The next installment of Andris Nelsons’ and the Gewandhausorchester’s award-winning Bruckner cycle by Deutsche Grammophon is now available for pre-order and is set to be released on February 5, 2021. Featuring Bruckner’s Symphonies 2 & 8 alongside Wagner’s Prelude to Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Nelsons and the orchestra recently announced the extension of their acclaimed partnership until 2027.

Of Bruckner’s second symphony, Nelsons said, “In this symphony, Bruckner has formulated everything very clearly: the wonderful themes are clearly separated from each other by general pauses, and yet the result is a great whole. It is astonishing that this work is so rarely performed – in fact, it is an ideal introduction to the cosmos of Bruckner’s Symphony.” Bruckner himself called his Eighth a “mystery.” Nelsons has much to gain from this: “Bruckner penetrated here, especially in the slow movement, into regions that were beyond the reach of other composers. The unity of the enormous work is also a miracle. The magnificent final set – the last that Bruckner was able to complete – contributes to this”.

Listen to the first pre-release track Bruckner: Symphony No. 2: 3. Scherzo. Mäßig schnell – Trio. Gleiches Tempo via Deutsche Grammophon.

Photo: Winslow Townson