As a masterful architect of music, Kazushi Ono eagerly navigates the symphonic cathedrals of Anton Bruckner—each one an impressive behemoth. The Seventh Symphony stands out as the most glorious of them all, a score that rivals the likes of Notre-Dame, Westminster Abbey, or the Cologne Cathedral.

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This monumental work is awe-inspiring and deeply moving, spectacular yet profound. From the divine strings in the opening measures to the brilliant timbre of the rarely used Wagner tubas, culminating in the magnificent tutti of the finale, Bruckner’s Seventh Symphony is a heartfelt farewell to Wagner, whom he greatly admired and who passed away while he was composing the piece.

At the age of 60, this work finally brought him the long-awaited international breakthrough, becoming his most popular symphony. Not only due to its opening theme, but especially because of the stunning slow movement: the adagio, which he composed as a tribute to Wagner, overwhelmed by sorrow at his death.