In honor of composer Anton Bruckner’s bi-centennial, conductor Eliahu Inbal leads two mature symphonies, No. 7 in E Major (1883) and No. 8 in C Minor (original 1887 version). The Seventh Symphony proved the turning point for critics’ approval in Bruckner’s Vienna reception: no longer did hostility mark theirs and the public’s reception of these long and intricate, symphonic arches.
The Seventh Symphony first mvmt, Allegro moderato, builds three themes: the first by celli and solo horn begins quietly and moves for 21 measures through two octaves into a high register, then repeated by winds and strings. A 2nd lyrical subject played by oboe and clarinet, supported by brass chords, ascends and moves to a large fortissimo. The third subject descends, prefaced by brass climaxes, is a peasant-style dance (presented softly) displayed by winds and strings. A large development begins quietly with a clarinet inversion of the opening idea and statements of the other two. This evolution restlessly takes the themes through many modulations before finally arriving at the last section. The recapitulation recalls the opening ideas and leads to an enormous coda for fifty-three measures.
The Adagio in C# Minor was played at Bruckner’s funeral. The first section presents a Wagner tuba quartet in a somber chorale in a minor key. Here, Bruckner added two pairs of Wagner tubas: tenor tubas in B-flat, two bass tubas in F, and a contrabass tuba. A contrasting theme emerges in triple meter. After these intros, strings dominate, steadily moving upward and building to an enormous climax. Another enormous climax occurs in C major, capped by cymbals, triangle and drum rolls. The music closes quietly and resigned.
The Scherzo, composed first, is vast and stunning, in a heavy-boot style peasant dance. First, a trumpet presents a robust idea which Bruckner called “the crowing of a cock” over an ostinato rhythm in the strings. Some liken the effect to Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries. This is answered by clarinet. From this point on, the trumpet leads the band. Momentum remains steady, until a complete, astonishing stop, prefacing a lyrical trio of long held notes, which is to be played gesangvoll (songful.) Timpani lurk in the background, intoning the fanfare rhythm from the opening. The first section repeats at the close.
The Finale in sonata-form, “Strong but not too fast,” opens with several ideas: a distinguished dotted motif coming from the violins, a main theme similar to the opening, and a chorale style theme coming from the strings. The music embraces multiple, huge and dramatic climaxes. The peroration involves a truncated version of the symphony’s first theme. which returns before an assertive and optimistic conclusion ends the work in a blaze of E major.

Bruckner’s Symphony No. 8 (1888) proceeds on an epic scale: despite several revisions – resulting from the composer’s nagging self-doubt – confidence in the original did not materialize until 1973 in London, under Hubert Schoenzeler. The sheer weight of the last mvmt, especially since it is preceded by a grand Adagio, takes up 2/3 of the work. This symphony exemplifies Bruckner’s reliance on post-Wagner chromatic harmony, built from short, melodic fragments repeated in varying colors and dynamics. Bruckner’s long experience at organ playing affected his sense of structure as well as timbres, so he tends to group his ideas in “periods” of specific melodies, rhythms, and phrase lengths.
The dominant mode for Bruckner’s expressiveness derives from the organ chorale: these are sung out in uniform voices from cellos, high strings, and brass.
The first mvmt Allegro moderato, opens darkly and gloomy, reaching its expressive climax with an incredible unison C in trumpets and horns. Almost immediately, Bruckner backs away from this fateful moment, and the first mvmt ends quietly, in a major mode, unique in his minor-key symphonic works.
The Scherzo: Allegro moderato has an unearthly, eerie quality, the rhythm a cross between one and two beats per measure.
The Trio middle section is unusually set in 2/4 rhythm and includes Bruckner’s only use of a harp in his symphony texture.
The huge Adagio in D-flat Major undergoes immense changes in key, often employing chromatic mediants of the tonic major. The initial pulsation has the low basses in short notes, to lighten the otherwise heavy texture. The middle of this mvmt thins the texture, suggesting the broad vistas of Heaven. When the initial pulsation resumes, the broad, ternary form closes on itself, a cycle indicative of the composer’s enduring faith.
The model of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony rules over the last movement of the Bruckner 8th: the overwhelming, dynamic arch moves from dire C Minor to an ecstatic C major. Huge, thunderous periods find immediate contrasts in quiet, meditative episodes. Many of the rhythmic repetitions anticipate the gambits of John Williams in his music for Star Wars.