Bruckner’s one of those few composers that I believe is under shadowed in the tradition of Romantic Era classical music. He is famously known for his masses, motets, and symphonies, especially symphony No.4. It is a massive, massive symphony that entails his sweeping Romantic style gestures, starting with the mid-range French horn and lower string parts. This is very classic and somewhat reminiscent of Beethoven perhaps. The doublings in the french horns and flutes are pristine and perfect. The chromatic arch that is in this is fabulous and very illustrious. A simple compositional idea can develop into the most smashing and dashing symphony ever.
The texture most serenely begins with the transient string bed and horns in F in fifths. The tension builds with a roar of ascending strings in triplets going up by minor and diminished chords for almost a quarter of the symphony before going to B-flat major, D-flat major and other subsequent keys. The strings in tremolo are a beautiful part of this symphony as well.
The two main themes throughout much of the first movement have to do with the chromaticism and the melodic theme that alternates marching with triplets. These two attributes show up most of the time in this symphony.
Then you have the brass that play an integral part in giving the piece some golden sonorities that are all to precious to the orchestral repertoire. They carry the piece marching on to bigger and brighter, more illustrious horizons. This is the end of the first moment.
In typical symphonic form, in the second movement the piece goes into its relative C minor. If you are a lover of sustained string bed chords then this movement is for you. There are several moments of chromatic mediants from major to minor, on and on. One of the parts that continues on throughout this is the chromatic exploration that seeks to lift up spirits and hopes. There is a big push in the second movement to go all out and pull out all the stops.
There are full passages with strings contrasting with quiet, paused sections of woodwinds. There is what sounds like some alternating three-four bars contrasting with a quiet march-like tempo. Chromaticism in this movement still exists but it is encased in the tonality of C minor unlike the last movement.
In the last part of the movement the strings come back in a somber fashion with welcome changes of key into D major and F major and then a shift into B major leaps into action that surely leads back to the C minor tonality. This is the development section of the symphony. There is some highly fascinating high string work to close out the end of the second movement with a triumphant return back to C major.
In the third movement, the chromaticism comes back as if the strings are trying to find their final destination. The whole symphony plays on in the heals of chromaticism and triplet fashion. The whole symphony is a crystal, singing bright in the history of music, not to be forgotten.
