🇩🇪 Passau’s “Bruckner Sage” – A Performance of Serene Mastery

Following in the footsteps of the legendary “Bruckner Sage,” I arrived at St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Passau on the banks of the Danube 🏛️🌊. This is the second stop of my Bruckner No. 9 pilgrimage, and it’s also the very place where, seven years ago, I heard the Sage lead the Bamberg Symphony in Bruckner’s Fifth—reminiscing about the past, I feel so nostalgic for my younger days. Today’s performance of Bruckner 9 was overall much better than yesterday’s. If yesterday was an 80/100, today was infinitely close to a 90 🎻✨. Both the layering and the blending of tones were more refined, and there was far greater control over the sound in many sections. For example, in the exhilarating parts of the second movement, the brass played with much more precision and restraint—not wild and unrestrained like yesterday, but disciplined, light, and elastic. I personally feel this hall is even better than St. Florian’s—the reverberation time is shorter, resulting in a clearer sound that’s less muddy. This allowed the Maestro to shape the voices and polish the tones with even greater ease. Those softly sung passages… truly moved me. 🎶💫 At 97 years old, the Sage’s life experience allows him to interpret music with effortless depth, stripping away all restlessness. While part of his fame certainly comes from outliving his contemporaries—making him a living witness of an era—what time has truly given him is this serene, unhurried poise. Music interpreted through such a spirit is inevitably profoundly comforting. I unexpectedly got my hands on the only poster from today’s performance and had it signed—an exquisite signature! 🖊️📜 Another treasured item for my wall at home. So hot today—drank beer all day long 🍻😅—excited for tomorrow! #ClassicalMusic #Bruckner #Passau