PersonalGroup
Start free

Bruckner · Anton Bruckner

Bruckner Symphony No. 8 in C minor

The "giant's work" born after a rejection

Key
C minor
Composed
1890
Premiere
1892 Vienna
Duration
About 80 min
Movements
4 movements
Instrumentation
Woodwinds 3·3·3·3 · Brass 8·3·3·1 (horns 5–8 double on Wagner tubas) · Timpani · Percussion (cymbals, triangle) · 3 harps · Strings (1890 version, Nowak edition)

The story behind this piece

Bruckner worked on No. 8 for three years from 1884 and sent the score to the conductor Hermann Levi in 1887. Levi had shared in the success of No. 7, but sent it back, saying "it can't be played as it is," and Bruckner was deeply shaken. After that, he rewrote the piece extensively until 1890.

It was premiered on December 18, 1892, in Vienna by the Vienna Philharmonic under Hans Richter. The audience was ecstatic, but the critic Hanslick, who always belittled Bruckner, wrote a negative review once again. The composer Hugo Wolf, on the other hand, praised it highly as "the work of a giant."

Bruckner dedicated this piece to Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, who agreed to cover the cost of publication. It is also the only Bruckner symphony with harps. Bruckner reportedly said, "The other symphonies have no harp, but this time I needed help."

What to listen for

  • The scherzo's trio and the third-movement Adagio: listen for where the harps scatter sparkling chords. It's the only harp sound in a Bruckner symphony.
  • End of the fourth movement: in the C-major coda, the main themes of all four movements sound together at once. It's the moment when a journey of well over an hour comes together.

Listen · Score

Credits