Labelled a “bumpkin” by Brahms, who detested his symphonies, Bruckner is now regarded as one of the greatest symphonists of the Romantic era. As four Australian orchestras prepare to perform his music on the bicentenary of his birth, Albert Ehrnrooth traces Bruckner’s career, along with his obsessions and oddities.

Anton Bruckner at the piano in his office in 1895. Photo © Süddeutsche Zeitung Photo/Alamy Stock Photo

Anton Bruckner wrote in his will that he wanted to be a “Leiche erster Klasse” – a first-class corpse. He had a penchant for hanging around cemeteries and witnessing executions, and was rumoured to have kissed the skulls of two of his favourite composers, Beethoven and Schubert. 

On top of his ghoulish obsession, he suffered from a compulsive urge to...