Robert Weaver

St George’s Bristol

Imagine a swelling river of sound; a musical voyage that begins amid the tranquillity of nature and ends in a surge of triumph. That’s Sibelius’s Second Symphony, and there are few experiences in classical music more invigorating, or more stirring. Wagner’s evocative Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde is a stirring exploration of love and longing. Wagner’s intense and lyrical music sets the stage for an unforgettable journey through the complexities of passion and loss.

Before this, we present one of Bruckner’s early and rarely performed compositions to mark Bruckner’s 200th anniversary, as part of the international #AntonBruckner2024 celebrations. In 1862 Bruckner attended a performance of Wagner’s Tannhäuser that changed his life forever: from then on, he determined to devote more time to composition. With hardly any experience in orchestral scoring, Bruckner’s characteristics are clearly present in this overture which ends with a typically Brucknerian blazing G major conclusion.

Bristol Symphony Orchestra