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It's all about the music, dude! Sit down, relax and listen to some tunes.

RE: I'm fascinated that your wife likes Bruckner

"My wife lumps him in with Berlioz in the 'blaring brass' category, and so, consequently, can't stand his symphonies at all"

Of all the composers I've taken a liking to, Bruckner may have had the longest learning curve of all...... With a LOT of frustration along that journey. (At times, I almost gave up on this composer.) But I think I was fortunate to hear a few performances that made me realize that Bruckner was a lot more than what I once thought was merely "practice drills for orchestra"..........

I once had a total misunderstanding of Bruckner........ At first I thought "volume in the brass" was what this composer was all about...... Until maybe a year ago, discovering Sergiu Celibidache and came to the realization that melodic lyricism is what makes this composer interesting....... Dynamic control throughout the entire orchestra enables the intoxicating harmonic flavors to be heard, along with the main melodies, helping the listener better understand the composer's intentions........ When those harmonic flavors are heard and played in a lyrical manner, the music takes on a totally different character.

And often "blaring brass", which initially sounds impressive with Bruckner, is the most common failing in regard to obscuring these intoxicating harmonies. (In such cases, the music becomes "monotone" in character. The very Bruckner that strikes people cold.) The brass dynamics must be in control for this music to sing. Loud is OK, but as long as the sections are balanced and dynamics are disciplined.

Another common failing with Bruckner is loss of sustained melodic/harmonic lines, which can also obscure the harmonic palette. The musicians need to play with a lot of discipline. The music done well often takes on the character of a "solemn religious hymn"- The brass almost sounds like a pipe organ, the strings almost sound like a "choir".

Only few conductors do it for me with Bruckner....... My three favorites are Celibidache, Gunter Wand, and Herbert Blomstedt.



Edits: 07/06/12

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