Bruckner Remembered (Composers remembered series) [Illustrated] [Paperback]

Stephen Johnson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 31, 2001 | Series: Composers remembered series

Over a century after his death, Bruckner the man remains an enigma. Popular ancedotes represent him as a visionary simpleton, his life dominated exclusively by music and religion. And yet this same bizarre figure is widely held to have produced some of the most original and sophisticated music written in the second half of the nineteenth century. The reminiscences collected in Bruckner Remembered allow insights into a much more complicated, sometimes tormented mind riddled by dark obsessions and spiritual doubts, creating a profile that is as tantalizing as it is illuminating.

Part of the Faber's Composers Remembered Series

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for Bruckner Remembered

"For readers interested in Bruckner or the cultural politics of late nineteenth-century Austria, Bruckner Remembered is delightful and valuable." --Paul Hawkshaw, Yale University School of Music

"Intriguing, piquant, compelling, and deeply touching." --Times Literary Supplement (UK)

About the Author

Stephen Johnson is a regular contributor to Gramophone and The Independent. In addition to his print journalism, Stephen Johnson has broadcast frequently on BBC Radio 3, Radio 4 and the World Service. His most extensive broadcast project was a series of fourteen programmes for Radio 3 about the symphonies of Bruckner for the composer's centenary year. He lives in London.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Faber & Faber; 1st edition (January 31, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0571170951
• ISBN-13: 978-0571170951
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,166,928 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative and poignant, July 30, 2003

By 

J. Chiu (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bruckner Remembered (Composers remembered series) (Paperback)

A gem of a book in this wonderful series --- this small volume will surprise you with anecdotes and stories of Bruckner's life --- definitely not the theoretical exercise that is popularly supposed. Interesting in particular is the clash between Bruckner and Brahms --- between the sublime and the merely very good. Highly recommended in place of the overpriced and overinflated academic Bruckner studies which are proliferating.

5.0 out of 5 stars To touch the Hem of his Garment, May 14, 2011

By 

Bernard Michael O'Hanlon (Wilsons Prom, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bruckner Remembered (Composers remembered series) (Paperback)

In the domain of Brucknerian bibliography, there are two mandatory acquisitions: Robert Simpson's survey of the Symphonies (& the String Quintet) and the wonderful tome in question. What with all the eruptions that have occured since 1896, it is possible to bridge the gap that lies between the Great Man and ourselves, the rich mendicants of the Twenty First Century? Has Bruckner been culturally ossified beyond redemption, much like his bust that resides in the Regensburg Valhalla? I do not know. But as the anecdotes unfold, one by one, in this book, we inch ever closer to Anton himself in all of his complexity. The author is to be lauded: his work is completely devoid of egotism and pedantry. It is a model of its kind.

The anecdote (page 28 onwards) re Bruckner, the boys, the diving-pool and the cat-burglar is a Pearl of Great Price.

If Bruckner is a wellspring of meaning in your life, this book demands to be on your shelf, and be well thumbed at that.