Fischer: The Life of Anton Bruckner

Anton Bruckner (4 September 1824 – 11 October 1896) was an Austrian composer known for his symphonies, masses, and motets. The first are considered emblematic of the final stage of Austro-German Romanticism because of their rich harmonic language, strongly polyphonic character, and considerable length. Bruckner's compositions helped to define contemporary musical radicalism, owing to their dissonances, unprepared modulations, and roving harmonies.

Unlike other musical radicals, such as Richard Wagner or Hugo Wolf who fit the enfant terrible mould, Bruckner showed extreme humility before other musicians, Wagner in particular. This apparent dichotomy between Bruckner the man and Bruckner the composer hampers efforts to describe his life in a way that gives a straightforward context for his music.

His works, the symphonies in particular, had detractors, most notably the influential Austrian critic Eduard Hanslick, and other supporters of Johannes Brahms (and detractors of Wagner), who pointed to their large size, use of repetition, and Bruckner's propensity to revise many of his works, often with the assistance of colleagues, and his apparent indecision about which versions he preferred. On the other hand, Bruckner was greatly admired by subsequent composers, including his friend Gustav Mahler, who described him as "half simpleton, half God."

【古風按】聽過無數的交響樂後，古風打心底最珍愛安東·布魯克納（1824-1896）的幾首不朽的作品：《第八交響曲》、《第四交響曲》、《第七交響曲》、《第六交響曲》、《第九交響曲》和《第五交響曲》。其中，布魯克納的《第八交響曲》是後浪漫主義經典音樂的巔峰之作，從它問世後直到現在，再也沒有任何交響曲能與之比肩了。

初聽布魯克納，很多人會覺得他的11部交響曲（00和0-9）好像是同一首交響曲重複了11次！哈哈……這其實是因為聽者的賞鑒力不足導致的一個誤讀，也是由於現代社會浮躁的人文環境引發的心理偏差的一種具體表現。若聽者能夠不為初次聽聞的負麵感觀所動，隻要繼續堅持聽下去，過不了多久，布魯克納音樂的美就會開始自動浮現出來。布魯克納的音樂到底美在何處呢？古風自己的心靈覺受顯示出：布魯克納的音樂勾畫出了整個宇宙的絕美結構，其堅如磐石般的音流似乎把天堂裏的瓊樓玉宇拉到了人間。布魯克納的音樂造詣猶如約翰·塞巴斯蒂安·巴赫（Johann Sebastian Bach，1685-1750）百年後重新轉世。說來有些惆悵：西方古典音樂在巴赫的筆下登峰造極，西方的經典音樂到布魯克納基本完成後浪漫主義的最好輝煌。後浪漫主義的最後掌門人就是偉大的古斯塔夫·馬勒（Gustav Mahler，1860-1911）。馬勒之後，西方經典音樂就開始進入最後的回光返照，從此衰落下去了。

若想領略布魯克納的音樂之美，下麵的第一套卡拉揚指揮的交響曲合集是必備的，最後也同時附上了布魯克納的合唱和聲樂作品供大家欣賞：

Karajan: Bruckner's Symphonies 1-9
http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/DG/4777580
http://www.amazon.com/Bruckner-9-Symphonies-Box-Set/dp/B001DCQI8W

Maazel: Bruckner's Symphonies 0-9
http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/BR%2BKlassik/900711
http://www.amazon.com/Bruckner-10-Symphonies-Anton/dp/B00475E136

Barenboim: Bruckner's Symphonies 1-9
http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Warner%2BClassics/2564618912
http://www.amazon.com/Bruckner-Nine-Symphonies-Helgoland-Box/dp/B00076YOQ8

Jochum: Bruckner's Three Masses
http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/DG/4474092
http://www.amazon.com/Bruckner-Messen-Masses-Nos-Messes/dp/B000001GQ6

Ferguson: Bruckner's Motets
http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Delphian/DCD34071
http://www.amazon.com/Motets-Choir-St-Marys-Cathedral/dp/B004OSYQFO