Dense Music of Bruckner & Wakeman

Anton Bruckner (1824-96) was an Austrian Catholic composer whose music, including nine symphonies was known for dissonances, unprepared modulations & roving harmonies. They were also very dense in their orchestrations. His name is also curiously linked with Haydn & Mozart in this way. Haydn dedicated his Symphony No.48 to the Empress of Austria, Marie Therese, which carries her name. She also reportedly took the infant Mozart on her lap, after one of his virtuosic performances. Bruckner, after a successful rehearsal of his fourth symphony, in 1881, presented a "Marie Therese Thaler" (a commemorative coin bearing her effigy) to Hans Richter, the conductor.

Similarly dense is the music of Rick Wakeman, (1949-) a classical, rock & jazz fusion musician. He was classically trained in the Royal College of Music & later was a member of "Yes", a progressive rock band. After that he started his solo career with a bang, recording "The Six Wives of Henry the VIII",(1973) giving the musical piçtures of the six unfortunate ladies! A later LP named "Criminal Record" gave sonic pictures of famous criminals. These were followed by more than 100 albums. More than six feet tall & with enormous hands spanning the keyboards, he is a virtuoso on the synthesizer.