That Old "Cathedrals In Sound" Cliche

When I first started to listen seriously to classical music, my first purchases were of works that I knew at least a little about and in which I thought I might recognise some of the themes. Maybe my first foray outside that comfort zone was this double cd of Bruckner symphonies, no 3 and no 4, by the Wiener Philharmoniker under Karl Bohm. I was captivated by the sound world, particularly of the 4th ( romantic ) Some irony in this being a recording by the Vienna Phil when they treated the premiere performances so badly of much of Bruckner's work. A lot of cliches attach themselves to his symphonies, cathedrals in sound etc. But these do serve perhaps as a way in to the music for a novice. A victim of the prejudices and conservatism of Viennese society and of music politics surrounding the competing camps of Wagner and Brahms, it is interesting to now see the central place in the performing repertoire that many of his symphonies have and how the Bruckner / Mahler axis could be said to be more popular than Brahms with current orchestras and conductors.