Monday, August 31, 2015

Bruckner’s 8th, Perspective-Changing Symphony

As an organist and composer of a lot of choral music (both secular & sacred), Anton Bruckner had a special composing style that to some may seem quite complex and sophisticated. Composer’s works were always very original and most often monumental. It first of all regards his symphonies – there are 11 of them.

The crown of monumentalism is Bruckner’s Symphony No. 8 which was his last work. It was not the last numerically (there’s also No.9) but it’s the last that he completed. The 8th was dedicated to the then emperor of Austria, Franz Joseph I – composer officially asked for permission to make it so.

Sometimes one may find a nickname used for this epic work – it’s called “The Apocaliptic” (not by composer himself). The other day I’ve run into a short simple video that perfectly witnesses the truly apocalyptic character of this classical masterpiece. The amount of drama that emerged after the 8th was set as background to the video is just unbelievable! That’s the power of music that can instantly change the perspective, isn’t it.

 

Haydn's Miracle Symphony No.102

They call Joseph Haydn the father in music. He is considered to be, indirectly, the father of both the symphony and the string quartet, hav...