BRUCKNER YEAR 2024 – CELEBRATING ANTON BRUCKNER’S 200TH BIRTHDAY

 
With his innovative approach to composing, Anton Bruckner has had an outsized influence on the world of classical music. On 4 September 2024, the organist, composer and musical virtuoso Anton Bruckner would have turned 200 years old. Upper Austria, the province in which he was born, celebrates this anniversary with a series of events throughout the year

Who was Anton Bruckner?

Born into a family of teachers in Upper Austria’s Ansfelden, Bruckner was surrounded by music from the start. As a young man, he made his name as a virtuoso on the organ and delighted international audiences. His true passion, composing symphonies, however, was an area in which he had to fight hard for recognition.

Only in old age did he gain the favour of his contemporaries and receive numerous honours. With his unusual, convincing and innovative approach to composing, he developed the symphony further, which no one thought possible as the musical genre was then regarded as complete. To this day, his works influence musical culture, and he is regarded as one of the most important composers of his time.

All of Upper Austria turns into a stage for Anton Bruckner

In 2024, Upper Austria celebrates the birthday of its most influential composer, Anton Bruckner. The festivities will be held in numerous cities, villages, and hamlets of the region.

The Brucknerhaus Linz concert hall has a dual reason to celebrate in 2024. Aside from the birthday of its namesake, it also commemorates its own 50th anniversary with many special highlights.

Open Air Concert

Franz Welser-Möst & The Cleveland Orchestra

04 September 2024

Ansfelden

Celebrate Anton Bruckner's 200th birthday on September 4th at his birthplace with an extraordinary open-air concert led by the Linz-born star conductor Franz Welser-Möst and the renowned Cleveland Orchestra. Departing from tradition, the performance unfolds in the open space between the church and Bruckner's birthhouse, featuring his iconic 4th Symphony, the Romantic.

Concert Series

Bruckner’s Symphonies in Original Sound – A Journey of Discovery in Eleven Concerts

10, 12, 14, 17, 21, 26 & 28 September 2024

4, 6, 8, 10 October 2024

Brucknerhaus Linz

For the first time ever, all of Bruckner's symphonies will be performed in their original sound. The instruments used for the performances are built according to construction methods from Bruckner's time. He wrote for string instruments with strings made from animal gut and Viennese woodwind and brass instruments with sound colours much different from those used today. At this unique concert experience, Bruckner's compositions will sound the way he really intended them to.

Exhibition

Bruckner Forever! - A Mysical Genius between Rejection and Admiration

September 2024 – Febuary 2025

Nordico Stadtmuseum Linz

The exhibition is a journey into Anton Bruckner’s lifetime, casts a critical light on his life and works, and puts both in a new context. With original artefacts and contemporary visualisations, the story of the musical genius is told afresh.

https://www.austria.info/en/culture/anton-bruckner/bruckner-year-2024