Born: 1824, Ansfelden, Austria
Died: 1896, Vienna

"A true artist can work out his own form and then stick to it."

Known today for his symphonies and masses, Bruckner transformed the symphonic tradition of Beethoven and Schubert and influenced a younger generation of composers that included Mahler, Sibelius, and Richard Strauss. For most of his life, Bruckner was lauded as a virtuoso organist, only gaining recognition as a composer during the 1880s. Bruckner's compositional idiom remains unique, with its juxtaposition of mystery and spirituality with an analytical, rational approach to music. That he could fit such mystical and ecstatic music to the formally rigorous demands of the symphony testifies to his enduring accomplishment as a composer.

Further listening:

3 Masses (1864-1876)
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
and Chorus, Eugen Jochum (DG Originals)

Symphony No. 9 (1887-1896)
Columbia Symphony, Bruno Walter
(Sony Classical)