1 Feierlich, misterioso (Solemn, mysterious)
2 Scherzo: Bewegt, lebhaft (With movement, lively) – Trio: Schnell (Fast) – Scherzo
3 Adagio: Langsam, feierlich (Slow, solemn)

What is the story?

Bruckner embarked on his symphonic journey relatively late in life – he was 42 when he wrote his First – and his initial taste of international success came only with the premiere of his Fourth Symphony. Afflicted with a lack of confidence and self-esteem, he regularly tinkered and revised his symphonies after hearing the opinions of friends and colleagues. For some, Bruckner’s rewiring of the way music unfolds in time is a test of patience. But for his admirers, his work suggests vast musical edifices, commonly described as ‘cathedrals in sound’, and his religious devotion is revealed in dramatic pauses, hymn-like chorales and repeated phrases or blocks that create the impression of ritual.

What’s the music like?

With its distant horn call, shimmering strings and bare timpani strokes, the symphony’s opening is primal and at the same time otherworldly. Among the first movement’s rich variety of themes – arranged in three groups – is a beautifully lyrical tune first heard in the first violins. This music somehow seems poised between this world and the next, with all the wonder and anticipation but also all the turmoil and uncertainty that it might entail.

True to the spirit of a symphonic scherzo, the second movement opens with lightly dancing pizzicato (plucked) strings, but this fairy dust is upset by driving rhythms in the brass. The balletic Trio section begins with prancing first violins and flute, alternating with a passionate phrase of almost impossibly tragic richness. The music of the first section then returns, alternating its light, cosmic dance with the insistent brass. With its tormented leaps in the violins, the third movement's opening idea immediately speaks of extremes. In addition to plumbing the unfathomable depths, the movement presents a ‘Fate’ motif – a stirring call on trumpets – as well as a chorale on horns and tuba that Bruckner called ‘Farewell to Life’. Perhaps most affecting of all is a lyrically luxurious tune first heard low in the violins. The final climax returns to the wide-leaping idea from the movement’s start, and finally the coda brings a mood of peace.

This isn’t the end to the symphony that Bruckner was intending, but for many the Ninth Symphony stands ‘complete’ in these three movements. ‘What more could or should Bruckner have said after this Adagio?’, asked the conductor Eduard van Beinum. ‘To do that no mortal, not even the greatest genius, would have been capable.’

The London Symphony Orchestra

The London Symphony Orchestra believes that extraordinary music is for everyone, everywhere. Since 1904, the LSO has built a world-renowned reputation for excellence, innovation and sharing the joy of music, performing for audiences in London, around the world and online.

Resident Orchestra at the Barbican since it opened, the LSO gives around 70 concerts there each year and tours internationally. Its family of conductors includes Chief Conductor Sir Antonio Pappano, Conductor Emeritus Sir Simon Rattle, Principal Guest Conductor Gianandrea Noseda, and Associate Artists Barbara Hannigan and André J Thomas.

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