Runnicles mit Bruckner

Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major shows the young composer between Mozart's influence and his own style. Lively virtuosity, dialogical orchestration, and lyrical passages characterize the work. Especially the cheerful Rondo finale combines elegance with surprising wit. Typical of Bruckner's symphonies are large-scale developments and deeply internalized passages, and his Seventh is no exception. When he composed it, the revered Richard Wagner had just passed away. This prompted Bruckner to end the slow movement with the sound of bells. Another connection to Wagner in the work is that Bruckner demanded the use of so-called "Wagner tubas" for its performance, which are a blend of horn and trombone sounds that Wagner had specifically invented for his opera cycle "The Ring of the Nibelung".