A nice surprise from Anton Bruckner

Anton Bruckner could very well be my favorite composer. I'm not saying he is, but he is in that conversation. I know he was my Dad's favorite. His collection is loaded with albums and CDs of the Bruckner symphonies, And it is his symphonies that he is almost exclusively known for. But hidden in my CD collection was this CD.....a string quintet and string quartet!

Much like the day I "discovered" that Mahler had written a piano quartet, this had similar mind blowing effects. We are joyfully accustomed to the epic sounds of a Bruckner symphony, but now we can hear Bruckner operating in the "stripped down" form of a small string ensemble. It is very fascinating. To my ears, the Quintet in F sounds like one of his symphonies. The Quartet in C minor is much different than the quintet. It does not sound anything like his symphonies. Also on the CD is A Rondo in C minor and an Intermezzo in D minor, both wonderfully crafted.

Bruckner also wrote some great music for organ, as well as several motets and other sacred choral works, all of which I find very enjoyable. I hope to write about those another time.

Here is a link to the Quintet in F. Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cTbsCpTSls