Why (or how) should I listen to Bruckner?

[jwinter]

That's an interesting way to think of it. 

I agree that one of the biggest problems with Bruckner, particularly for those just getting into classical music, is the sheer scale of the thing.  It can be very hard to devote one's full attention to a piece of music for over an hour -- the mind wanders, the outside world intrudes, and when you get back to it you've lost the thread, and it's hard to get back to it again.  Mahler has similar issues, but he's an easier nut to crack, I think, largely due to his predilection for folk music -- he's much more melodic than Bruckner to my ears. 

Headphones at night are a good way to go, I think, if you can't be at a concert -- minimal distractions, and with a good recording you can really luxuriate in the sound.  Just don't go overboard with the volume -- some of those climaxes can get pretty loud. 

[Haffner]

The "immersion" approach is definitely best. 

This can be very true. For me, the coda of the 1st movment of the 7th symphony completely shattered me, the very first time I heard it. The rest was easy. But when it came to the 8th and 5th, I definitely had to cool my enthusiasm and "BE there" as fully as I could. Then, the magical "click"...

[DavidRoss]

lights off, in bed, a pair of good headphones, no distractions. Then wait and let the music overwhelm you.

Hmmm...the first time I really responded to Bruckner I was listening with headphones, at night, to HvK's EMI 7th, eyes closed, kicked back in my office chair with feet propped up on the desk, and nothing disturbed my reverie.  It took that sort of immersion for me to give myself to the piece as Bruckner's work seems to require, and I still find that my attention wanders when I try listening to him under less-than-ideal conditions.

It also helps to be well-rested. 

Why struggle through all the effort some of us require to enjoy Bruckner?  Because when you get there the experience can be nearly ecstatic.

[bhodges]

Why struggle through all the effort some of us require to enjoy Bruckner?  Because when you get there the experience can be nearly ecstatic.

--Bruce

[Haffner]

HvK's EMI 7th
the experience can be ecstatic.

Perfect.

[George]

Because when you get there the experience can be nearly ecstatic.

For me, Celibidache got me there instantly.

[Haffner]

For me, Celibidache got me there instantly.

His is so much like a journey: every peak and ebb can be scrutinized more, to affirming effect. The coda to the 1st movement, Celi-style, is really shattering in such a context.

[Jay F]

Why struggle through all the effort some of us require to enjoy Bruckner?  Because when you get there the experience can be nearly ecstatic.

What you described doesn't sound like a struggle.

And why does listening to music have to be a struggle? Isn't it possible that some people just don't like (insert composer or type of music), and that that's alright?

[George]

His is so much like a journey: every peak and ebb can be scrutinized more, to affirming effect. The coda to the 1st movement, Celi-style, is really shattering in such a context.

First movement to which symphony?

[DavidRoss]

What you described doesn't sound like a struggle.

And why does listening to music have to be a struggle? Isn't it possible that some people just don't like (insert composer or type of music), and that that's alright?

That's because I didn't describe the struggle, only the breakthrough. 

Listening doesn't have to be a struggle.  Sometimes a composer appeals to us immediately, on first hearing.  But sometimes it doesn't click at first.  We persist because people we respect find much to admire in the work.  Perhaps sometimes it never does click--but often it will given time and either increasing familiarity with the composer's vernacular or personal growth on our part enabling us to appreciate things previously closed to us.

[Cato]

First movement to which symphony?

It doesn't matter!!!  

(But they may have been referring to the 7th or 8th!)

I was amazed to see that this topic was started 18 months ago.  

One answer to the question: start with Symphony #1  (or even #0) and enjoy Bruckner's marvelous evolution from budding greatness into...the sublime.   0:)

[Haffner]

First movement to which symphony?

Shoot, the Celi 7th or 9th. The 1st movement of the 9th via Celibidache is a long, spectacularly colossal EVENT. In terms of mammoth effect, Wagner certainly would have appreciated it.

[Haffner]

Isn't it possible that some people just don't like (insert composer or type of music), and that that's alright?

Obviously it's possible. But you might end up cheating yourself out of further listens. I can confidently state that Bruckner's 3rd, 7th, 8th, and 9th massively affirmed my life. I just want the same for others. But of course there are other composers that seem to significantly effect others, and do practically nothing for me. I just remember when Bruckner first clicked for me fully, it was a revelation. I'll never forget it. I wish I could go back and relive that first, full clicking again. I envy those who are just experiencing it.

[Cato]

Obviously it's possible. But you might end up cheating yourself out of further listens. I can confidently state that Bruckner's 3rd, 7th, 8th, and 9th massively affirmed my life. I just want the same for others. But of course there are other composers that seem to significantly effect others, and do practically nothing for me. I just remember when Bruckner first clicked for me fully, it was a revelation. I'll never forget it. I wish I could go back and relive that first, full clicking again. I envy those who are just experiencing it.

Yes!  Precisely! 

Eons ago, when only a child, I came across the score of the Seventh Symphony and knew immediately that here was greatness!

[ChamberNut]

For me, Celibidache got me there instantly.

Are you sure George?  Instant and Celibidache are oxymorons.     

[George]

Are you sure George?  Instant and Celibidache are oxymorons.     

Oh, I'm sure. 

[Jay F]

Obviously it's possible. But you might end up cheating yourself out of further listens. I can confidently state that Bruckner's 3rd, 7th, 8th, and 9th massively affirmed my life.

So how long did it take? Since 1988, I've owned three sets of Bruckner, each of which got listened to once or twice because I believed words like yours and David Ross', then sat on a shelf for two or three years until I sold it. It's probably not going to take if it hasn't already. And I will never like Wagner, nor Brahms' orchestral music.

[Jay F]

That's because I didn't describe the struggle, only the breakthrough.

Struggle was your choice of words:

Why struggle through all the effort some of us require to enjoy Bruckner?

[Haffner]

So how long did it take? Since 1988, I've owned three sets of Bruckner, each of which got listened to once or twice because I believed words like yours and David Ross', then sat on a shelf for two or three years until I sold it. It's probably not going to take if it hasn't already. And I will never like Wagner, nor Brahms' orchestral music.

Looks like it just ain't your cup o' tea, dude. It's interesting to me that you keep the cds, I don't own a single cd (out of nearly a thousand) that I dont like nor never listen to. I'm curious, do you have it because you are a completist? No disrespect intended.

[DavidRoss]

Struggle was your choice of words:

Good grief!  You're really going around the bend to try to pick a fight.  Yes, I used the term "struggle" in reference to the process many of us have suffered to enjoy Bruckner.  I tried over a period of decades and always found him much too long-winded and ponderous for my tastes--though I always respected his value as a sleep aid.    The post you're trying to pick a fight over did not describe that struggle but only the conditions under which I finally "got" what so many others love about Bruckner.  I doubt he'll ever be atop my personal pyramid of all-stars, but at least I've come to enjoy most of his symphonies (4 through 9) and finally understand what others see in him. 

It took more than 20 years before Sibelius finally clicked for me.  That was the single greatest discovery of my musical life since my early twenties and is an instructive example for me of the value of persistent effort.  0:)  I continue giving Wagner a try every year or two, but so far he still strikes me as the most overrated, self-indulgent blowhard in classical music.    Yet many people I respect think he's aces, and that's sufficient reason for me to keep giving him a chance.  As for Brahms, I never liked his symphonies, either--until I heard MacKerras's recordings stripped of all that excessive late-Romantic upholstery that turns most performances of his work into bloated mush.