A tribute to a musical genius from Upper Austria

Bruckner’s home was Upper Austria. He was born in Ansfelden on 4 September 1824, the first of eleven children, and was musically fostered and educated in the monastery in the neighbouring town of St. Florian. In Linz, he developed into an acclaimed organ improviser and composer with an unmistakable musical language. Today, his music is performed in the renowned concert hall, the Brucknerhaus. The orchestra named after him and the university that bears his name teach and research his music.

Bruckner was an exemplary composer who, despite moving to Vienna, never forgot his Upper Austrian roots. Few world-class composers come from a rural background. Bruckner grew up in the midst of the shouts of choirs and country steps, dance floors and church steeples, hills and forests. Although he left here, he belongs to Upper Austria and is a part of this country. However, his music transcends borders and is played and listened to all over the world.