Bruckner Casco Festival
The 3-day Bruckner Casco Festival, aimed to bring new music to a wider audience. It does this by merging the inspiration of contemporary composers with one of the symphonic icons of the 19th century, Anton Bruckner.
What to expect?
Ten contemporary composers will each adopted one of Bruckner’s symphonies and wrote their vision for an ensemble of 7 to 20 musicians. It ranges from new compositions, total reconstructions, adaptations, and the completion of the unfinished finale of Bruckner’s Symphony No.9. The festival is about the journey to the colourful world of composition where old meets new, daring meets classic and west meets east.
Bruckner Casco showcases new music
In the year that celebrates Bruckner’s 200th birthday, with Bruckner receiving significant attention from the public and media, we are using Bruckner as a springboard for a new generation of young composers. Bruckner Casco shines a spotlight on Dutch composers, showcasing how captivating, accessible, comforting, and festive new music can be. Bruckner Casco is a festival that aims to add something new to what already exists. “Something new” can be entirely new music, unprecedented combinations of artistic content, or ventures into uncharted artistic territories. With a diversity of creative energies and drawing from Bruckner’s foundation, the festival seeks to add distinctive depth to the experience of art, challenging and entertaining a broad audience to ultimately generate contemporary relevance for the performing arts.
Dialogue between Bruckner and contemporary composers
During the Festival, Bruckner serves as a springboard to contemporary music. Bruckner as a starting point that inspires composers in various ways. For nearly all the composers, this will be their first deep dive into Bruckner’s work. Each composer has a completely different point of connection with Bruckner, leading to surprising effects on their compositions. For some, Bruckner suddenly emerges in their work; for others, he moves like a shadow; and for another, he gets a figurative tap on the fingers. The result will be ten very diverse compositions—some closer to Bruckner, others far from him. Conversely, listeners will hear certain Bruckner traits in the new compositions that they might not have noticed before.
200 years of Bruckner
Anton Bruckner has no lack of attention when it comes to his music. He is regularly performed as an iconic composer and tops the wish lists of conductors. This hasn’t always been the case. When Bruckner composed his music, it received extremely mixed reactions. He was often ridiculed and laughed at by many musicians, critics, and programmers. However, with his Seventh Symphony in Leipzig, the tide turned. Eventually, Bruckner composed ten symphonies plus a Study Symphony, three major Masses, a stormy Te Deum, an exceptional String Quintet and Quartet, and many beautiful choral works. It remains intriguing why he never composed anything for his main instrument, the organ.
VPRO Vrije Geluiden Podcast
Bruckner Casco: What do Bruckner’s symphonies mean to today’s composers?
Listen to all the interviews here.
“Bruckner Casco is a special festival at Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ, focusing on the composer Anton Bruckner. This year marks exactly 200 years since his birth. But not all the music at this festival is by Bruckner. Anton Bruckner, composer of nine symphonies plus a ‘zero’ and a study symphony, was born 200 years ago in 2024. This is the reason for a three-day special, Bruckner Casco, where not all of Bruckner’s notes are present. Yet the composer is omnipresent, if only as a starting point.” – VPRO Vrije Geluiden
Top 10 de Volkskrant
There are composers (such as Arnold Schönberg, Frank Martin) who could benefit more from the attention that comes with an anniversary year than Anton Bruckner (1824-1896). On September 4, it will be the 200th anniversary of his birth. Bruckner’s symphonies are still frequently performed today, although it should be noted that it’s often symphonies number seven and eight that are regularly on the music stands.
If you are going to dedicate a festival to Bruckner, then give it an original twist. That’s what the Bruckner Casco Festival does, which takes place from September 13 to 15 at the Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ in Amsterdam. There will be arrangements of symphonies (including number six, even in a big band version), but the focus is mainly on the ‘dialogue’: contemporary composers (including Richard Ayres, Reza Namavar, and Christiaan Richter) have been commissioned to provide a musical response to Bruckner’s majestic works. (MK)
Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ
For Bruckner Casco, the Muziekgebouw is a vital and ideal partner. It boasts a gem of a hall where the most important performances of contemporary classical music in the Netherlands take place. This is no surprise, as the transparency of its acoustics is so unique that no detail escapes your attention. Every composer dreams of having a possible premiere here. The Muziekgebouw hosts the most iconic festivals, such as the String Quartet Biennale, the Cello Biennale, and the Holland Festival.
The Muziekgebouw supported the Bruckner Casco Festival from an early stage because the originality of the idea, the quality, and versatility of the performers and composers promise an adventurous and festive festival. The Muziekgebouw provides Bruckner Casco with the expertise and infrastructure in programming, marketing, and production needed for such a bold event. Bruckner Casco will be the opening festival of the 2024/25 season.
