Journeys with Tonerl: Bruckner’s Austria

A comet descends over the monastery of Sankt Florian, Upper Austria

Piaristenkirche, Josefstadt, Vienna

Anton Bruckner persued by critics, caricature by Otto Böhler

Skeleton at St Florian monastery

Bruckner’s autograph manuscript of the Eighth Symphony (1886–90)

Bruckner awarded the Order of Franz Joseph, 1890

Bruckner monument at Ansfelden

By Hugo Shirley, 22 October 2024

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“Bruckner was undoubtedly something of an oddball”

Chanda VanderHart, 6th March

Chanda VanderHart talks to the American tenor about his Tristan debut at the Met, his love for Vienna and Otto Schenk, and the incredible scope of his repertoire.

Out of the ordinary: Wagner’s Ring at Paris Opera

Bachtrack, 12th November

In 2026, Opéra national de Paris presents its first complete cycle of Wagner’s Ring for over a decade, with productions directed by Calixto Bieito. We dig into these striking and provocative productions...

The art of memory: classical music for mourning

Danny Riley, 28th October

From fulfilling funerary functions, to eulogising friends and fellow artists, or lamenting the waste of war: here are some of the finest examples of music written in mourning.

Bachtrack top ten: Johann Strauss II in Vienna

Mark Pullinger & Elisabeth Schwarz, 17th October

Take a guided tour in 3/4 time through Vienna as Mark and Elisabeth visit some of the key Strauss locations in the city.

Insiders may have assisted pro-Palestine protest at Salzburg Festival

Bachtrack, 31st July

Festival leadership and city police have alleged that insiders and a former employee may have assisted pro-Palestine protestors to disrupt the Austrian vice chancellor’s speech at Salzburg Festival on Saturday.

Spinning into space: how Johann Strauss hypnotised Vienna

Eleanor Knight, 27th June

Born 200 years ago, we explore the hypnotic and seductive qualities of Johann Strauss II’s music, and what allows the Blue Danube to so capture the never-ending dance of humankind.

Hugo Shirley

Hugo Shirley is a Berlin-based writer and musicologist. He has written widely as a critic in the UK, including for The Spectator, the Financial Times and Daily Telegraph, and has held editorial posts at both Opera and Gramophone. He was editor of 30-Second Opera (Ivy Press, 2015) and has a PhD in musicology from King's College London, where his thesis focused on Strauss and Hofmannsthal’s Die Frau ohne Schatten.