Kicked off this morning thinking ‘Bruckner who?’ Felt kinda dumb admitting that, but hey, everybody starts somewhere. Wanted to actually hear why folks keep talking about this guy.
Grabbed my laptop, cracked open Spotify feeling skeptical. Just typed ‘Bruckner’ into the search bar hoping something popped up. Saw a big list with weird numbers – ‘Symphony No. this’ and ‘No. that’. Honestly felt a bit lost right away.
Where Do I Even Start?
Saw Symphony No. 4 pop up first. Hit play on that one ’cause, well, track one and all. Horns blasted right away – made me jump a bit! Sounded heavy, really… big? Like walls of sound hitting you. Couldn’t decide if it was awesome or kinda exhausting. Listened maybe twenty minutes before thinking, “Maybe try another.”
- Tried the Symphony No. 7 next – heard this was a big deal.
- Saw Te Deum listed too – figured a choir might be a change-up.
- Kept seeing “Adagio” mentioned everywhere for his slower parts.
Focusing on the Adagio from No. 7 felt like a good call. Hit play… starts slow, builds, builds… man, the strings swell up SO huge, it felt like my chest was tightening. Seriously powerful stuff. Played it three times back-to-back, just letting it wash over me. That was the moment it kinda clicked.
Flipped over to Te Deum after that. Big choir bursts out singing Latin. Felt majestic, almost like standing in a massive old church for a second. Impressive? Sure. But honestly? Preferred the pure orchestra smack of the Adagio. The voices were cool, but didn’t grab me the same way.
The “Get It” Moment
Kept jumping between symphonies: No. 8, No. 5, bits of No. 9. Noticed the pattern:
- Starts quiet, kinda mysterious.
- Builds slowwwwly – seriously, patience required!
- Huge brass swells – like waves crashing over you.
- Backs down again… only to do it all over!
Definitely needed to be in the right mood – tried listening while fixing breakfast, got distracted immediately. Sat back down later with headphones in the dark, and whoa. Felt different. That slow build suddenly felt epic, not boring. Those massive moments actually felt earned. Not exactly ‘easy listening,’ but felt… important? Significant? Like watching giant mountains slowly move.
Final takeaway? Bruckner ain’t background noise. You gotta give him your full attention or it just sounds like long, loud mush. Pick one symphony’s slow movement first – that Adagio from No. 7 totally sold me. Takes commitment, but man, when it hits right… it really hits. Glad I stuck it out past the initial ‘What is this?’ confusion.
