Image: Rita Newman
Image: OÖN
“It was an experience of intoxicating beauty. The sounds hit me with a clarity and beauty that I have never experienced in a concert hall before.” It was none other than star conductor Herbert von Karajan, who praised the Brucknerhaus almost hymnically. Shortly before, he and the Vienna Philharmonic had inaugurated the concert hall with Bruckner’s Seventh Symphony.
Exactly 50 years later, on Saturday, March 23, 2024, the opening program to mark the milestone anniversary will be repeated again. This was announced yesterday by Brucknerhaus boss Dietmar Kerschbaum, Linz mayor Klaus Luger (SP) and Oberbank director Franz Gasselsberger as the main sponsor. The concert begins at 6:30 p.m. with a ceremony, followed by the Vienna Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta. Just like 50 years ago, there will also be a concert with the Bruckner Orchestra the evening before – this time under chief conductor Markus Poschner. They play Bruckner’s First in the Linz version, and, as back then, there is a premiere. The Linz composer Rudolf Jungwirth was commissioned to do this.
A celebration for everyone is planned around the anniversary weekend, during which, among other things, two exhibitions will be opened. The exact program has not yet been decided, says Dietmar Kerschbaum.
Image: OÖN
For a long time it was doubtful that the house planned by the Finnish architect Heikki Sirén, whose acoustics are still praised today, could even be built. It took nine years from the fundamental decision in 1960 to the start of construction in 1969. The OÖN also pushed forward: “Stop making excuses, build the Brucknerhalle” was one of many titles. What made matters worse was that Linz also needed a new administration building at the time, which was to be opened as the New Town Hall eleven years after the Brucknerhaus.
“The Brucknerhaus was the beginning of a transformation,” said Mayor Luger. There was no university back then and there was still a lot of catching up to do in terms of infrastructure. “Nevertheless, the city chose culture first.” The city has thus developed a new DNA: “It developed from an industrial city to a cultural city.”
Tickets: brucknerhaus.at
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I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
