The 2024 International Brucknerfest Linz opens today in Linz, Austria, celebrating the 200th anniversary of Bruckner’s birth with a special performance of the Cleveland Orchestra conducted by Franz Welser-Möst.
Held annually since 1977, the Brucknerfest celebrates Bruckner’s life and music in the city he was most associated with other than Vienna. Bruckner was born in Ansfelden outside Linz on Sept. 4, 1824, and spent much of his life in Sankt Florian, 10 miles away, where he was a choirboy and later a teacher and organist.
Welser-Möst, who is also Austrian, will lead the Cleveland Orchestra in an open-air concert in Ansfelden. The concert features Bruckner’s Fourth Symphony, which will also be broadcast to Donaupark Linz in front of the Brucknerhaus, the concert hall and festival’s organizer.
In addition to the Cleveland Orchestra, the Brucknerfest has planned 24 hours of continuous events in honor of the composer’s bicentennial, including brass ensembles, organ recitals, dance performances, guided tours, and more.
The Brucknerfest runs through Oct. 11, concluding with a performance of Bruckner’s Eighth Symphony by Bruckner Orchester Linz and conductor Markus Poschner.
