Choir and orchestra concert in the Mariendom
„I think (…) if I didn't pass muster at the Last Judgement, I would show our Lord the score of the Te Deum and say: 'Look, I wrote this just for you!' And then I'd slip through alright.“ This anecdote, reported by his biographers August Göllerich and Max Auer, vividly reflects the exceptional status of Bruckner's Te Deum, completed in 1884, which he described to his pupil Franz Marschner as „the pride of my life“. The composer underlined this view again himself with the suggestion that the work might be used as a substitute for the uncompleted final movement of his 9th Symphony. The Mass No. 3 in F minor, already completed in 1867-68, also accompanied Bruckner into the last years of his life. Over a period of around 25 years the work was repeatedly subjected to revisions, both large and small. On 14th April 1895 he wrote to his friend, the conductor Siegfried Ochs: „Bruckner is getting old and longs to hear his F minor (mass) again! Please, please! That would be the high point of my life.“ Together with a hand-picked quartet of soloists, the Singverein der Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Wien and the Tonkünstler Orchestra, the distinguished conductor Stefan Soltész takes on these two outstanding milestones in Bruckner's sacred music.
Anton Bruckner (1824–1896)
Mass (Nr. 3) in F minor for Soloists, four part mixed Choir, Orchestra and Organ, WAB 28 (1867–68, rev. 1868–69, 1872–73, 1876–77, 1881, 1883, 1893)
Te Deum in C major for Soloists, four part mixed Choir, Orchestra and Organ, WAB 45 (1881, 1883–84)
Chen Reiss | Soprano
Michaela Selinger | Mezzo soprano
Peter Sonn | Tenor
Liang Li | Bass
Singverein der Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde Vienna
Tonkünstler-Orchester
Stefan Soltész | Conductor