Composer with action

Halloween: “We are bringing Anton Bruckner to life”

Peter Androsch keeps Anton Bruckner in the chapel of the Linz parish church;

(Bild: Einöder Horst/Horst Einöder/Flashpictures)

The Bruckner anniversary in Upper Austria is reaching its finale: composer Peter Androsch is keeping Bruckner alive in a chapel in the middle of Linz and inviting people to a "Dead Man Walk" on Halloween night. You can buy Bruckner death masks for this. 

"Something similar to Anton Bruckner happened to me," says Peter Androsch from Linz, tapping an angel. "I was looking forward to a sibling - but that never came."

The angel hangs in the oil chapel of the parish church on Pfarrplatz in Linz. Beneath it lies a figure - that is Bruckner. The mother of the great composer, to whom this year's KulturEXPO is dedicated, once gave birth to eleven children. "Six of them died, of course he witnessed all of that," says Androsch.

Shrine to the dead and several angels
It was not only this "similar experience", but also his love of Bruckner's music that prompted Androsch, who is also a composer, to realize several impressive projects for the anniversary year.

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The highlight is now the "Bruckner Shrine" in the chapel: Androsch reinterred Bruckner, who is known to lie in a sarcophagus in St. Florian's Abbey, in the center of the city of Linz - a staging. However, the shrine to the dead looks perfect, as the "Krone" local inspection shows. For indeed: there lies a snow-white Bruckner, guarded by six guardian angels - the dead siblings. The shrine is illuminated five times a day.

A spooky walk in the dark
Because it looks a little spooky, it fits in well with Halloween on October 31 and a special event: Androsch invites everyone to take part in the "Dead Man Walk" from 8.24 pm, wearing Bruckner masks. A brass ensemble will accompany the procession.

The aim is to honor the composer, to pay tribute to his work - and: "We think of him so strongly, that's what makes him alive!" It's even about socializing, because there will also be fun and mulled wine. Death and humor have never been mutually exclusive!

If you want to be there, you can equip yourself in advance with a Bruckner mask made of cardboard with an elastic band, which you can order in Androsch's devotional store.

"He would certainly have Netflix in mind" - Interview with Peter Androsch
The 200th birthday of Anton Bruckner inspired the KulturEXPO with numerous events. Because Bruckner is so present, there is a feeling that he could be resurrected, says composer Peter Androsch. He had already thought this idea through in his opera "Geschnitzte Heiligkeit - Bruckner und die Frauen" (1996), as he told the "Krone".

"Krone": You have the idea of Bruckner coming back to earth?
Peter Androsch: Yes, that has now also inspired the "Dead Man Walk" for Halloween.

If we continue the thought experiment: If Bruckner were to be resurrected now, would he become a composer again or what would he do?
Good question. He lived in a time without computers or radio, so concert halls used to have a completely different meaning. Now Bruckner would perhaps do something for Netflix or great cinema. He actually developed cinematic composition methods. Something big that moves society. That's what he would be aiming for artistically!