ANTON BRUCKNER's 127th anniversary 📯(Pilgrimage to Great Master - VII)
THIS IS THE SOUTH-WEST FACADE of Meister's birth house in Ansfelden, Austria. Taken from the paved stairway leading to the parish church (the church itself has a deflected heading - its altar is directed N-E instead of E). I wonder if there is any kind of happening today there. Yes, they have built a Bruckner centrum, a Bruckner museum, a Brucknerhof (courtyard), his monument and a marked trail. But I think that – by and large – the most Ansfelden villagers there still don't have a real idea who this shy, humble resident of theirs was 150 years ago. The one who shall stand the test of time better than Wagner or Brahms and reach the heights nobody else ever have and shall.
The first to recognize the true magnitude of Bruckner's genius (perhaps thanks to Mahler's appearances with Concertgebouw orchestra in Amsterdam) may have been the Dutch. Notable authors and biographers such as Casper Höweler or Wouter Paap wrote volumes in praise. Eduard Beinum's enthusiastic early recordings had been brought out. American, Japanese and British audiences followed the suit. Half a century ago (when I first heard Bruckner in concert) merely the top professional elite among Germans and Austrians seemed to be aware of Bruckner's symphonic sweep and universal importance.
His opus is an everlasting legacy; the greatest artistic pinnacle that coincides with the steep ascent of industrial age; the adverse impact of which had not recoiled immediately in those days. Bruckner had concluded his work just 18 years before the start of the world wars. Those will spoil the humanistic ideals of XIX century and leave the humanity in rubbish – not only literally, as victims of crimes, the human flesh and blood, the sickness and the ruins; but as a mark over the living souls too; souls in shackles of disbelief and despondency.
We live in an age of material welfare now but accept all kinds of moral limitations to be allowed to stick to that welfare. It has never been as difficult to be a man before. Our wings are docked and hearts discharged. Therefore it would have been impossible for Bruckner to write anything like his 3rd–9th cycle after 1914. So much less could his account of unspoiled grandeur, of strong spirit looking straight ahead, of highest collective self-esteem and optimism – materialize and lift off after 1939 or 2020 for that matter.
This cameraphone capture was lightly edited in Snapseed app.
~SHORTCUTS~ ...→Press [F11] and [L] key to engage Full Screen (Light box) mode with black background ↔ Press the same key or [Esc] to return... →Press [F] to "Like" (Fave)... →Press [C] to comment.
ANTON BRUCKNER's 127th anniversary 📯(Pilgrimage to Great Master - VII)
THIS IS THE SOUTH-WEST FACADE of Meister's birth house in Ansfelden, Austria. Taken from the paved stairway leading to the parish church (the church itself has a deflected heading - its altar is directed N-E instead of E). I wonder if there is any kind of happening today there. Yes, they have built a Bruckner centrum, a Bruckner museum, a Brucknerhof (courtyard), his monument and a marked trail. But I think that – by and large – the most Ansfelden villagers there still don't have a real idea who this shy, humble resident of theirs was 150 years ago. The one who shall stand the test of time better than Wagner or Brahms and reach the heights nobody else ever have and shall.
The first to recognize the true magnitude of Bruckner's genius (perhaps thanks to Mahler's appearances with Concertgebouw orchestra in Amsterdam) may have been the Dutch. Notable authors and biographers such as Casper Höweler or Wouter Paap wrote volumes in praise. Eduard Beinum's enthusiastic early recordings had been brought out. American, Japanese and British audiences followed the suit. Half a century ago (when I first heard Bruckner in concert) merely the top professional elite among Germans and Austrians seemed to be aware of Bruckner's symphonic sweep and universal importance.
His opus is an everlasting legacy; the greatest artistic pinnacle that coincides with the steep ascent of industrial age; the adverse impact of which had not recoiled immediately in those days. Bruckner had concluded his work just 18 years before the start of the world wars. Those will spoil the humanistic ideals of XIX century and leave the humanity in rubbish – not only literally, as victims of crimes, the human flesh and blood, the sickness and the ruins; but as a mark over the living souls too; souls in shackles of disbelief and despondency.
We live in an age of material welfare now but accept all kinds of moral limitations to be allowed to stick to that welfare. It has never been as difficult to be a man before. Our wings are docked and hearts discharged. Therefore it would have been impossible for Bruckner to write anything like his 3rd–9th cycle after 1914. So much less could his account of unspoiled grandeur, of strong spirit looking straight ahead, of highest collective self-esteem and optimism – materialize and lift off after 1939 or 2020 for that matter.
This cameraphone capture was lightly edited in Snapseed app.
~SHORTCUTS~ ...→Press [F11] and [L] key to engage Full Screen (Light box) mode with black background ↔ Press the same key or [Esc] to return... →Press [F] to "Like" (Fave)... →Press [C] to comment.