Bruckner used to sell pain-killing drug

It appears that the CBS recording of the Bruckner Symphony No. 3 with Rafael Kubelik and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra was used by a Netherlands-based drug company to promote their drug MS-Contin to physicians. The CD was part of a series of recordings entitled "Gekwelde componisten" (Tormented composers) given out to physicians as part of a drug marketing strategy.

I suspect that Bruckner could surely have wanted this drug after the disastrous premiere of his Third Symphony.

The CD was issued by CBS Special Products in 1991. Catalog number LSP 46704. On the CD it states, "Aangeboden door DAGRA Dagra Pharma, de fabricant van MS Contin (R)."

A little research uncovered that another work in this "Tormented composers" series of CDs was the Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2.

MS CONTIN is a controlled-release tablet containing morphine sulfate. Morphine is released from MS CONTIN somewhat more slowly than from conventional oral preparations.

My thanks to Elmer Ysebaert for providing this information.