《Symphony No. 5》

In this work, a staple of the orchestral repertoire, the composer sought to convey the idea of the Reformation in symphonic terms. The resulting masterpiece magnificently captures both the joy and the suffering implicit in the subject, building to a powerful finale including variations on Luther’s confessional chorale Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott. The symphony is reprinted here from the authoritative Breitkopf & Härtel edition.