Symphony No. 8 in C Minor

After the triumphant premiere of his Seventh Symphony in 1884 (following years of neglect), Bruckner’s response was to turn inward and attempt to confront his own demons. The Eighth Symphony’s nervously probing opening theme is a long way from the Seventh’s serene initial vision, and from this develops a compelling first movement that ends with an unmistakable, chilling invocation of mortality, finally ebbing away like a dying heartbeat. An elemental, thrilling "Scherzo" follows, with a central "Trio" that recalls the lonely, troubled world of some of Schubert’s Lieder, which Bruckner adored. Then comes a long, unusually personal "Adagio", at times exquisitely beautiful but also full of unfulfilled longing. After much searching, this reaches a dazzling, light-filled climax, but it ends in something closer to resignation. The huge finale is a kind of spiritual battleground, but here in particular patience is needed. Despite many upheavals and cavalry charges, the striving often seems to come to nothing, and a terrifying reminder of the first movement seems to stop everything in its tracks. But from this emerges a magnificent, steadily mounting coda, which culminates in a glorious fusion of the themes of all four movements, under which Bruckner wrote the word "Hallelujah!" Somehow this extraordinary symphony has found meaning even in darkness and near despair. As an affirmation of Bruckner’s religious faith, it is without parallel.