adagio

[David Hornik]

Hi Barry, hi John. You may remember me from some years back. I have relatively little time for music these days, but the Adagio of Bruckner's 8th is doing me in--so badly I can't sleep tonight. That's all--may you all find the way to blessed Sleep with relative ease.

[Don]

Greetings from a newbie... I listened to it last night (Skrowaczewski/Saarbrücken) and never fail to be just in awe!

[Leo K]

I've been enchanted with the Rand/BPO/RCA account lately...devasting.

Best restful wishes back to you all!  I've been adjusting to a new schedule...working from 11pm to 7am and sleeping during the day...the adjustment is going well thanks God.

I've been listening to Bruckner deep into the night at work (on headphones) and I've been simply spellbound with the music.


--Todd

[David Hornik]

I have a live Gunter Wand recording from 1993 in Hamburg. If I listen to it in the late afternoon I risk having an invaded mind that can't sleep at night--its power to rearrange your thoughts and feelings is so huge. Actually for this reason I've had approach-avoidance to music of this kind--Mahler, Bruckner--for a few years; can't seem to cope with it fully. There's also the fact that no one I know has the slightest idea what it is, makes it difficult.

[barry guerrero]

Wand's Bruckner 8 from the Schlesswig-Holstein Festival is pretty darn good as well. I often times think of Wand as being similar to Karajan, but with better sound quality. I guess he's sort of between Bohm and Karajan; I don't know.

Barry

[john haueisen]

I thought people were supposed to complain about pop tunes that they couldn't get out of their head.
All of you who've been discussing Bruckner's Adagio have caused me to listen to it again---and now you've got me hooked on the beauty and majesty of it.
Small wonder that Mahler was so kind to his old teacher.
--John H

[john haueisen]

Additionally, since I'm not a real musician like Barry or David Hurwitz, I have to use terms I can understand.
Can anyone else hear in Bruckner's Adagio, the warm glow of the brilliant sun rays, warming your whole body?
(I realize how subjective this is, but in that Adagio, I hear what might be Bruckner's impression of piety:  an all-powerful glowing brilliance of the sun.  Wow--am I kooky or what!)
--John H

[barry guerrero]

mmmmm  .   .   .   at times, I hear strains of tunes from the jukebox at a corner diner that I used to frequent   

Seriously, you're description is perfectly app. to me.

[David Hornik]

To me the ending of the adagio is a huge resolution of life, details fading into spirituality. It's a letting-go and that's perhaps why I have emotional difficulty with it.

[David Hornik]

I am by the way a musician--I play blues, ballads, and an idiosyncratic kind of jazz on piano, strictly by ear. If I had concentrated on this I could have been extremely accomplished; as it is I'm pretty good. In my family there are professional classical musicians, including one with some very dramatic success lately.

[John Kim]

Hi David, welcome back!

Most of us folks are back here in this forum but a few like you have been missing. And where is Ms. or Mr. Hideki or Hidekiri or somebody with that Japanese name who used give tough time to Barry?

Speaking of adagio, I love adagios in both B7 and B8. But if I am pressed I'd pick the B7th II. It is more genial, more comfortable of the two with plenty of beautiful melodies and passages. Only towards its end I hear the mourning that was initiated by Wagner's passing. Otherwise it is mostly spiritual and (dare I say?) full of nostalgic moments. OTOH, the B8th adagio has more lofty, rigorous, sacred kind of mood that doesn't fall under my attention all the time. Make no mistake, it is great music by all means. But my heart is closer to the B7th.

John,

[David Hornik]

Thanks, John, with my Mahler-Bruckner Approach-Avoidance Syndrome the only Bruckners I've explored are still the 8th and 9th, both of which I completely love. I've wanted to explore the 7th and with your encouragement I will now go out and buy it and do it. Now with the meltdown I'm even more swamped with writing and translating and limited in my music-time.

[David Hornik]

Suggestions for recordings of the 7th, anyone?

[Leo K]

Suggestions for recordings of the 7th, anyone?

I think the Tintner B7 is an excellant choice...an inspiring performance in every way and is very cheap...has wonderful sound too:




--Todd

[barry guerrero]

I like the Tintner 7th as well. He actually manages to make the finale sound somewhat humorous, which I very much think is the point. Karajan was ALWAYS good with the 7th. Wand/BPO is quite good too.

Barry