Bruckner and his inability or unwillingness to resolve

[BeethovensQuill]

I was just wondering what people think about Bruckner and the continuous unresolved moments in Bruckner, i just read various things on Bruckner about his deformation in music which covered his negation to resolve and his prolongation of ideas forgoing a sense of completeness.  I was listening to the 8th Symphony the other day and there is that great coda in the finale, however for me this coda sounds like a prelude to what should be the great surmisation of the symphony but instead Bruckner then builds up to one of his fanfares to end the Symphony.

Does anyone have a similar feeling about that coda in the 8th? 

Im still getting to know Bruckner, and i only have recordings of the 4th, 7th, 8th and 9th, which consist of mainly Wand and the Berlin Phil which i prefer to the earlier Wand recordings.  Ive got on order the completed 9th with Rattle conducting whilst a friend of mine got the Wildner on Naxos.

Im going off point in that last section, but has anyone found that by continued listening to Bruckner, then the need for a sense of completeness (like what Mahler would give) disappears and Bruckner's music finally hits home?

Just on another point i feel like that Mahler gives answers to lifes questions, whereas Bruckner doesnt answer anything about life, my friend said "well maybe thats because there are no answers in life."  Bruckner is actually presenting us with the truth and Mahler is giving us what we hope for.  Im not sure if that makes sense to anyone else reading, but if it does will be good to hear your thoughts.

[barry guerrero]

"Just on another point i feel like that Mahler gives answers to lifes questions, whereas Bruckner doesnt answer anything about life"

That's interesting because so many commentators say pretty much the opposite: Mahler was a "seeker" while Bruckner already had the answers. Frankly, I think that Mahler and Bruckner were dealing with the same issues and dilemmas, only from very different ways, musically speaking.

I think what might partly lend the impression of Bruckner never getting anywhere, is that he really struggled with finales (like Sibelius, I might add). Take the Wand/Berlin recording of the finale of B8: it's a wonderful performance, but at 27 minutes it sounds as though the music is constantly starting over and is never really going anyplace (until you get to the coda, obviously).

The only concrete conclusion I can draw is that the two of them are very different composers.