__________________________
Anton Bruckner (* Sept. 4, 1824, Ansfelden/Linz; + Oct. 11, 1896, Vienna):
Symphony No. 9 in D minor (1887 – 1896; unfinished – there exist only loose fragments for the fourth finale movement.)
I. Feierlich, misterioso (starts at 0:37)
II. Scherzo: Bewegt, lebhaft – Trio: Schnell (starts at 24:15)
III. Adagio: Langsam, feierlich (starts at 34:39)
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Sir Georg Solti, conductor
Recorded at Orchestra Hall, Chicago,
Sept., Oct. 1985
Released at Decca in 1986: http://www.amazon.com/Bruckner-Symphony-Chicago-Orchestra-Georg/dp/B00000E38J
(Or order the complete Bruckner Symphonies, including Symphony No. “0”, with Sir Georg Solti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra here: http://www.amazon.com/Bruckner-The-Symphonies-Complete-Anton/dp/B0000042ED/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top)
__________________________
From the CD-booklet (by British musician, writer, and translator, Andrew Huth):
“Bruckner began his Ninth Symphony in August 1887, only two days after completing the original version of the Eighth. By November 1894 the first movement, Scherzo and Adagio were ready in a fair copy of the score which shows no trace of doubt or hesitation. For the finale, however, all that exists is a mass of drafts and unconnected sketches whose incoherence shows only too clearly the effects of the physical and mental illnesses that darkened the remaining two years of the composer’s life. […]” –
(Read Andrew Huth’s full analysis here: http://thecontemplativeobserver.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/andrew-huth-discusses-bruckners-9th-symphony1.doc)
_________________________
Bruckner on his composing style: “They want me to write differently. Certainly I could, but I must not. God has chosen me from thousands and given me, of all people, this talent. It is to Him that I must give account. How then would I stand there before Almighty God, if I followed the others and not Him?”
Bruckner commenting, late in his life, on the infamous anti-Wagnerite critic and Brahms partisan, Eduard Hanslick: “I guess Hanslick understands as little about Brahms as about Wagner, me, and others. And the Doctor Hanslick knows as much about counterpoint as a chimney sweep about astronomy.”
_________________________
Expressions by others on Anton Bruckner:
“Half simpleton, half god.” (Gustav Mahler)
“I know of only one who may be compared to Beethoven, and he is Bruckner.” (Richard Wagner)
“Bruckner’s music has no need to go anywhere, no need to find a point of arrival, because it is already there.” (Deryck Cooke, musicologist)
“Bruckner does not seek God; he has found Him. He is content to praise God; then, his devotions over, he enjoys the ‘Heimat’ of his Scherzo, which he does heartily, not like Mahler, looking back nostalgically to a lost innocence and world of ‘Wunderhorn’.” (Neville Cardus: Composers Eleven)
“Although many of the anecdotes about his naivete and self-effacement can be dismissed as ‘petite histoire’, his deep humility, piety, and personal integrity made him the most noble figure of nineteenth-century music.” (Rey M. Longyear: Nineteenth Century Romanticism in Music)
“Throughout his trials, Bruckner was sustained by his profound Catholic faith. So devout was he that students recalled his interrupting classes to kneel at the sound of the Angelus bell from nearby St. Stefan’s Cathedral. He touchingly dedicated his Ninth Symphony “To my dear God.” (Baltimore Symphony Orchestra program notes)
_________________________
Two excellent feature articles on Anton Bruckner:
“Anton Bruckner: Childhood and Life”: http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/anton-bruckner-405.php
“Anton Bruckner: The Devout Catholic and Great Symphonist”: http://socrates58.blogspot.co.at/2007/04/anton-bruckner-devout-catholic-and.html
_________________________
Book recommendations:
Werner Wolff: “Anton Bruckner: Rustic Genius”: http://www.amazon.com/Anton-Bruckner-Rustic-Genius-Werner/dp/1174793155
Constantin Floros: “Anton Bruckner: The Man and the Work”: http://www.amazon.com/Anton-Bruckner-Translated-Ernest-Bernhardt-Kabisch/dp/363161439X/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=16TFHPF113HD8PC6F17M
Crawford Howie: “Perspectives on Anton Bruckner”: http://www.amazon.com/Perspectives-Anton-Bruckner-Crawford-Howie/dp/0754601102
Rudolf Louis: “Anton Bruckner”: http://www.amazon.com/Anton-Bruckner-Rudolf-Louis/dp/1436779707
__________________________
Read reviews on Solti’s Bruckner interpretations here: http://www.amazon.com/Bruckner-The-Symphonies-Complete-Anton/product-reviews/B0000042ED/ref=cm_cr_dp_see_all_summary?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&sortBy=byRankDescending
Watch the fascinating BBC documentary on the life of Sir Georg Solti titled “Maestro or Mephisto? The Real Georg Solti” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2O-ClNBcZF0
__________________________