Take to the island with the Anton Bruckner University Symphony Orchestra

Linz. In the “Off to the Island” concert, the Anton Bruckner University Symphony Orchestra takes on works of classical and romantic music particularly inspired by Great Britain and which could not have been created in this form without creative residencies on the island. The concert will be held with free admission on Friday, November 17 at 7:30 pm in the Great Hall, and will be broadcast live: www.bruckneruni.ac.at/live

Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 98 in B major is one of his late ‘London symphonies’, written during his first stay in London in 1791/92 and premiered under the composer’s supervision. It is possible that Haydn improvised a comic interlude in the last movement on the harpsichord in the premiere. After returning from his second stay in London, Haydn wrote the Trumpet Concerto in E flat major for the newly developed major trumpet. An instrument that Haydn explored to its limits by fully exploiting new tonal and chromatic possibilities.

Trumpeter Anton Weidinger finally tried to make the new instrument popular, but there were many prejudices, including from Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdi. He decided that the keyed trumpet sounded like a “castrat horn” and could not particularly enjoy the instrument. Fascinated by the beauty of British, and especially Scottish, nature, he was inspired to compose the “Scottish Symphony” in Edinburgh in 1829. He completed this only in 1842, and the premiere took place under his direction at the Leipzig Gewandhaus.

With Raphael Schlosselberg, an up-and-coming and world-famous conductor was won. Thomas Oberleitner can be heard as a solo trumpet player.