rewrote it extensively in 1878–1880. At that time he wrote the third movement completely anew, creating the "Hunt Scherzo" that depicts a hunting scene. He touched it up once more in 1888.
It was premiered on February 20, 1881, in Vienna by the Vienna Philharmonic under Hans Richter, and received a great ovation. It was the first success for Bruckner, who had long gone unrecognized.
What to listen for
- Opening of the first movement: from the dawn mist of the strings trembling very softly (tremolo), a horn solo call rises. It's the most nerve-racking first note for the principal horn.
- Third movement, "Hunt Scherzo": the horns trade vigorous signals like hunting horns. The trio in the middle is a simple dance the hunters hear while resting.
Listen · Score
Credits