A quest for absolute music Despite a number of setbacks, Bruckner's music has prevailed. His struggle for form and perfection was an expression of his deepest artistic conviction and an inner mission. Like Beethoven, he strove for 'absolute music': a soundscape beyond mere expression that speaks for itself. His Third Symphony in particular, the one 'where the trumpet begins the theme', is an impressive testimony to this aspiration, and it still moves us today: powerful, timeless, and true." Gerd Schaller