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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)
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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)
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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."
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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)
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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
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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
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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
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- published: 06 May 2014
- views: 5480