I made it! Today is the last day of my 144-day journey of discovery of the conductors who and symphonies that interpreted Anton Bruckner’s nine major symphonies. It’s also the last time I will set foot in a Panera restaurant. Yesterday, I had to leave one Panera because their Internet kept slowing down to a … [Read more…]
This morning’s conductor of Anton Bruckner’s unfinished Symphony No. 9 in D Minor WAB 109 (dedicated “to the beloved God”) is German-born Gunter Wand (1912-2002). The orchestra is new to me, even though I’ve heard a lot of Wand and a lot of symphonies in the past 130 days: Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR. Back when … [Read more…]
This is the last day of listening to Bruckner’s Eighth! Tomorrow starts a new chapter – Bruckner’s Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, which (as Nigel Tufnel tells us) is “the saddest of all keys.” Actually, this time Nigel may be right since Anton Bruckner died before he could finish his Ninth. This morning’s conductor … [Read more…]
The last day of listening to Bruckner’s Seventh! Tomorrow starts a new chapter… …and the countdown to me seeing Daniel Barenboim at Carnegie Hall next weekend. But, for now, this morning’s conductor of Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7 in E Major (WAB 107) is German-born Gunter Wand (1912-2002). The orchestra is Kolner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester. Back when … [Read more…]
Today is the last time I’ll listen to Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No. 6 in A Major – at least, for the time being. Tomorrow, I start back at the beginning of my Bruckner cycle…with Daniel Barenboim – only this time with Symphony No. 7. But that’s tomorrow. Today is German-born Gunter Wand (1912-2002). The orchestra … [Read more…]
Today is the last day for me to listen to Bruckner’s Fifth. Tomorrow starts a brand new symphony, Bruckner’s Sixth. But that’s tomorrow. This morning’s conductor of Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No. 5 in B-Flat Major (WAB 105) – nicknamed “Tragic,” “Church of Faith,” or “Pizzicato” symphony (for reasons I’m still discovering) – is German-born Gunter … [Read more…]
This morning’s conductor of Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No. 4 in E Flat Major (WAB 104), titled “Romantic” by Bruckner himself, is German-born Gunter Wand (1912-2002). Maestro Wand’s name had come up a time or two when I read reviews online of Bruckner’s symphonies. So, when I first started my project – back on October 3rd … [Read more…]
This morning’s conductor of Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No. 3 in D Minor (WAB 103), nicknamed “Wagner,” is German-born Gunter Wand (1912-2002), someone – thanks to reviews on Amazon and elsewhere – I had been eager to hear when I first began my project back on October 3, 2016. My experiences with and opinions of his … [Read more…]
This morning’s conductor of Anton Bruckner’s “Symphony of Pauses” (Symphony No. 2 in C Minor, WAB 102) is German-born Gunter Wand (1912-2002). I first encountered Mr. Wand on Day 16. To say I wasn’t kind in my assessment of his interpretation of Bruckner’s First Symphony is a wee bit of an understatement. I’m hoping today’s … [Read more…]
This morning’s conductor of Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No. 1 in C Minor (WAB 101) is German-born Gunter Wand (1912-2002), someone – thanks to reviews on Amazon and elsewhere – I’ve been eager to hear. From his entry on Wikipedia: Günter Wand (January 7, 1912, in Elberfeld, Germany – February 14, 2002, in Ulmiz near Bern, … [Read more…]