Despite all the warnings from the prophets of doom, Bruckner’s music has thankfully prevailed. Bruckner was always in search of the ideal structure for his symphonies. Dissatisfaction and perfectionism both caused him anguish and served as motivation in his determination to advance on an artistic level. His goal was to compose absolute music in the spirit of Beethoven. It is his Third Symphony, above all, “in which the trumpet introduces the theme,” that encapsulates this striving for absolute music – music that is timeless and continues to touch people’s hearts.