.jpg)
1824 - 1896
Anton Bruckner was a famed Austrian symphonist. He was a noted organist before he officially studied composition. As I understand it, he was an excellent student in anything he put his mind towards.
Some say to hear a Bruckner symphony is for 'mortal man to touch the foot of God'. Indeed, the composer's symphonic output is made of works with immense proportions, both in length and in orchestration. Some coined his symphonies as 'cathedrals of sound'. To my mind, such a sobriquet is due to Bruckner's knowledge of the pipe organ transferred to the orchestra. The composer was also a devout catholic, so there could very well be a spiritual factor to his symphonic creations as well.
There are many ways to perform the symphonies of Bruckner. Ones who prefer spiritualized orbital majesty take an organic approach, with seamless transitions and slower tempos, building the sound of the orchestra from deep within. On the other hand, some prefer swifter tempos and harder gear changes to goose the inherent excitement contained in the pages of the score. Of course, there is every variation in between the two styles, offering a Bruckner symphony for every taste.
I mention the symphonies first, but to tell the truth, it was Bruckner's a cappella choral music to which I was first introduced to the composer. If the symphonies are 'to touch the foot of God', then his motets, especially the later ones, are 'to be placed upon the gilt-lined clouds of the heavens themselves'. Bruckner looks back to the polyphony of Palestrina to inform his choral music. Yet, the composer ventures further afield, adding to the Italian Renaissance master's clear, easy choral writing, in a further harmonic manner.
Bruckner's music inhabits a rather Teutonic musical style; usually massive in scale and with great portent. This sound can easily be heard in his many orchestrated Masses, Requiem, Psalms, etc. as well.
And yet, I think his enduring legacy will be the symphonies. I, however, tire of the endless editions of each symphony. Haas, Nowak, Carragan, and others all contributed revised editions, and often multiple versions of the same symphony from each of them on top of that. I personally don't care in this regard, as long as the music is played and recorded well. Unfortunately, many have strong feelings about how Bruckner should be played and from which edition. Do I dare attempt to add my two cents?
Recordings and reviews currently on hand
(Click orange links to visit a musing):
1991: Missa Solemnis & Psalms
1996: Symphonies (Solti)
2002: Rondo in C minor
2005: String Quartet & Quintet
2009: Symphonies (Karajan)
2012: Helgoland
2012: Secular Choral Music
2015: Symphony 0
2016: Symphony 00
2016: Masses & Sacred Music
2016: Intermezzo
2019: Requiem
2020: Choral Music
Recording Round-up
• Orchestral Music Roundup
• Chamber Music Roundup
Symphony Pages
Symphony 00
Symphony 0
Symphony 1
Symphony 2
Symphony 3
Symphony 4
Symphony 5
Symphony 6
Symphony 7
Symphony 8
Symphony 9
I hope to cover more recordings of Bruckner in the future. For now, I offer those from Karajan and Solti first, at least until The Oozy Channel Keep can get further underway.
Why these two? Well, Karajan is often considered one of the finest Bruckner-ians, if not the finest; especially of his particular approach to the composer. Solti represents the opposite of Karajan, so I added him for fun, even if he isn't considered a particularly respected Bruckner conductor by the masses.
Thanks to the Bruckner Archive for having a whole lot of information regarding things I have little knowledge of.
Plus, MusicWeb International has wonderful resources surrounding Bruckner, especially from their contributor Ralph Moore, a writer for the Bruckner Journal.
And of course, Ser Bernard Michael O'Hanlon, who has a special love and knowledge of Karajan in Bruckner specifically.