Albrecht Dümling on Bruckners Symphony No. 7 (14 min.)

After years of failure, Anton Bruckner succeeded in establishing his reputation as a symphonic composer with the acclaimed premiere of his Seventh Symphony. The popularity of the work continues to this day, most likely due in part to the wealth of melody in the first movement and the massive climactic build-up of the Adagio. In May 2013, the Berliner Philharmoniker performed the symphony under the direction of chief conductor Sir Simon Rattle. In an introduction for this performance, musicologist Albrecht Dümling explains in detail the architecture of the work which follows an idiosyncratic and complex blueprint.