Ed Zubrow wrote:

>Anyway, this made me listen a little closer, and I was surprised when the
>anouncer said it was the rondo from a string quartet by Bruckner.
>
>I don't associate Bruckner with chamber music, and the bit I heard
>certainly sounded lighter and more extroverted than most of his music.

Ed is talking about the Bruckner String Quartet in C minor (of which there
are two alternate rondo movements).  It's a lovely piece written in his
early Schubertian-Mendelssohnian idiom (and composed purely as a technical
exercise), but with quite a few stylistic anticipations of the later works,
such as distinct 'blocks' of thematic material, a broadly sensuous slow
movement, and a rustic Scherzo.

If you enjoyed the quartet you would probably love the String Quintet,
which is probably his most underrated work.  It was composed between
the Fifth and Sixth symphonies and is a much more mature piece than the
quartet.  It contains one of his most glorious slow movements - in fact the
main theme of the Adagio of the 7th symphony contains a large quotation
from the main theme of the slow movement of the Quintet.  The finale also
anticipates the extremely concise structure of the finale of the 7th; I
think overall the piece is just as important as any of the symphonies when
attempting to understand Bruckner's stylistic development.

If you want to check out these works there is a wonderful disc on Sony
by L'Archibudelli (on period instruments).  It contains the quintet, the
alternative Scherzo for the quintet, and the quartet (along with its
alternative Rondo).

Brian Blackwell