8 cities in 8 days: The Wiener Symphoniker have some very special works in their luggage for their 2024 tour of Germany with their Principal Guest Conductor Marie Jacquot.

Marie Jacquot will conduct the Adagio from Anton Bruckner's 7th Symphony - in a version for brass and percussion, as it was played at the composer's funeral service in Vienna's Karlskirche. Johannes Brahms' Piano Quartet in an arrangement by Arnold Schönberg will also be performed. Two works that commemorate the rich history of the Wiener Symphoniker in their 125th anniversary year and two composers who will be celebrated in 2024: 200 years of Anton Bruckner and 150 years of Arnold Schönberg. Max Bruch's violin concerto with María Dueñas is also on the programme. The Spanish violinist will also perform Beethoven's Violin Concerto in three cities. The piece that she recorded with the Wiener Symphoniker and for which she has just been honoured with the Echo Klassik award for Best Young Artist.

In memory of Anton Bruckner

Anton Bruckner wrote the final section of the Adagio of his 7th Symphony in memory of Richard Wagner. The arrangement by Ferdinand Löwe for 16 brass players and 3 percussionists was written overnight by the first chief conductor of the Wiener Symphoniker on the occasion of Bruckner's funeral in 1896. As his pupil, Löwe belonged to Bruckner's close circle of students and friends and was committed to the performance and dissemination of Bruckner's works throughout his life. As early as 1911-12 and 1923-24, he conducted all of Bruckner's symphonies with the Wiener Concertverein, the predecessors of today's Wiener Symphoniker. His commitment to anchoring Anton Bruckner's works in concert life culminated in the premiere of the 9th Symphony (Löwe version) on 11 February 1903 in Vienna. Even then, Bruckner's ‘Wagner tubas’ were used for the first time in the Adagio of the 7th Symphony, which are still owned by the Wiener Symphoniker today and will be used again on the tour in Germany.

Schönberg, the Brahms admirer

Anton Schönberg was a great admirer of Brahms and an extraordinary connoisseur of his works. The piano quartet was arranged at the suggestion of Otto Klemperer, who also conducted the premiere in Los Angeles in 1938 with the LA Philharmonic Orchestra and the Austrian premiere in 1947 with the Wiener Symphoniker. Schönberg himself gave the reasons for his choice in a letter in 1939: ‘1. I like the piece. 2. it is rarely played. 3. it is always played very badly, because the better the pianist is, the louder he plays, and you hear nothing of the strings. I wanted to hear everything once, and I achieved that.’