At the helm of the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, Herbert Blomstedt will be celebrating his 90th birthday in July 2017 with performances of Bruckner’s Fifth Symphony. Six months later, the old master, still very much young at heart, returns to the rostrum in the Elbphilharmonie. In addition to Mozart’s great Symphony in E flat major, as an experienced Bruckner interpreter he has placed the latter’s Third Symphony on the programme this time.Bruckner dedicated his third essay in the symphonic genre to »the master of all masters«, by which he meant Richard Wagner. But the many passages in the score borrowed from Wagner bothered the Vienna audience so much that the 1877 premiere turned into a fiasco. Only after several revisions did Bruckner enjoy success, and that has remained his ever since: performances of his symphonies, especially when given by Blomstedt and the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, are among the highlights in the concert calendar. read less