Books about Bruckner

[BeethovensQuill]

Im going through a Bruckner period of life at the moment and was just wondering what books people have read of him.  Im going to order this one in the next month or so http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bruckners-Symphonies-Analysis-Reception-Cultural/dp/0521081858/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1359664050&sr=1-5

Just curious to hear what people have read if in fact anyone has read anything.

[Clov]

Hadn't as of yet read a book on Bruckner. I believe the same guy who'd written the free online Song Symphonist bio on Mahler also wrote a small Bruckner bio too, I believe it also to be free online. Others I'm sure could help far more than myself. None the less, in case you don't already know, this is an awesome and detailed site, with free downloads also:

http://www.abruckner.com/

[barry guerrero]

In all seriousness, I tried to read about Bruckner's life. But it was so boring that I actually gave up. To be fair, the book was waaaaay too wordy and biased (and made a couple of elliptical slams at Mahler in the process). I can't remember who wrote it but it's out of my possession now. Regardless, it must be long out-of-print as I don't see it listed at Amazon at all. I also watched a VHS documentary on Bruckner and that wasn't much more fun either. However, it did have some great excerpts of Rudolf Kempe conducting Bruckner. Good luck with this.

[BeethovensQuill]

Barry - yes i know what you mean about his life it can be a little boring, i was more interested in the musical analysis of the symphonies.

[barry guerrero]

Hey, I visited the Bruckner book today, because I had given it to the pianist Daniell Revenaugh (and I was at his home). The author is Hans-Hubert Schoenzeler. It's not a terrible book, but it could be tightened up quite a bit. I also didn't appreciate the obvious digs at Mahler.

[James Meckley]

I, too, have the Hans-Hubert Schönzeler Bruckner, Grossman Publishers, New York, 1970. Read it years ago at which time it seemed to cover all the bases adequately. I agree that AB's life—as opposed to his music—was not all that interesting.

I have two other books which I would recommend ahead of the Schönzeler, though both appear to be OOP:

Bruckner, Derek Watson, Oxford University Press, 1975/1996

Bruckner Remembered, Ed. Stephen Johnson, Faber & Faber, 2001

The Watson contains some musical analysis as well as a biography, and the Johnson is, as the title suggests, a collection of reminiscences.

James

[James Meckley]

Hey, I visited the Bruckner book today, because I had given it to the pianist Daniell Revenaugh (and I was at his home).

Barry, is that the same Daniell Revenaugh who conducted the Royal Philharmonic in John Ogdon's famous EMI recording of the Busoni piano concerto and who used to teach at Florida State University? I wondered what had become of him.

James

[barry guerrero]

Indeed it is. He lives in Berkeley. He didn't teach at FSU but he did 'run' a student read-through orchestra. He was a piano student of Ernst von Dohnanyi at that time. Revenaugh is truly one of the world's leading authorities on Busoni, and owns tons of papers and correspondence having to do with Busoni and Egon Petri (who Revenaugh studied with at Mills College near by, in addition to studying with Milhaud).

[Azol]

I would agree with Bruckner Remembered recommendation - great reading!
http://www.amazon.com/Bruckner-Remembered-Composers-Series/dp/0571170951/

Also, the 2-volume Anton Bruckner - A Documentary Biography by C.Howe - I believe it's still posiible to purchase it directly from publisher
http://mellenpress.com/mellenpress.cfm?bookid=4653&pc=9

[justininsf]

Hey, I visited the Bruckner book today, because I had given it to the pianist Daniell Revenaugh (and I was at his home).

Barry, is that the same Daniell Revenaugh who conducted the Royal Philharmonic in John Ogdon's famous EMI recording of the Busoni piano concerto and who used to teach at Florida State University? I wondered what had become of him.

James

I've had this recording for years but forgot about it, am listening to it for the first time now!  I had fallen in love with the Hamelin recording, I know the Ogdon recording is very famous so I am going to give it a go now.

Oh wow and just realized he performs Alkan's Concerto for Solo piano on disc 1!