Anton Bruckner: Misfit and Mystic celebrates the 200th anniversary of the Austrian composer in a performance of some of his greatest sacred works, including the remarkable Mass in E minor and a selection of his well-known motets.

Whilst most audiences only know Bruckner through his monumental symphonies, his sacred music is in a class of its own, and represents the true heart of this great composer. The Mass in E minor was written for eight-part choir to mark the dedication of the Votive Chapel in Linz Cathedral, and is unusual in that it has no soloists, and features what is probably the most bizarre combination of instruments for a sacred mass – a wind and brass ensemble. Dramatic, lyrical and with glorious harmonies, the work is one of Bruckner’s greatest achievements. The Choir will also be singing some of his sublime unaccompanied motets, including the popular Locus Iste, as well as some of Bruckner’s highly dramatic motets with brass accompaniment.

The concert is titled ‘Anton Bruckner: Mystic and Misfit’ and traces 25 years of his development. During his lifetime, Bruckner was regarded as an outsider: socially naïve, deferential to authority, and from a provincial background that did not sit well with the lives of his sophisticated fellow composers. But he was also a devout Catholic, and the works being performed demonstrate a beauty, simplicity and sensitivity to the words in direct contrast to the more grandiose settings of his contemporaries.

This concert is the first of the Choir’s 2024-25 series of concerts, St George’s Singers, Poynton @ St George’s Church, Stockport, and the splendid surroundings of the ‘Cathedral on the A6’ will prove an ideal venue for this glorious music.