Blaze of Glory – A Cathedral of Sound – Queensland Symphony Orchestra

What’s a symphony without a bit of life or death? Conductor Laureate Johannes Fritzsch will meet these themes head-on when he leads the Orchestra through Bruckner Symphony No.9 – and you’re coming with him. When rumbling strings start building that tension, it can only mean one thing: it’s the beginning of the end. Bruckner didn’t hang around to finish this symphony in his lifetime, so what you get is an oddly calm and lovely ending, whether or not that was the plan. Schubert didn’t finish his Symphony in B minor either, so the program is filled with unexpected finales. You’ll first hear simple and charming melodies, which the composer is quick to shut down with occasional blasts of orchestral panic. It’s also repetitive, which makes things deliciously catchy. The piece eases into a happy second movement, made even happier when you know Schubert survived his Unfinished Symphony and went on to write more music. Carpe diem!.

Schubert Symphony in B minor (Unfinished)
Bruckner Symphony No.9 in D minor
CONDUCTOR Johannes Fritzsch