Inspired by Bruckner 3 + 8

Two ensembles and two composers who are taking Bruckner’s legacy to the next level with their grand and ambitious works. Bruckner’s influence is evident in Namavar’s work, particularly in his use of sparse materials to build powerful contrasts. While Maxim Shalygin seeks to complete and extend a detail within Bruckner’s Eighth Symphony. A concert that presents a formidable challenge for the New European Ensemble and Ludwig Orchestra.

Reza Namavar has a keen interest in the work of other composers. A former student of Louis Andriessen, Namavar reviewed all of Antonio Vivaldi’s concertos during the coronavirus pandemic. With the same obsessive focus, he now immerses himself in Bruckner’s Third Symphony. ‘It’s okay for music to be painful’, Ukrainian-born composer Maxim Shalygin once said. Through a monumental symphony for thirteen brass instruments, this Netherlands-based composer, lauded for his ‘mastery of creating unusual sounds’ (de Volkskrant), brings Bruckner’s music into the modern era.