News Release
The Cleveland Orchestra and Music Director
Franz Welser-Möst’s live recording of
Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7 to be released on DVD
Recorded at Severance Hall in September 2008
Release is third Bruckner DVD by Franz Welser-Möst and The Cleveland Orchestra
CLEVELAND, October 26, 2009 – The Cleveland Orchestra and Music Director Franz Welser-Möst’s live recording of Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7 will be available on DVD on October 27 in the United States. The DVD release coincides with the Orchestra’s European tour and its return appearance on November 3 to the Brucknerhaus in Linz, which is named for the Austrian composer. Recorded by WVIZ/PBS ideastream® at the Orchestra’s home, Severance Hall in Cleveland, during subscription concerts on September 25 and 26, 2008, the Bruckner 7 recording is the third Bruckner DVD featuring the Orchestra and Franz Welser-Möst.
Clasart produced the recording, which will be distributed by Arthaus. The Cleveland Orchestra and Clasart have had a long-term partnership resulting in all three Bruckner DVDs. The Cleveland Orchestra acknowledges both Raiffeisenlandesbank Oberösterreich and Clasart for their generous support of the DVD release.
The new DVD represents an ongoing collaboration with WVIZ/PBS ideastream. On June 11, 2008, PBS broadcast “The Cleveland Orchestra in Performance: Bruckner Symphony No. 5,” recorded in the Abbey of St. Florian in Linz, Austria, by Clasart and produced for U.S. broadcast by WVIZ/PBS. For 15 years, WVIZ/PBS has been the video production partner for The Cleveland Orchestra’s annual “Star-Spangled Spectacular Concert and Festival” at Public Square in downtown Cleveland.
Born in Linz, Austria, Franz Welser-Möst often performs and records the music of Austrian composer Anton Bruckner – who famously served as organist at the Abbey of St. Florian, just outside Linz. Mr. Welser-Möst has led The Cleveland Orchestra in video recordings of live performances of Bruckner symphonies made in other historic concert venues in addition to Severance Hall: Symphony No. 5 in the Abbey of St. Florian, and Symphony No. 9 in Vienna’s Musikverein. During the 2009-10 season, The Cleveland Orchestra will perform Bruckner’s Symphony No. 8 under the direction of Mr. Welser-Möst.
The release of the Bruckner DVD continues The Cleveland Orchestra’s expanded electronic media presence under Franz Welser-Möst’s music directorship. In September, Decca released a recording featuring Mitsuko Uchida and the Orchestra performing Mozart. This season, the Orchestra is making an all-Wagner recording for Deutsche Grammophon as part of a multi-disc recording project.
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The Cleveland Orchestra has received eight Grammy Awards and 31 Grammy nominations. In addition to recordings released on commercial labels, The Cleveland Orchestra has itself produced five sets of archival recordings: the 75th Anniversary Compact Disc Edition, the George Szell Centennial Compact Disc Edition, the Christoph von Dohnányi Compact Disc Edition, George Szell – Live in Tokyo 1970 (Szell’s last recorded concert), and the Robert Shaw Legacy Compact Disc Edition.
Throughout his career, Franz Welser-Möst has made numerous critically acclaimed recordings. His recording of Franz Schmidt’s Symphony No. 4 won a Gramophone Award for Best Orchestral Recording. More recent releases include HK Gruber’s Frankenstein!!, Schmidt’s The Book of the Seven Seals, and the world-premiere recording of Johann Strauss Jr.’s Simplicius with the Zurich Opera Orchestra, which won the Deutsche Schallplattenpreis. In addition to audio recordings, Mr. Welser-Möst has an extensive number of DVD releases with the Zurich Opera. His DVD recording of Richard Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier with the Zurich Opera won a 2005 Diapason d’Or award.
Bruckner Symphony No. 7
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, Conductor
Recorded live at Severance Hall, Cleveland, September 25 and 26, 2008
ANTON BRUCKNER (1824-1896) Symphony No. 7
Barcode (UPC-A): 807280148190
Catalog number: 101 481
View a preview of the DVD on the Orchestra’s YouTube Channel.
Media Contacts: Ana Papakhian, (216) 231-7476 or anap@clevelandorchestra.com; or
Jennifer Schlosser, (216) 231-7518 or jschlosser@clevelandorchestra.com
