Anton Bruckner: Persönlichkeit und Werk

by Constantin Floros

While unappreciated and controversial during most of his life, Anton Bruckner is today regarded as the greatest symphonist between Beethoven and Gustav Mahler - in terms of originality, boldness and monumentality of his music. The image of Bruckner the man, however, is still extreme instance of the tenacious power of prejudice. No less a figure than Gustav Mahler coined the aper�u about Bruckner being �a simpleton - half genius, half imbecile�. The author is out to correct that misperception. His thesis in this study is that contrary to what has hitherto been asserted, there is an intimate relation between Bruckner's sacred music and his symphonies from multiple perspectives: biographical data, sources and influences, the psychology of creation, musical structure, contemporary testimony and reception history. Additional chapters assess important Bruckner recordings and interpreters and the progressiveness of his music.

293 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Bruckner’s many-sided symphonies are like a cosmos in which the temporal and religious can be found beside each other; the profane and sacred.”

Listening to Bruckner evokes every emotion and mood. When I think of the many symphonic composers I like—including Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Richard Strauss, Mahler, Sibelius, Nielson, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, and even Vanhal, Dvorak, Arensky, Copland and Daugherty—I always come back to Bruckner when I crave substance and modernity. His life may have been relatively uninspiring, but his work, as Floros emphasizes in this book, is an unrivaled musical language, perhaps even a mystical language that will resonate through the ages. That is quite a legacy; a vital contribution to humanity which, taken alone, should make Bruckner interesting.

Anton Bruckner is generally considered to be, along with Beethoven and Mahler, among the most influential of all the symphonic composers. His life’s story is not particularly interesting—he was a loner, socially awkward, seemingly not particularly intellectually curious or articulate, and a frustrated, life-long bachelor who died at age 72. Additionally, he suffered from occasional bouts of paranoia and self-pity which were sometimes justified because of the constant negative reviews by influential Viennese music critic Eduard Hanslick and Johannes Brahms, who thought little of Bruckner.

Bruckner didn’t write his 1st symphony until he was 40, which is late compared to other great composers. He first achieved widespread respect and acknowledgement after performances of his 7th symphony when he was 61. Bruckner was greatly influenced by Liszt, Beethoven, Schubert and, most importantly, Wagner. He dedicated his 4th symphony to Wagner and the adagio of the seventh was inspired by the news of Wagner’s death. (Hanslick’s gratuitously vicious review of the 7th opened the eyes of many to his previous petty vindictiveness toward Bruckner.) But, with a renowned reputation as a music teacher, many of his former students became leading conductors and were largely responsible for making his works known. Mahler was a great admirer and promoter of Bruckner’s symphonies.

Later music historians attributed the source of Bruckner’s majestic music to some “mystical” inspiration deep within him. Floros writes convincingly that Bruckner was, indeed, motivated by a deep religiosity through which was why he believed he was put on earth: to fulfill a divine mission and that God somehow inspired his gift to compose music. He felt he had a deep personal responsibility to fulfill those motivations. He even attributed the inspiration and pressure to compose his 8th symphony to a spiritual vision that was “dictated” to him.

Bruckner’s stature today is largely due to the conductors Günter Wand, Eugen Jochum and Sergiu Celibidache. Floros describes how Bruckner was brought out of relative obscurity thanks to their championing of his music. While Wand focused on religiosity, Jochum on mysticism, and Celibidache on slower tempos, each contributed to our modern understanding of Bruckner. Today no less than a dozen versions of Bruckner’s complete symphonies led by conductors including Karajan, Böhm, Solti, Haitink, Giulini, Barenboim, Inabel and, of course, Wand, Jochum and Celibidache are available.

Floros, an accomplished academic, provides a number of comparative examples of Bruckner’s music with their inspirations that should be helpful to any serious student of composition. In the conclusion Floros cites a Bruckner quote that helps explain his impact and why his music resonates today as both modern and relevant: “Because the state of the world, seen spiritually, is weak, I flee to strength and write powerful music.” („Weil die Weltlage, geistig gesehen, Schwäche ist, flüchte ich zur Stärke und schreibe kraftvolle Musik.”)

[Serra İnderim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite its limitations, the book remains a worthwhile read for admirers of Bruckner's pathos-laden musical repertoire. I think that there still remains a need for a more comprehensive biography that delves deeper into Bruckner's life and works, akin to the monumental volumes dedicated to other composers like Mahler. Bruckner, whom I believe him to be the greatest composer of symphony since Beethoven, merits such an endeavor, with a thorough examination of his contributions to the genre deserving at least a substantial 500 pages

The musical analysis provided by Floros is commendable, complementing well with Simpson's work on Bruckner's symphonies. However, authors’s assessment about the Bruckner conductors may stir some debate. I would argue in favor of Furtwängler's interpretations or even the performances by lesser-known conductors like Jascha instead of Jochum, Wand, and Celibidache.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14827559