Jukka-Pekka Saraste
Mari Eriksmoen Ludvig Irgens-Jensen
Anton Bruckner

Ludvig Irgens-Jensen (1894–1969) grew up in Oslo and made his debut as a composer in 1920 with the publication of 38 Songs, which included the song cycle Japanischer Frühling. The texts were taken from a collection of Asian poetry translated into German by Hans Bethge, whose work also inspired composers such as Gustav Mahler, Richard Strauss, and many others.

Originally composed for voice and piano, Japanischer Frühling was later revisited by Irgens-Jensen in the 1950s, when he created an orchestral version. Completed in 1957, it became one of his most well-known works. With its rich orchestral colors and melodic inventiveness, Japanischer Frühling evokes comparisons to Gustav Mahler’s orchestral songs.

Anton Bruckner (1824–1896) began working on Symphony No. 8 in 1884, the same year his seventh symphony brought him international recognition. Over the following years, he devoted much time to revising both the eighth symphony and several of his earlier works. It was not until 1892 that the eighth symphony received its premiere in Vienna, where Bruckner had faced many challenges on his path to success.

With an enormous expressive range, Symphony No. 8 moves from ecstatic fanfares to profoundly dark depths. The Adagio, forming the third movement, is the longest movement in Bruckner’s longest symphony. The driving introduction to the fourth movement foreshadows the sound of 20th-century film music and is said to have been inspired by a visit from Cossacks to the Emperor in Vienna.