Bruckner · Anton Bruckner
Bruckner Symphony No. 5 in B♭ major
The piece the composer never got to hear played by an orchestra
- Key
- B♭ major
- Composed
- 1878
- Premiere
- 1894 Graz
- Duration
- About 75 min
- Movements
- 4 movements
- Instrumentation
- Woodwinds 2·2·2·2 · Brass 4·3·3·1 · Timpani · Strings
The story behind this piece
Bruckner wrote this piece in 1875–1876, but never once heard it played by an orchestra in his lifetime. All he heard was a performance on two pianos in Vienna in 1887.
The orchestral premiere was conducted in Graz in April 1894 by his student Franz Schalk, who used his own edition, with the orchestration changed and some parts cut. Bruckner was too ill to attend and died two years later. There is also a story that Bruckner called this piece his "Fantastic" symphony, but the evidence isn't solid.
What to listen for
- Opening of the first movement: it begins with quiet pizzicato in the cellos and basses. Several movements of this piece open with pizzicato like this.
- Fourth movement: a double fugue unfolds, with the fugue and a brass chorale stacking up in layers, and at the very end the chorale bursts out hugely to reach the climax.
Listen · Score
Credits