Bruckner never seems to be in a great hurry, and the opening subject of the Fourth Symphony is a case in point, unrolling over the grand course of seventy-four measures. The solo horn is given pride of place right at the outset, introducing a haunting melody that seems to hover between the major and the minor modes. Other wind instruments join in, strongly suggesting the awakening of nature, and then the melody is elevated to a grand peroration for full orchestration.
The specter of Schubert can also be heard at the edges of the second movement (Andante quasi allegretto); we glimpse it in the inexorable “walking rhythm” that also infuses so many of Schubert’s introspective songs and in the general mood of nostalgic wistfulness.
The Scherzo we enjoy here is a replacement for the rather boisterous but thoroughly enjoyable piece Bruckner originally composed (in 1874) as the third movement of this symphony. Again, we hear shades of Schubert in the charming Ländler that occupies this stretch, with oboe and clarinet—later first violins—piping out its innocent, bucolic melody before an abbreviated repetition of the Scherzo section.
The pastoral quality of the third movement’s Trio informs the Finale’s second subject group, but despite its occasional recurrence the predominant mood of this concluding movement is dark and troubled. The symphony concludes in a breathtaking coda: Soaring across a seemingly limitless harmonic landscape, the music builds into a blazing climax in which power, dignity, excitement, and affirmation each lend a shoulder to the task of ending this massive masterwork.
Here is a performance of Bruckner’s Symphony #4 as conducted by Sergiu Celibidache:
