The Eight Symphony A monument carved from musical tones

With its majestic themes soaring upwards like gothic pillars and its brilliant chorales and fanfares glowing like stained glass windows, Anton Bruckners Symphony No. 8 is the most monumental of his orchestral works, a cathedral in sound that grows out of pianissimo murmurs. Coming after the triumphs celebrated by the composers Seventh Symphony and Te Deum, the Eight was considered by Bruckner as the artistic climax of his career. Clevelands Severance Hall is the venue for this performance. This hall, an eclectic yet elegant mix of Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Classicism, Egyptian Revival and Modernism was inaugurated in 1931 and is still hailed today as one of the worlds most beautiful concert halls. The Cleveland Orchestra, founded in 1918, began its ascent to the upper ranks of the worlds ensembles after it moved to Severance Hall in 1931. ~ BONUS: Pre-concert talk with Dee Perry and Franz Welser-Most