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This was the second Bruckner Symphony I got to know as a teenaged horn player, the first was the 4th, and I was lucky enough to play the Seventh in an orchestra eventually. I don't like picking out favourite symphonies when asked, but there is something so emotionally satisfying about this work. From the tentative start to its victorious and sonorous E major ending, it never seems to lose it's grip on you. Of course, I grew up with Haitink's 1960's Concertgebouw recording on vinyl but I'll never forget the impact that Eugen Jochum's mighty reading with the Berlin Philharmonic on DG made on me and I recall attending a memorable performance Jochum gave with the LSO in London's Royal Festival Hall in 1978 - which can be heard on KZfaq. I love listening to Sir Simon talk about music and his use of the word 'prayer' is just so right with this work. The opening motif (interesting that it's said that Bruckner heard the main theme played on violas by angels in a dream; although one of them must have been playing a french horn, surely), does seem to be a prayerful offering to a higher being or place, as it ignites the beginning of this magical symphony. Thanks for posting this insightful look into Sir Simon's thoughts on a much-loved work.

Bruckner is my favorite symphonic composer. Adagio from 8th Symphony is my favorite music work by different years.

Bruckner is not an easy composer, you have to listen to some time before understand it better. I had this problem with him. Today he is one of my top five composer of all times. The Adagios of his late symphonies are the best compositions I have ever heard.

Ever Bruckner work is a deep spiritual experience I feel

Bruckner's 7th symphony was the first Bruckner I had ever heard, and it was live in London 25+ years ago. By chance, I'll be attending a Bruckner concert in Prague in 90 minutes. After all, 2024 is the 200th anniversary year of Bruckner's birth.

I think the otherwordly idiosyncrasies of Bruckner mentioned above are at best mapped in the Adagio of the seventh symphony and the soaring and floating emphasis iuxtapositoned to the quiet and calm moments in this set are something I do miss for years and I long to hear this Adagio without the yelling and shouting full of downright ferocity I told of getting ever so more and more and more... ...and I thank God to be able to perceive this music the way I do the way I feel hearing this music and the moments I do are precious no pecuniary worth could catch up to. Le p'tit Daniel

It’s the only one I listened to for about three decades - then the 8th - two decades later the 2nd - then the rest except the 5th for some reason. Musical backbone - as a meditation - to this grateful life…his appears to have been a life of wordless obedience to the Catholic faith….and a head full of close encounters of nine kinds..!❤

Tony Bruckner was one of the most underrated Composers of the late Romantic period.

Bruckner s Symphonies have that traditional 4 movement mode. The ending of the first movement of his 7th Symphony is absolutely divine!

My favourite composer EVER ❤❤

I'm still enthralled by the Te Deum.

Anton's still there at St Florian, near Linz. Mummified.

Wasn't the fire at the Ring theatre - not the Vienna State opera ?

Bruckner's music has a way of "dwelling" in a moment without struggle or urgency to leave. Maybe this was part of his spirituality. I found it quite Zen. I found a similar spirit in Messiaen, especially L'Ascension and Éclairs (both composers were Catholic).

Bruckner's music transports me to a boat that is drifting in the Pacific Ocean. Looking everywhere I only see sea, the waters are calm but sometimes gigantic waves appear. It's a very subjective idea of Bruckner's symphonies, but this concept of "oceanic music" seems very much in line with what I hear in his symphonies.

Heard of Bruckner years before I finally caught on to his symphonies. It took a concert performance of the 6th, where I could see the joy on the timpanist's face in that 1st movement coda, to get me caught on. But also an unsatisfactory performance of that symphony overall (from a structural coherence standpoint), just to pique my interest to compare with those who had played the 6th better, e.g. Klemperer, Wand, etc

I recall reading about the remains of Schubert being disinterred in Vienna in 1888 and Bruckner taking the opportunity to examine what was left of the great composer's corpse and how he would gently run his fingers through the remainder of Schubert's luxuriant hair that had stayed behind.

Why is the mic sensitivity so high

I don't think he was otherworldly always, his music seems very theoretical

I still cannot find any joy in listening to Bruckner. I guess I'm just more of a Brahms kind of person.

I had a music teacher in high school who told me Bruckner wrote a lot of crap. The 7th Symphony is magnificent. Sorry, music teacher.

A mind not critical enough to understand the Covid situation and players chosing to wear masks is at one with the poverty of aesthetic insight here. Totally abject, a meltdown of our civilization.

Bruckner's symphonies sometimes sound like a hodgepodge of independent ideas and themes. They lack a central, driving structure.

Yes, Bruckner was otherworldly. And how is it honouring to such a man and his work to have him performed by those so enmeshed in the worldly vice of sniveling cowardice as seen by those tamely submitting to wearing covid masks. This is an outright disgrace a I only watch this one where they do this that I might hear the commentary about my favourite composer