Carnegie Hall

Although today Bruckner’s symphonies are experiencing a warm revival, in his own lifetime they were routinely disparaged by audiences and critics alike. Little known as a composer in the mid–19th century when he began writing his first symphonies, the composition (and re-composition) of these works was an uphill battle. Deeply affected by public reception, Bruckner was an inveterate reviser, often repeatedly rewriting his scores not only in an effort to refine the music, but also as a knee-jerk response to negative feedback.

As a result, many of his symphonies exist in multiple versions—so many that the complexity surrounding his oeuvre has been called the “Bruckner Problem.” Despite his sensitivity to criticism, multiple career failures, and a relatively late start as a symphonic composer—he was 39 when he made his first attempt—Bruckner was able to produce 11 symphonies that have come to be recognized as unique and pivotal works in the genre.

Symphony in F Minor

At the urging of his orchestration teacher Otto Kitzler, Bruckner completed his first full symphony in 1863. When Kitzler commented that the finished work was “not particularly inspired,” Bruckner—prone to taking criticism extremely seriously—labeled the manuscript “Schularbeit” (“schoolwork”) and did not number it, rejecting it as a legitimate effort. Never performed in his lifetime, the work did not receive its premiere until 1924.

Symphony No. 1

Although Bruckner was 42 when he composed his first numbered symphony, it brims with youthful energy. He even referred to the work as das kecke Beserl, roughly translated as “the saucy maid” or “the cheeky brat.” Not atypical for Bruckner, there’s more than one version of this work: the “Linz” version and the “Vienna” version, which was completely revised in 1891, 25 years after its original composition.

Symphony in D Minor

Once again reacting to perceived criticism—the conductor of the Vienna Philharmonic asked of the first movement, “But where is the main theme?”—Bruckner retracted his Symphony in D Minor of 1869 from his oeuvre. Insisting that this symphony “does not count,” he crossed out the “No. 2” on the manuscript and declared the work “annulliert” (“nullified”).

As a result, the work came to be known as “Die Nullte,” or “No. 0.” Despite Bruckner’s decisive disavowal of this symphony, he wasn’t able to stamp it out: It has nonetheless been recorded and included in many completist collections of his work.

Symphony No. 2

Sometimes called the “Symphony of Pauses” because of its use of silence, Bruckner’s Symphony No. 2 almost didn’t get a premiere. The Vienna Philharmonic initially declined to perform the work after its completion in 1872, with some of the orchestra’s players declaring it impossible to play. The Philharmonic came around a year later, and Bruckner got his premiere; in the interim he even found time for—surprise—some revisions.

Symphony in No. 3

Bruckner was an avid admirer of Richard Wagner, whom he somewhat effusively called “the unreachable world-famous noble master of poetry and music.” He visited his idol while on the cusp of finishing his Symphony No. 3 and asked him whether he’d prefer to be the dedicatee of the Second Symphony or Third, which, incidentally, contained several quotations of Wagner’s own work. Wagner opted for the Third, but it was not an auspicious choice.

The premiere went disastrously, with most of the audience—and even members of the orchestra—leaving mid-performance. (The 17-year-old Gustav Mahler was one of the only attendees to stay to the end of the debacle.) Humiliated, Bruckner went on to revise the work extensively, notably cutting out the references to Wagner.

Symphony No. 4

By now, Bruckner was in need of a win—and he got one with his Symphony No. 4, the first symphonic success he would experience in his lifetime. More commonly known as the “Romantic Symphony,” it remains one of his more popular works.

Brucker gave the symphony its “Romantic” epithet himself, overtly aligning his artistic sensibilities once again with his hero, Wagner. However, the name may also refer to a program that Bruckner had in mind for the music during his writing process: Some of his notes on the symphony contain references to daybreak in a medieval city, birdsong, and heroic knights in a murmuring forest.

Symphony No. 5

One of Bruckner’s most complex and ambitious works, Symphony No. 5 is sometimes considered the peak of his symphonic writing, notable for its intricate counterpoint, particularly in its long, dense fugue-and-chorale finale. It’s been compared to Mozart’s “Jupiter” Symphony, both for its monumental status within the composer’s body of work, and for its complex fugal writing in the final movement. In 1911, the New York Philharmonic led by conductor Josef Stransky gave the New York premiere of the work at Carnegie Hall.

Symphony No. 6

Bruckner’s Symphony No. 6, which also received its New York premiere at Carnegie Hall in 1912, is less frequently performed than its immediate predecessors. Although the character of the work is noticeably different from the rest of Bruckner’s symphonic oeuvre, the “Bruckner rhythm”—a 3+2 or 2+3 rhythm used consistently in his symphonic writing—is more present than ever. Markedly brighter and more spritely than his other symphonies, the Sixth provides a fresh contrast to his heavier and darker body of work.

Symphony No. 7

Written between 1881 and 1883 and revised in 1885, Symphony No. 7 was Bruckner’s greatest success in his lifetime. In addition to popular acclaim, the Seventh also earned Bruckner valuable professional support from his frequent collaborator, conductor Hermann Levi, who gave a hugely successful performance of the work. The second movement—the first in a symphony to use Wagner tubas—is often seen as a tribute to Bruckner’s beloved Wagner, who was dying at the time of its composition.

Symphony No. 8

Symphony No. 8 had a more troubled path to the concert hall. Levi was unable to conduct and recommended a protégé, who repeatedly put off the premiere. Not for the first time, Bruckner was told his work couldn’t be performed because it was too difficult.

The work was eventually premiered in Vienna before an audience of both fans and skeptics. Critic Eduard Hanslick, who had panned Bruckner’s symphonies in the past, left early, but fellow Austrian composer Hugo Wolf called the symphony “the work of a giant.”

Symphony No. 9

Dedicated to “the beloved God,” Bruckner knew that the Ninth Symphony would be his final work. Multiple interruptions, failing health, and an impulse to continue to revise earlier works all drew out the composition process. At the time of his death in 1896, he had completed the first three movements and fragments of the fourth.

Attempts have been made to “finish” this unfinished symphony, but it is most often performed without a finale. Even without its intended conclusion, the symphony’s introspective and somber character shows a deeply religious composer at the end of his life, facing his mortality while still driven to create.