Programme Guide

Herbert Blomstedt has given many memorable performances of Bruckner’s symphonies together with the Berliner Philharmoniker. In this concert, Blomstedt performs Bruckner’s Mass in F minor: a work which irritated conservative church circles at the time of its premiere due to its orchestral power, but which provided the composer with a rare popular success.

The mass is still one of the most popular late 19th century choral works today. Its instrumentation orientates itself towards Beethoven’s Missa solemnis, its chromatic harmonies towards the works of Richard Wagner. The Benedictus is particularly moving. This visionary inspiration in A-flat major was composed on Christmas Day 1867, and according to the composer himself, it was only by working on it that he recovered following a nervous breakdown.

As in Bruckner’s Mass, a symphony orchestra is also employed in Paul Hindemith’s Nobilissima visione (“Most noble vision”) to convey a religious theme. This is however no liturgical work, but a ballet, telling the story of Saint Francis of Assisi. “The Philharmoniker play like a dream!”, as the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung wrote about this performance. “They let their wings fully unfurl in Hindemith’s balletic visions. This magical music dreams itself far away from reality.” The Berliner Philharmoniker’s first performance of this suite, which the composer himself had created from the ballet music, was in 1949 with Hindemith conducting.