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In the Forum: Musical Discussions
In the Thread: Thinking about Bruckner harmonies.
Post Subject: Scary Bruckner?Posted by Romy the Cat on: 2/15/2012
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 steverino wrote:
Romy says "Listen, or even better THINK about Sound of first movement of the Bruckner 9th Symphony as an answer.

Thinking about this did not give me the answer to the question I'm afraid. However, I therefore do agree that " If they do not provide answers then they eliminate a need for questions…"

The Ninth is about the scariest music I know. Hearing it in the concert hall gives a sensation of darkness almost blackness within which are fearsome things struggling to burst out. It makes Wagner's dragon music with Fafner almost juvenile sounding in comparison. The other music work I feel is scary has a more impersonal way - I'm referring to Tapiola.
Hm, this is interesting. I do not find anything in Bruckner to be scare and I do not feel any frightening in Bruckner 9th Symphony. The first movement of the Bruckner 9th is in a way playful not scary; it has some moments of soberness but it still “playful”. For sure the first movement plays with serious subjects. The best play I envision is God planning mountains and reveres – the important subject but still play in God’s mind as he changes his mind and stretches mountains higher or rivers deeper. The seriousness of the subject still does not make the play less playful.

I do not feel any sensation of darkness in any of Bruckner music. Even in the moments when Bruckner wants to be grave-dark (let say the adagio of the 7th) she can’t help himself and sound more optimistic and buoyant then the circumstances force him to.

The interesting subject however is what makes music scare. I generally do not feel scare just from sound, to me any “scare” is hugely amusing and probably the most scary it get the more I would be entertained. Perhaps might explain why you feel fear about Bruckner 9th but I feel playfulness.
It might be another explanation. I am reading the book by Daniel Rancour-Laferriere “The Slave Soul of Russia: Moral Masochism and the Cult of Suffering”. I do not agree with all Daniel angles but he has the main point with which I do not disagree and which I have stressed myself before. Perhaps my Russian descendendcy made me to recognize pleasure in darkness. Well, it is what it is, still, kill me but I do not find anything dark of scare in  Bruckner…

The Cat

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