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Newsletter - December 1, 2025

Newsletter - December 1, 2025

Newsletter - December 1, 2025
Welcome to the Newsletter from Abruckner.com!

As of November 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 - December 1, 2025

Since the 200th Anniversary of Bruckner's birth, things have, as expected, slowed down a bit. Live performances continue at a decent pace, but recording activity has slowed remarkably. DGG has decided to re-release the Barenboim / Chicago Symphony Bruckner cycle. It appeared briefly when Barenboim was performing in-concert cycles all over the world with the Berlin Staatskapelle.

But there is still one area of great activity and that is conductor Gerd Schaller's "Bruckner2024 Project." Those who visit my store will see that I have a good stock of Maestro Schaller's excellent recordings on the Profil label. Schaller is well on his way to providing us with a Bruckner cycle that presents all the various versions (and even some un-published variants). He has also recorded and released his own organ transciptions of Symphonies # 5 (twice!) and the Symphony # 8.

In a recent e-mail, he shared with me some of his upcoming releases:

For Bruckner2024 Project, I am waiting for the editing and the release of the Third (1874) plus the second Adagio, which I have recorded in the Spring of 2025 in Bad Kissingen and the Eighth (1887) which I have recorded in July in Ebrach, and for the Ninth which I have recorded the year before in September 2024 – the anniversary of Bruckners birthday – also in Ebrach. This release will also be different to the life performance which has been broadcasted by the Bavarian TV. And I also will continue with Bruckner in 2026: On 26th July at 5:00 p.m. I will perform and record Mass no. 1 and the Te Deum. But now with the Philharmonic Choir Munich and the Philharmonie Festiva. So it fits into the series. And there are other plans …”

If you haven't listened to his performances, you are in for a pleasant experience and my webstore has a good selection at an unbeatable price.

Ever since the transfer of the Bruckner Archive to the Austrian National Library in Vienna, I have faced the challenge of keeping my archive database "Bruckner-all-compositions" up-to-date and accurately listing what is still housed in Connecticut. But in doing so, it eliminates from the listing all the recordings that have been transferred to Vienna. To help readers in their search for recordings, I have added the "Pre-Donation" datafile which lists every recording in the archive prior to the donation. Of course, that datafile is static and will not show any new releases. New releases will be reflected in the "Bruckner-all-compositions" datafile. I realize that this can be confusing, but I am trying to keep as much information available to you while keeping my inventory properly cataloged.

Here is my monthly plea for you to become a member of the Bruckner Society of America. For a $30.00 annual fee, you receive access to the Society's webpage archive and a subscription to the "Bruckner Journal." “The Bruckner Journal” (published three times a year), is now the official publication of the BSA. Each issue contains up to sixty pages of essays, recording and concert reviews and lists of upcoming concerts worldwide. Subscribe today at www.brucknersocietyamerica.org.


CASH REWARD FOR WANTED RECORDINGS. Click here for details.

LATEST NEWS AND POSTINGS

  • Any news about Bruckner that reaches my desk is posted here. After a while, interesting stories are moved to the FEATURES SECTION (below).


THE BRUCKNER ARCHIVE

  • The Bruckner Archive recording database (with over 10,400 listings) has been updated and it is easy to download as an Excel file. Many of these recordings are available to collectors and researchers. Contact me for details on how you can fill in some holes in your collection. The database is fully sortable including the ability to sort by performance date.

    As noted above, I have now added the "Pre-Donation" datafile which reflects what was held in the Archive prior to the donation of recordings to the Austrian National Library.


EDITOR'S SECTION

  • There are many subjects covered here. While the topics remain relatively static, the sections themselves are frequently updated, so make it a point to check out the various subjects under this heading.


NEW AND FEATURED RELEASES

  • A listing of new releases and exclusive recordings - many currently available in my webstore.


FUTURE RELEASES AND RECENT DISCOVERIES

  • A listing of future releases and recordings that have recently been discovered.


DOWNLOADS

  • A collection of wonderful downloads including scores and the always popular DOWNLOAD OF THE MONTH.


WEB STORE

  • The web store focuses on new Bruckner recordings and other Bruckner recordings that are not generally available. The store is divided up into sections for CDs and DVDs, books and scores, downloads, bargain samples and collectibles. Be sure to check out each section for new items. My focus is on new releases and hard-to-find items.



FEATURES

  • As stories in the LATEST NEWS AND POSTINGS section get older, those that are still relevant get moved into the FEATURES SECTION. There is a wealth of information here that you may have missed when they were first posted.


ARTICLES / GRAPHICS

  • Essays in English and other languages are entered as they are discovered or accepted.

  • New graphics (over 1,400) are frequently added.


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