Into the Music with Rasmus Reed begins at 18:30.

Schumann composed for the valve horn, a 19th century invention that eventually replaced the natural horn. This resulted in completely new musical possibilities, as Schumann was no longer bound by the magnitude and tone of the natural horn. Schumann utilizes all the technical possibilities of the new instrument, and the four horns appear independent of each other, almost like in a string quartet.

The work has three movements. The horns begin the first movement with lively fanfare, which the orchestra then develops into a solemn main theme. The second movement has a darker mood, but lyrically signalizes the transition to the energetic finale, where the soloists have the chance to prove their brilliant virtuosity.

Anton Bruckner was nearly 60 years old when he tasted public success for the first time. The continuous applause did not stop after his seventh symphony was performed in Leipzig in 1884. Bruckner attributed the symphony to Richard Wagner, who was his greatest inspiration, and much of the symphony was composed after a performance of Wagner’s Parsifal in the summer of 1881. This was the last time the two giants met; Wagner died in February the following year.

The symphony demands the largest orchestral apparatus Bruckner had ever used before this point. The first movement is entirely in Wagner’s spirit, and reminds us of Lohengrin. The second movement is a majestic mournful piece in Wagner’s honour, where Bruckner uses four Wagner tubas, as a sound of praise. The sound they produce is something between horn and tuba, and this was the first time these instruments were used in symphonic music. In contrast, the third movement is a scherzo, which is brilliant, playful, and produces a rural, idyllic sound. The last movement reaffirms the theme from the first movement, but has an even greater breadth and vitality- the piece ends with a triumphant coda accompanied by a colossal, full brass sound.