Nikolaus Harnoncourt first appeared with the Concertgebouw Orchestra in 1975. His interpretations have contributed greatly to its performance tradition of Bach’s 'St Matthew' and 'St John' Passions. Over the years, he steadily expanded his repertoire of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert to include Schumann, Brahms, Dvorák, Smetana and Bruckner.

He was appointed honorary guest conductor of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in October 2000. With the exceptional performance on this DVD, Mr Harnoncourt bid farewell to the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra after a collaboration spanning 38 years and 276 concerts.

"Few Bruckner symphonies have conveyed so strongly the turmoil in the timid, uncertain composer's brain circa 1875…" - Guido van Oorschot, Volkskrant

"A Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in top shape turned Bruckner into a composer with a modern approach to form... but nowhere did the music become sluggish or long-winded, and catholic sentimentality was kept at a safe distance…" - Roeland Hazendonk, Het Parool