200 Years of Anton Bruckner: Bruckner's coming home!

Brilliant Bruckner fireworks in the anniversary year 2024: When Upper Austria celebrates and numerous institutions from all over the country jointly offer a diverse, magnificent and sonorous programme with superstars, international orchestras and fantastic conductors, as well as exhibitions that illuminate the genius and work of Anton Bruckner for the people, but also world premieres, world premieres and commissioned works are presented, when Bruckner beats are the When you conquer the city's dance floors, live acts, DJs and opulent musical experiences await, and all this takes place in honour of the 200th birthday of the genius loci Anton Bruckner, then there can only be one thing – everyone absolutely agrees: Bruckner's coming home! In more than 35 places, there are and are places to experience, feel, hear, see and feel Bruckner in 2024.

"Anton Bruckner celebrates his 200th birthday, the Brucknerhaus Linz is 50 years old. Thus, there are two anniversaries to celebrate in 2024, first and foremost for the Brucknerhaus Linz, which will present its namesake with a special gift at the International Bruckner Festival Linz 2024: a cycle of his eleven symphonies, all of which will be heard in the original sound, i.e. with original or replica instruments from the Bruckner period - a unique listening experience that only the Bruckner city of Linz can offer in the world. The Brucknerhaus Linz will also receive a rich gift for its birthday on 23 March 2024: with a gala concert by the Vienna Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta and Bruckner's 7th Symphony, which Herbert von Karajan performed with the same orchestra 50 years earlier at the opening of the house. I am particularly pleased that the entire LIVA family is working together on Bruckner in 2024: Posthof Linz and the Kuddelmuddel Children's Cultural Centre are contributing exciting projects, including two world premieres of commissioned works. Linz, the city of Bruckner – LIVA and the Brucknerhaus prove that this is more than just a slogan with their committed programme."
Mag. Dietmar Kerschbaum, Artistic Director LIVA, Artistic Director Brucknerhaus Linz

The whole of Upper Austria will be a stage: Here are some highlights of the Anton Bruckner 2024 programme: 

New Year's Concert with the Bruckner Orchestra Linz
The opening of the Bruckner Year 2024
The New Year's Concert with the Bruckner Orchestra Linz under its chief conductor Markus Poschner at the Brucknerhaus Linz is a good old tradition. In this country, however, tradition and innovation often go hand in hand. Therefore, this concert celebrates not only the local jubilarian Anton Bruckner, but also Smetana, Janáček, Schönberg and Ives, all of whom celebrate milestone birthdays. The anniversary year will be officially opened with a dance program of a special kind.
1 January 2024, Brucknerhaus Linz
www.brucknerhaus.at

Concert series "Next Bruckner" at Posthof Linz, curated by Ina Regen
Ina Regen, charismatic singer-songwriter from Grieskirchen, Amadeus award winner and one of the most important Upper Austrian musicians of our time, is going on a year-long search for talents with energy and convincing song material for the anniversary of Anton Bruckner in 2024.
Conceived as an exclusive concert series in and with Linz's Posthof, the trip also promises a lot of surprising and new things in terms of female pop culture. Ina Regen asks whether "Next Bruckner" could not be just as feminine in 2024. Each of the ten evenings gives a different, exciting answer.
Ten concert evenings from January to October 2024
Grand Final Concert: November 22, 2024, Posthof Linz
www.posthof.at

Awakening Bruckner
Markus Poschner & Bruckner Orchestra Linz
The Bruckner Orchestra Linz and its chief conductor Markus Poschner will play all the symphonies of the Genius Loci in the anniversary year.
Bruckner is inscribed in the orchestra's name, the event of a concert is always a new sonic search for traces, which always takes place in the now. On these opening evenings in Vienna and Linz, you can expect not only the "Romantic", but also unexpected guests. A surprise at the beginning of this special year!
13 January 2024, Musikverein Vienna
14 January 2024, Linz Musiktheater
www.bruckner-orchester.at

Being Anton
Deep Space 8K
Immerse yourself twice in the world of Anton Bruckner at the Ars Electronica Center Linz. First into the musical world of Anton Bruckner and the orchestra of the Bruckner Orchestra Linz and then into the world of thought of Anton Bruckner and his time. Two exhibition installations at the Ars Electronica Center Linz, developed by the Ars Electronica Futurelab. In the fantastic 3D projection and interaction room, the Deep Space 8K, visitors can visually and musically immerse themselves in the sound world of Anton Bruckner together with the Bruckner Orchestra Linz and experience its special features interactively. Not just as listeners in front of the stage, but in the middle of the orchestra.
In the immersive sound space of the Ars Electronica Center, visitors can explore the world of thought and spirit of Anton Bruckner and his contemporaries. With quotations, musical examples and many cross-references to the great themes and moving events that determined Anton Bruckner's lifetime.
Year-round at the Ars Electronica Center Linz
www.aec.at

Theatre ensemble Die Exen: "The Strange Mr. Bruckner"
A musically lively puppet theatre piece for two great actresses and a very small orchestra full of curiosities and surprises goes in search of clues, reveals many a little secret and dares answers.
A production of the Kuddelmuddel children's cultural centre for families and children aged 10 and over.
World premiere: February 2, 2024, 10 a.m., Brucknerhaus Linz
Follow-up performances from 3 February 2024, Brucknerhaus Linz
www.kuddelmuddel.at

Festive concert on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Brucknerhaus Linz
Zubin Mehta & Vienna Philharmonic

Exactly 50 years to the day after its opening, the Brucknerhaus Linz celebrates half a century of its existence with a grand gala concert. The Vienna Philharmonic under the direction of Zubin Mehta will perform the 'Birthday Serenade', which is as fitting as it is monumental, in the form of Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 7 in E major, which he completed in St. Florian one day after his 59th birthday and which was premiered in Leipzig on 30 December 1884. As his ninth symphonic work, it finally gave Bruckner his long-awaited breakthrough as an internationally renowned composer. The symphony has also brought good luck to the concert hall on the Danube, which is named after him.
At that time also performed by the Vienna Philharmonic and conducted by Herbert von Karajan, on 23 March 1974 as part of the gala concert on the occasion of the opening of the Brucknerhaus Linz.
23 March 2024, Brucknerhaus Linz
www.brucknerhaus.at

Franz Welser-Möst & Oö. Youth Symphony Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst is undoubtedly one of the great conductors of our time. Youth Symphony Orchestra. Just like Anton Bruckner, he also put down his first musical roots in Upper Austria. A special series of four concerts in which the young musicians and Franz Welser-Möst dedicate themselves to the genius loci – Anton Bruckner.
31 March 2024, Jahnturnhalle, Ried im Innkreis
1 April 2024, Tuscany Congress, Gmunden
2 April 2024, Stadttheater, Wels
3 April 2024, Donausaal, Mauthausen
www.anton-bruckner-2024.at

Stream Festival: STREAM Club
STREAM Club follows in the footsteps of Anton Bruckner in contemporary club culture. As part of the two-day club festival, club sounds, church rooms and Bruckner beats conquer the city's dance floors. Starting from the ingenious
Organ improviser Bruckner, his instrument is the focus of the programme. Concerts, live acts and DJs invite you to opulent musical experiences, exuberant party sounds and visualised performances, especially in the evening and night hours.
Soundscapes. In the afternoon, STREAM Club will dedicate talks, workshops and other educational formats to Anton Bruckner's artistic legacy in contemporary club music in a pleasurable and unconventional way.
The parish church, where Anton Bruckner worked as parish organist, and the Old Cathedral, with the Bruckner organ as one of the most important sound monuments in Austria, will be the extraordinary venues of STREAM Club 2024.
STREAM Club focuses on the cooperation with the lively and performance-oriented regional club scene in the usual way.
April 12 & 13, 2024, Linz City Center
www.stream-festival.at

World Premiere "Celebration"
São Paulo Dance Company (BRA) & Stephen Shropshire (USA)
Who would have thought it: Anton Bruckner's symphonic work as a space opener for the presence of contemporary dance in its complexity, which enters into dialogue with the essence of music in a virtuoso way! Fiery passion, sparkling energy and pulsating joie de vivre – the São Paulo Dance Company and Stephen Shropshire honour Upper Austria's most famous world-class composer with their latest piece and thus mark the sparkling keystone for the spectacular collaboration of the spirited Brazilian ensemble with the star choreographer from Miami.
World premiere: April 12, 2024, 8 p.m., Posthof Linz
Further performance: April 13, 2024, Posthof Linz
www.posthof.at

Bruckner from the source!
The Bruckner Orchestra Linz and Markus Poschner guarantee unmistakable Bruckner events that are not only celebrated in Upper Austria, but also resonate all over the world. In 2024, the Bruckner Orchestra Linz and its chief conductor will perform all of the Ansfeld master's symphonies in the Bruckner Room and around the world. In the Brucknerhaus, the 'Third' and the 'Sixth' can be experienced in its own cycle.
25 April and 29 May 2024, Brucknerhaus Linz
www.bruckner-orchester.at

World Premiere: The Boulder
Music Theatre in the Old Cathedral Linz
For the Bruckner Year 2024, the Landestheater is coming up with a very special program item: The opera "Der Findling" by Franz Hummel and Susan Oswell on a text by Hermann Schneider will be premiered at Bruckner's long-time place of work in the Old Cathedral. The boulder does not primarily want to present only the biographical stages of Bruckner's life. Rather, this work is a multi-layered musical-theatrical search for traces on the subject of Bruckner, which aims to get to the bottom of the special tonal and ideational aura that characterizes the works of this composer.
World premiere 7 June 2024, Alter Dom Linz
www.bruckner-orchester.at

"Happy Birthday, Anton!" A celebration for Anton Bruckner, a holiday for Upper Austria
Today the time has finally come: Upper Austria is celebrating the 200th birthday of Anton Bruckner in every nook and cranny. In the morning, the Bruckner Orchestra Linz and Markus Poschner will celebrate a ceremony in the Collegiate Basilica of St. Florian with world-famous vocal soloists; Exciting educational offers in the exhibitions and workshops around the person and the work of Bruckner, an evening concert with the Cleveland Orchestra and Franz Welser-Möst in his birthplace Ansfelden and much more are on the program. So 24 is not only the year, but also the number of hours in which Bruckner is celebrated on this day!
September 4, 2024

Bruckner's 'First'
Christian Thielemann & Vienna Philharmonic
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy was a kind of contemporary classic in the first decades of Anton Bruckner's oeuvre and, as such, had a lasting influence on the orchestral works from his student days, in which, for example, there are echoes of the theme and instrumentation of the Hebrides Overture. On the other hand, the Symphony No. 3 in A minor, which became popular under the nickname "Scottish", was known to Bruckner, at least from the concert hall. Bruckner's Symphony No. 1 in C minor, premiered in Linz in 1868, documents his own, highly individual symphonic style for the first time, with which the composer, already over 40 years old, set out into new worlds and confidently entered the musical field that was declared to be the most important for him: that of the symphony. When he subjected the work to a fundamental revision from 1890 onwards, which resulted in his "Viennese version", which was premiered by the Vienna Philharmonic on 13 December 1891, he affectionately and jokingly called it his "cheeky Beserl".
September 19, 2024, 7:30 p.m., Brucknerhaus Linz
www.brucknerhaus.at

Bruckner's symphonies in their original sound
A voyage of discovery in eleven concerts
Anton Bruckner's symphonies are indisputably among the pinnacles of the 19th century. Of course, we have become accustomed to hearing them played on modern instruments, the sound of which does not correspond to the intentions of their creator. For the first time in the world, all eleven of Bruckner's symphonies will now be performed in their original sound as part of the International Bruckner Festival Linz 2024, a journey of discovery in eleven concerts, which can only be heard as a cycle at the Brucknerhaus Linz and there exclusively in Austria. They will be played by eleven of Europe's most renowned original sound orchestras under the direction of renowned conductors.
September 10, 2024, 7:30 p.m., Brucknerhaus Linz: Philippe Herreweghe & Orchestre des Champs-Élysées
September 12, 2024, 7:30 p.m., Brucknerhaus Linz: Jordi Savall & Le Concert des Nations
September 26, 2024, 7:30 p.m., Brucknerhaus Linz: Pablo Heras-Casado & Anima Eterna Brugge
October 4, 2024, 7:30 p.m., Brucknerhaus Linz: Kent Nagano & Concerto Cologne
October 6, 2024, 6 p.m., Brucknerhaus Linz: Jérémie Rhorer & Le Cercle de l'Harmonie
October 10, 2024, 7:30 p.m., Brucknerhaus Linz: François-Xavier Roth & Les Siècles
www.brucknerhaus.at

Manuela Linshalm plays "The Sleeping Whale" by Paulus Hochgatterer
How much loud exaggeration do some things need to be understood? How easily is one inclined to find something ridiculous because one does not recognize complexity, humility, and grandeur? In the work commissioned for Anton Bruckner in 2024 by the congenial theatre duo Linshalm/Hochgatterer, worlds collide. A "something", an "in-between", a 15-year-old punk girl is confronted with the genius loci, defends herself to the best of her ability, finally asks questions and wakes up the sleeping whale.
World premiere: October 9, 2024, 8 p.m., Posthof Linz
Further performances: 10 and 11 October 2024
www.posthof.at

EXHIBITIONS IN THE ANNIVERSARY YEAR 2024

Exhibition in the birthplace
The museum in the birthplace of Anton Bruckner in Ansfelden is dedicated to the presentation of the life and work of the great composer. In 2024, the house will be home to numerous Bruckner devotional objects that will make the hearts of Bruckner fans and interested members of the public beat faster. In addition to proven loans, numerous new exhibits will also be on display.
April to October 2024, Anton Bruckner Museum Ansfelden
www.ooekultur.at

How it all began. Anton Bruckner in St. Florian
When one thinks of Anton Bruckner, one thinks of his masses and symphonies from the second half of his life. For his long personal and artistic development up to these top achievements, however, the Augustinian monastery of St. Florian was of decisive importance. There, in a "place of the world", the young village teacher's son searched tenaciously and also conflict-ridden for his identity as an artist.
In the archive of the monastery there is a large number of documents that shed light on this crucial phase of life with all its opportunities and risks. Now, for the first time, they will be comprehensively shown in an exhibition, commented on and conveyed in the media with audio stations and a docu-fictional film.
May to October 2024, Augustinian Monastery of St. Florian
www.stift-st-florian.at

Bruckner's Visions
In St. Florian's Abbey, Anton Bruckner's visions are referred to artistically. The monumental experience rooms will be built on the proverbial green field. Its shape is based on the silhouette of the famous composer.
By means of multimedia presentations, visitors experience Bruckner's dreams and visions. In addition, a globally unique, digital and interactive Anton Bruckner listening room is being created, which is intended to appeal to a professional audience as well as students and interested laymen. More than 4,000 recordings from the music collection of the O. Landesmuseum will be heard.
May to October 2024, outdoor area of St. Florian Abbey
www.stift-st-florian.at

Bruckner Forever!
A musical genius between rejection and recognition
Anton Bruckner is not only a local phenomenon in Upper Austria, but also a world-famous and recognized figure as a musician. The exhibition embarks on a journey into Bruckner's past, explores the set pieces that have remained or have been created over time, and places them in new contexts. The life and work of the musical genius is examined as well as critically questioned from today's perspective. Views, original artefacts and documents, as well as contemporary visualizations shed new light on a great musician. In six themed rooms, Bruckner's story is retold and brought to life.
September 2024 to February 2025, Nordico Stadtmuseum Linz
www.nordico.at

Come on, sing along!
Anton Bruckner and choral music are closely linked. As a composer of numerous ecclesiastical and secular choral pieces, Anton Bruckner is an integral part of the musical repertoire of any choir. The Lentos is dedicated to this aspect of Bruckner's work from the perspective of contemporary art. To this end, the exhibition brings together around 20 national and international positions, for which singing together forms an elementary point of reference. The works on display take up singing in its most diverse levels of meaning: as an expression of one's own identity, as a possibility of intercultural exchange, as a means of (political) protest or as a community-building practice within today's societies. Videos, sound installations as well as performative projects are presented to visitors in an attractive exhibition architecture and invite them to explore the role of singing together in the context of contemporary art.
October 2024 to January 2025, Lentos Kunstmuseum Linz
www.lentos.at

ALSO

Bruckner mediates
To mediate means to build bridges
To be able to meet Anton Bruckner in a variety of ways and to find points of contact with one's own history in the confrontation with the artist and person born 200 years ago, is the aim of the mediation for the Bruckner anniversary year 2024 in Upper Austria. The wide range of educational formats is used: Whether audio books for very young ears, exciting and exciting Bruckner action days during the holidays, a children's book or a TikTok challenge - young Upper Austrians are picked up with a colourful range of offers on their way to Bruckner. A separate portfolio is being created for schools of all levels, on the one hand with age-appropriate materials, on the other hand with projects directly in the classroom, but also at Bruckner locations in Upper Austria with reference to the region of the respective school. For the almost 36,000 music students in Upper Austria – but also for choirs and music societies – special arrangements are created to be able to play and sing Anton Bruckner's music on all instruments, from beginner to professional level.
Inclusion and music from everyone, for everyone, is the order of the day! In cooperation with festivals and artists, new perspectives and shared musical experiences are created by people with and without disabilities.
And if you would like to become a Bruckner ambassador yourself, take advantage of the "Bruckner Crash Course" and pass on what you have experienced and experienced.
Perennial
www.anton-bruckner-2024.at

#bruckner24
The Symphonies Complete Versions Edition CD
On the occasion of the 200th anniversary of his birth, the Bruckner Orchestra Linz and the ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra Vienna have decided to embark on a unique expedition under the overall direction of Markus Poschner: the recording of all symphonies of the Genius Loci, for the first time in all versions. By the anniversary year 2024, this extraordinary edition will be available in its entirety from the Capriccio label. However, the uniqueness lies not only in the entirety of this project, but above all in a radically new interpretive approach. The Bruckner Orchestra Linz and the ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra Vienna have been intimately familiar with Bruckner's authentic performance practice for decades. With these two orchestras, which accurately depict Bruckner's sphere of activity, Poschner exposes his symphonies in an unheard-of new way, makes the music dance and sing, tracks down the Austrian sound dialect musically and discovers many surprising things that have so far either been ignored, misunderstood or simply unnoticed in the history of the reception of these symphonies.
www.bruckner-orchester.at
www.anton-bruckner-2024.at