Under the baton of conductor Lyu Jia, the China NCPA Orchestra stages Bruckner's fourth symphony at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing on Sept 22.[Photo provided to China Daily]
For conductor Lyu Jia, the music of Austrian composer Anton Bruckner is more than just a series of symphonic works — it is a journey into the depths of human emotion and spiritual grandeur.
As the music director of the China NCPA Orchestra, Lyu has been exploring Bruckner's monumental symphonies over the years, which have become a defining chapter in his artistic career. Under his baton, the orchestra has embarked on a pioneering mission to record the composer's complete symphonies, culminating in the release of Bruckner Symphonies Nos 1 to 9, marking a major milestone in the orchestra's history.
This release, which spans the composer's symphonic masterworks, is the first of its kind — a Chinese symphony orchestra led by one conductor in the complete recording of Bruckner's symphonies. It was announced on Dec 22 last year, when the National Centre for the Performing Arts celebrated its 17th birthday.
"It is not only a musical achievement but a symbolic gesture of China's growing stature on the global classical music stage," says Ren Xiaolong, the general manager of the China NCPA Orchestra. The release is in conjunction with the 200th anniversary of Bruckner's birth in 2024, a momentous occasion that underscores the universal relevance of his music — now enriched with a distinctive Chinese perspective.
"The completion of Bruckner's nine symphonies represents a monumental achievement for the China NCPA Orchestra. Since its birth nearly 15 years ago, this project has served as a significant milestone in the orchestra's artistic evolution," Ren says. "For the orchestra, it is both a celebration of its collective growth and an artistic challenge that has pushed its abilities to new heights."
Lyu conducts Bruckner's works at the NCPA venue.[Photo provided to China Daily]
"As China's classical music scene continues to mature, this release represents a crucial intersection between the rich traditions of the West and the emerging dynamism of Chinese musical culture, ensuring Bruckner's symphonies will continue to inspire and captivate audiences for generations to come," he notes.
The orchestra was launched in March 2010 to meet the demands of its busy schedule at the national center, which opened in 2007. It became the first theater in China to have a resident orchestra drawn from all over the world.
Invited to take up the position by Chen Zuohuang, the founding music director of the national center, Lyu returned to his home country and joined the theater after living and working in Europe for about two decades.
Lyu's relationship with Bruckner's music is built on admiration for its vast, profound nature. He describes the composer's symphonies as the "pinnacle of Romanticism". These works, with their complex emotional landscapes, have long captivated Lyu, who feels a deep resonance with the spiritual and philosophical dimensions of the composer's music.
"This is not a casual musical project for me. It is an exploration into the essence of human emotion, where strength and fragility coexist, and where the grand expressions of human thought and belief are translated into sound," Lyu says.
The recording of Bruckner's nine symphonies is also the culmination of over 10 years of collaborating with the orchestra, Lyu says, who witnessed its growth from a young, inexperienced orchestra to a mature ensemble with its own style.
"Only through the accumulation of time could we complete this recording," he says, adding that this release is also an important birthday gift for him as he turned 60 last year.
Lyu conducts Bruckner's works at the NCPA venue.[Photo provided to China Daily]
The orchestra's journey with Bruckner began in 2016 when the musicians first performed his symphonies in concerts. At the time, Bruckner was considered a "ticket killer" in China, with audiences less familiar and less enthusiastic about his expansive symphonic works, Lyu recalls.
However, under Lyu's leadership, this perception has shifted considerably. Today, Bruckner's symphonies have become a central part of the orchestra's repertoire, and their performances have attracted growing audiences. In fact, the average attendance rate for the composer's symphonic concerts has increased from 70 percent in 2016 to 85 percent last year, a clear sign of the growing maturity in China's classical music audiences, according to the national center.
Recording all nine symphonies represents a grand artistic endeavor, as each symphony has distinctive qualities and challenges, ranging from the monumental Symphony No 8 to the more intimate and introspective Symphony No 7. The complete cycle offers listeners an opportunity to appreciate the evolution of the composer's symphonic style over several decades. From the youthful and energetic Symphony No 1 to the more mature and philosophical Symphony No 9, the cycle reflects a musical journey that spans emotional depth, harmonic innovation and orchestral mastery.
"Our job is not to simply re-create the notes on the page but to bring the emotional weight and philosophical depth of the music to life," says Lyu, who led the orchestra to stage 25 concerts since 2021 with the title The Bruckner Ciphers, featuring all of the composer's symphonies.
Tempo and pacing can be tricky in Bruckner's music, where the gradual building of tension and emotion is key, the conductor notes. If the tempo is too fast, the emotional impact may be lost; too slow, and the music risks becoming stagnant or overly ponderous. Achieving the right tempo for each movement and between movements is critical.
These symphonies are long — some can last over an hour and a half. Maintaining the emotional intensity and physical stamina required for such long works in the recording studio can be exhausting. A full cycle of the composer's symphonies requires not just technical precision but also emotional endurance over many days or weeks of recording sessions.
"The NCPA orchestra delivers a thoroughly satisfying account of a Bruckner symphony; this set is proving to be one of the high points of the bicentenary," wrote music critic Ralph Moore on the website MusicWeb International.
