5th Symphony (Bruckner)

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The 5th Symphony in B flat major ( WAB 105) by Anton Bruckner is a symphony in four movements .

Emergence

Anton Bruckner composed the 5th symphony in the years 1873 to 1875. During these years he worked out all four movements of the work, but made "improvements" up to 1877. In the years 1877 to 1879 the composer subjected the symphonies 2, 4 and 5 to a critical review, in 1877 the second version of the 3rd symphony in D minor was created. In 1878 Bruckner added the bass tuba , which was not originally intended, to the orchestra . The strength to concentrate on new things during this period was somewhat slowed.

General

With the composition of the 5th Symphony, which emerges like a monumental block in the vicinity of the earlier symphonies and Symphony No. 6 , Bruckner created a very personal work - the work of a lonely person - a person deeply rooted in faith. The dependency on the mass compositions was stripped off when the Fifth was written, a certain dependence on Wagner, as in the times of the Third Symphony, completely erased.

Posterity gave the work a few nicknames or paraphrases such as "Faith Symphony" or "Catholic". Bruckner himself described his fifth as the “fantastic” or his “contrapuntal masterpiece”. Nevertheless, the simplest typification as a symphony is completely sufficient. The now enormous temporal dimensions of the new composition find their equivalent later only once in the eighth, from which it differs fundamentally.

Bruckner has never heard his fifth played by an orchestra. The world premiere was on April 8, 1894 in Graz by the Graz Municipal Orchestra under Franz Schalk . Bruckner had to stay away because of a serious illness. Franz Schalk performed the work in a distorted arrangement: its version contains retouched instrumentation, a shortened Scherzo and, above all, a line of 122 bars in the finale as well as the inclusion of a distant orchestra , cymbals and triangle in the final apotheosis of the work. Although the version is still available on recordings today , it is no longer of any importance in performance practice, as the original version has long since established itself.

Work data

  • Orchestra : 2222-4331, Pk, Str.
  • Performance duration: approx. 78 min.

To the music

1st movement: Introduction. Adagio - Allegro

As a uniqueness in his overall symphonic oeuvre, Bruckner puts a slow introduction in front of the Allegro , which defines the basic thematic material of the entire symphony. After the initial pizzicato bars of the double basses (B flat major), a serene string chorale begins. This, ebbing away in F, pauses briefly and a unison upswing sets in on Ges, which ends in a solemn brass chorale and finds its first end in A. Then a unison upswing repetition in B flat, another brass chorale, this time ending in E. Now, following a brilliant increase, the impressive climax of the introduction in A major is reached.

The rush of sound breaks off and the main theme of the Allegro part is introduced. After the usual repetition through the entire orchestra, the flow of the theme comes to a standstill and the second theme begins in F minor as a choral episode in pizzicato chords of the strings. The third thematic group begins with a melodiously rising woodwind in D-flat. This is followed by the epilogue and coda of the exposition ( tremolo passages, horn).

In addition to the broad processing of the main theme in artful counterpoint, the development experiences memories of the brass fanfares from the introduction and ends in a large crescendo in the recapitulation. The recapitulation is shortened and has a massive sentence appendix that begins with a bass ostinato similar to the introduction. At the end: main theme in B flat major in fortissimo, reminiscence of the introduction as a background , clattering brass, drum roll, unison ending.

2nd movement: Adagio. Very slowly

The Adagio in D minor opens with an introductory pizzicato line in quarter triplets , which will later be important in the Scherzo . It has the large form of an extended song form (AB A 'B' A ''). A plaintive oboe melody rises in duolischem rhythm via the triplet foundation, which in the further course Septsprünge achieve a striking effect. The movement is continued with a great second theme in exquisite beauty, which is further intensified in the second part by the delicately spotted accompanying chords of the melody.

3rd movement: Scherzo. Molto vivace (quickly) - trio. At the same pace

The form of the rather extensive Scherzo in D minor ties in with the Scherzi of the previous symphonies. The introductory melody line from the Adagio is used here at a rapid pace as the start of the joke. The main Scherzo theme, in D minor, sounds immediately in the woodwinds and very soon the second theme, a Landler in F major, sets in. In the further course the first topic interferes again, whereby the Ländler topic is never forgotten. Completion of the first part of the Scherzo in D major. The trio in C major has a cheerful, march-like character. It is short and quickly leads to the repetition of the Scherzo Part A.

4th movement: Finale. Adagio - Allegro moderato

The finale initially brings the beginning of the introduction from the first movement in a somewhat abbreviated form, but with the clarinet intervening as an advance notice of the upcoming main theme, which is performed by the clarinet after a short break . Quite similar to the model of the 9th Symphony of Beethoven afterwards heard the beginnings of sentences of the Allegro part of the first sentence and the Adagio before the main theme now in Fugatostil finally gets the dominance. The second theme that follows, which in the upward direction is reminiscent of the Landler in the Scherzo, has a lovely character, is dissolute and, with an insertion of the first theme, leads to the brass chorale of the third theme. From the solemn conclusion of this third group, the double fugue develops (a fugue with two themes). The section is very elaborate, extended and, in the arrangement by Franz Schalk, was completely shortened with the deletion of the recapitulation of the second topic. With the presentation of the original version, the correct proportions and logical connections have been restored. The work ends in a brilliant apotheosis of the brass choir theme, followed by the main theme from the first movement.

References to other works

In an article in the magazine Jetzt (weekend supplement of the Süddeutsche Zeitung for teenagers), reference is made to a similarity between the first main theme from the first movement of the symphony and the guitar riff of the pop song Seven Nation Army by the rock band The White Stripes .

dedication

Bruckner dedicated the 5th symphony to his sponsor, the k. k. Minister for Culture and Education Karl von Stremayr .

This dedication could only be determined as follows: Emil Hardt found in 1904 in the estate of his late father-in-law Karl Ritter von Stremayr a magnificently furnished handwritten score of Anton Bruckner's Fifth Symphony with the express dedication to Karl Ritter von Stremayr. This dedication was not yet known at the time. Dated November 4, 1878 (Stremayr's name day), presumably in gratitude to the then Minister of Education, who had confirmed Bruckner's appointment as a lecturer at the University of Vienna. Why this dedication is missing from the score, which was only published in print after the composer's death, was unknown at the time. Whether the gigantic, luxuriously bound score found by Hardt was written down by Bruckner himself, which must have caused the composer enormous trouble with the exemplary clean execution, was just as unclear at the time as the question of whether it could even be the first writing.

Important recordings / performances (discography)

literature

  • Renate Ulm (Ed.): The Bruckner Symphonies. Origin, interpretation, effect. With a foreword by Lorin Maazel . Edited on behalf of Bayerischer Rundfunk. 2nd Edition. Bärenreiter, Kassel 2002, ISBN 3-7618-1590-5 .
  • Bertram Müller: Anton Bruckner's Fifth Symphony. Reception, form, structure and content analysis . Katzbichler, Munich / Salzburg 2003, ISBN 3-87397-146-1 ( Musicological writings . Volume 39).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Hans Renner , Klaus Schweizer: Reclams concert guide. Orchestral music . Reclam, Stuttgart, 11th edition 1978, ISBN 3-15-007720-6 , p. 300.
  2. ↑ Jetzt.de: The song of the decade: "Seven Nation Army" by the White Stripes
  3. ↑ Michael Steinberg: The Symphony: A Listener's Guide. Oxford University Press, New York 1995, ISBN 0-195-12665-3 , p. 102.
  4. ^ Finding a Bruckner score. In:  Die Zeit , supplement Abendblatt , No. 767/1904, November 14, 1904, p. 2, bottom center (online at ANNO ). Template: ANNO / Maintenance / zei.