The Philharmonic and Feltz build a music cathedral

The Belgrade Philharmonic and Chief Conductor Gabriel Feltz are gearing up for a major concert challenge at Kolarac Hall on Friday, 13 December, at 8:00 p.m. The program features Anton Bruckner’s monumental Symphony No. 5, which the Philharmonic and Maestro Feltz will build as a kind of music cathedral.

Preparations for this gigantic undertaking have been different from the very start. In addition to the huge score, the chief conductor and the orchestra have been studying the architecture of a Gothic cathedral, emphasizing the connection with the symphonic technique of this masterpiece.

“Anton Bruckner was a deeply religious man, born in a small town near Linz in a distinctly Catholic environment. He was very withdrawn and misunderstood, but the music he was making was monumental. Just as a ton of stones is needed to build a cathedral, so we will build this work. Although refined, the symphony is made of intense emotions; this is a huge challenge for us,” Gabriel Feltz said.

In preparing this composition, Feltz has used a musical-architectural study by his colleague Benjamin Zander, in which all the elements of a Gothic cathedral, from the entrance to the altar, are identified with a slow introduction into the symphony down to the magnificent double fugue and the unforgettable coda that represents a powerful and exciting ending to an exceptional piece.

Bruckner was also one of the most faithful followers of Ludwig van Beethoven, whose Consecration of the House Overture precedes Bruckner’s symphony.

One hundred standing tickets will be on sale at the Kolarac Box Office from 7:00 p.m., one hour before the concert.