Newsletter - May 1, 2026
As of April 30th the Discography Database and the Bruckner Archive Database have been updated. The underlined headlines below will take you to the various sections of the website where the bullet points below are featured. Please use these as guides to the new information offered since the last newsletter. Newsletter - May 1, 2026 If you are planning on attending the East Coast Brucknerathon in September, information and a sign-up list can be found here. There was a glitch with the sign-up process last month. If you did not get through, please try again. One of the main functions of this website has been the maintenance of the Bruckner Symphony Version Discography. This was the website’s first function, but much has been added over the years. Recently, and in numerous ways, it has become clear that the term “discography” is becoming increasingly irrelevant. Let me explain why I think that is happening: Physical recordings have been around now for about 150 years. As the number of recordings grew, there was a need for people to know what was available on the market. Record companies put out their own catalogues, but it was not until the appearance of the “World Encyclopedia of Recorded Music,” published in 1952 (with additional volumes published in 1953 and 1957) that we actually had a discography. As the number of releases began to increase, it soon became clear that the “World Encyclopedia” was an unsustainable project. Then came along the record catalogs such as the Schwann Catalog of Recorded Music (USA), The Gramophone Catalog (UK), Diapason (France) and Bielefelder (Germany). These catalogs were issued periodically, but since they were intended to be a guide to what was available, they deleted recordings that went out-of-print. Discographies began to show up that were more specific to given composers or genres. In the case of Bruckner, there was the discography published in 1991 by Lee Lovallo. Of course, the problem with published discographies is that they are usually out-of-date even before they are printed. As we moved into the twenty-first century, the idea of a discography published on a website became the best option, since it could be made widely available and quickly edited. But now that same Internet is changing the way people listen to music and while we have gone from the wax cylinder to the 78 rpm disc to the LP record to the stereo LP to open reel and cassette tapes and to the compact disc (with a few other variations thrown in) we have now morphed into a society where most music is consumed via subscription streaming services. People like me who grew up collecting physical recordings are still buying compact discs and the record companies are obliging us with new releases and elaborate boxed sets of reissues, but the trend is clearly changing and with it, the whole premise of what defines a discography. So, given the present Bruckner Discography, here are some options for inclusion: 1) Commercial recordings sold to consumers (physical and download). 2) Specialty recordings sold to consumers (Pristine / Yves Saint Laurent / etc.) 3) Physical discs not sold to consumers (broadcast transcription discs, special recordings given to orchestra subscribers, etc.) 4) Pirate CDs sold in specialty shops 5) Private CDs made by collectors and traded or sold. 6) Orchestra downloads available over a long period of time. 7) Orchestra downloads available for a short period of time 8) Radio broadcasts available on demand (one year / two weeks / one week?) I tend to include items 1-5 above and occasionally 6, but listening trends are changing and what constitutes a discography (as well as its very name) may have to change. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ There is a donation button below. Feel free to use it or not. The site will continue until I pass it over to the Bruckner Society of America for their maintenance. But it must be remembered that websites such as these - ones created and maintained by one person - have a way of disappearing unless someone else comes along and continues that commitment of time and enthusiasm. Any donations will appear on your credit card statement as "Charter Oak Recordings." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Please consider joining The Bruckner Society of America The Society was founded in 1931 and was very active through the 1960’s. But things slowed down and the Society became inactive after the last publication of “Chord and Discord” in 1998. In 2009, the Society’s last president, Charles Eble passed away and some of his business passed to David Hempel. I contacted David and together we were able to restore the Society’s non-profit status and allowed the Society to access its dormant assets. Since then, we have restructured the Board of Directors and have resumed the bestowing of the Julio Kilenyi Medal of Honor to deserving individuals. Some of those include William Carragan, Benjamin Korstvedt, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, Kurt Masur, Christoph von Dohnanyi, Daniel Barenboim, Hans Graf, Riccardo Chailly, Jaap van Zweden, Yannick Nezet-Seguin, Gerd Schaller, Herbert Blomstedt and more recently to Fabio Luisi in Dallas and Manfred Honeck in Pittsburgh. In addition to this activity, the Society has adopted “The Bruckner Journal” as its print / online publication. The Society also offers its own line of compact discs. In the future, the Society will also maintain the Bruckner Symphony Versions Discography, which is the centerpiece of this website. You can support all of this activity and receive access to "The Bruckner Journal" by becoming a member of the Bruckner Society of America. Donations can be made online at the Society's website. LATEST NEWS AND POSTINGS
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PLEASE SUPPORT THIS SITE All the information provided on this site is available to you free-of-charge. But it is not free for me to get it to you. Recordings must be purchased as does the server space upon which this website is stored. There is an easy way for you to support this venture. Simply purchase recordings and other items in my web store. Purchases will support the ongoing expenses of operating this website. Stay safe and happy listening! John F. Berky |
