Tackling a serious gap in my musical knowledge

[Brassbandmaestro]

I have Abbado in Berlioz's Te Deum and Jochum in Bruckner's What pieces are therse!! Stupendous! I will have a look at that Hyperion recording of the Bruckner!

[Roehre]

I don't honestly see what Bruckner's Catholicism had to do with his ability and genius as a composer?

SC, His Catholicism obviously hasn't got anything to do with his abilities as composer.
But it has defined his career nearly exclusively until his late 30s (by the choice of what to compose), and continued to influence it later.

He loved dancing, played the fiddle in pubs, was suspended from teaching in a girls' school for 'inappropriate remarks', and from all accounts could eat and drink copiously when in the company of his circle of friends and supporters. That doesn't quite fit the image of a prayerful, repressed and lonely figure that is normally presented to us.

Here we have (again) two sides of the person Bruckner - not mutually excluding each other.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Err ... yep: at least ten recordings of the f minor Mass currently available.

I don't quite understand why people should turn up in their droves for Bruckner's choral works in the same way as they do for the symphonies ...

But I don't understand why anyone who relishes/adores/enjoys the Symphonies shouldn't be at least just a teensy-bit curious to hear what his Masses sound like. I suspect they are, it's just that concert promoters and choral directors haven't cottoned on to this potential audience.

(Roehre: Yes, there is a comparable situation with recordings of the glorious Schubert Masses. )

(Mr Pee: thanks for the Best/Hyperion "nudge": more expense, but I shall be considerably wealthier as a result! )

[Sir Velo]

Lots of helpful advice for me to read through. Perhaps I should go out a buy a copy of No1 and No4! There's something about going through the cycle from beginning to end which appeals, but No4 sounds special. Can I think back half a century and remember how I experienced the Beethoven cycle first? Certainly not beginning with 1! Yet, with Mahler, having first heard some big Prom performances of the giants of the cycle, (like No8 in about 1971), I set about them more or less chronologically.

Thanks to everyone.

What if I hate them! But, I suppose that if I like Brahms and I like Mahler, Bruckner should appeal too.

Given Bruckner is currently COTW, I was reminded of this thread. Would VodkaDilc care to enlighten us as to whether he is now a fully-fledged Brucknerphile, or as Peter Stadler declared, is he bored by Bruckner? Moreover, it would be interesting to know where the symphonic journey started and how you would now recommend other fledgling Bruckner neophytes to start?

[salymap]

I'm sure I posted on this but can't find it. This will shock the musical elite but I heard either Bruckner 00 or 0 symphonies and it recalled Bernard Hermann's music for 'North by North West' Someone I spoke to ages ago on the oldboards agreed with me, it'sthe scherzos that I can remember mostly. I have all the numbered symphnies now in very old recordings, Furtwangler, etc but afraid he will never be one of my chosen composers. PerhapsI found him too late for me.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I posted this lovely Brucknerian moment on another Thread this morning. Dedicated to sals here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydyt-g2yajc

[antongould]

I'm sure I posted on this but can't find it. This will shock the musical elite but I heard either Bruckner 00 or 0 symphonies and it recalled Bernard Hermann's music for 'North by North West' Someone I spoke to ages ago on the oldboards agreed with me, it'sthe scherzos that I can remember mostly. I have all the numbered symphnies now in very old recordings, Furtwangler, etc but afraid he will never be one of my chosen composers. PerhapsI found him too late for me.

Is this the lady, who seemingly I have to call salymap, who recently voted for Bruckner 8 as the best 8th in the world?

[salymap]

I posted this lovely Brucknerian moment on another Thread this morning. Dedicated to sals here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydyt-g2yajc

Thanks ferney, yes that was lovely.

[salymap]

Is this the lady, who seemingly I have to call salymap, who recently voted for Bruckner 8 as the best 8th in the world?

Must have been Lady Sidcup