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Newsletter - February 1, 2026

Newsletter - February 1, 2026

Newsletter - February 1, 2026
Welcome to the Newsletter from Abruckner.com!

As of January 31th 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 - February 1, 2026

I have received some interesting and welcome news from the Austrian Media Library in Vienna. As readers to this newsletter know, I sent 14 cartons of Bruckner recordings to the Austrian Media Library last year. In addition, they received a hard drive containing thousands of digitized performances. This fulfilled a desire on my part to ensure that the archive would be maintained for years to come.

But after the donation, I began to feel something I would call "donor's remorse." In my push to fulfill this donation, I let many recordings go that had not yet been digitized. As I continued my work with the Media Library, it became clear to them that I was undergoing some stress regarding the donation. As I explained to them, an obsessive compulsive disorder can be a good thing. Because of it, the archive was created. But it can also create stresses and giving away a large chunk of an ongoing and active collection can create some "cognitive dissonance."

But we have a happy ending! Last month an agreement was reached with the Media Library. They would start digitizing the CDs and DVDs I sent to them and as they do so, they would send the digitized files back to me. In this way, the Austrian Media Library and Abruckner.com would BOTH have a complete set of the Bruckner Archive. On my part, I would continue to acquire new recordings and supply digital copies to the Media Library. The process will take months, if not years to complete, but this will allow for a complete set of recordings to reside in at least two locations and the curation of the archive can eventually be passed onto the Bruckner Society of America for continuation and safe keeping.

It is the best of both worlds. At present, I am in the process of digitizing hundreds of recordings that are here. I will be spending most of my time in February making sure that every known recording is stored on a digital platform. Besides it's too cold right now to do anything outside!

The Bruckner Society: Another area of activity was the reactivation of 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 the more recent recipients, since our reactivation have been 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 and Herbert Blomstedt. In 2026, plans are in place to present medals of honor 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 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 10,590 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 1,500) 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