Bruckner

by Derek Watson

Anton Bruckner's nine symphonies are a great achievement of the Romantic era, distinguished by their individuality and their intimation of a deeply spiritual nature. Widely mislabeled as a composer of 'Wagnerian' symphonies, Bruckner in fact developed a musical style completely distinct from Wagner's, even though he worshipped the older composer and admired his music passionately. He is often paired with Mahler, whom he influenced; both composers wrote symphonies of extravagant length, which really began to find a worldwide audience in the 1950s with the availability of long-playing records. On the personal level, Bruckner's life was in some ways a study in unhappiness. But the center of Bruckner's personality was surely his deep religious faith, reflected in his music and its range of emotions from terror to ecstasy. First published in 1975, Derek Watson's biography of Bruckner has been thoroughly revised and the discussion of the music significantly expanded in this new edition.