Josef Anton Bruckner (1824 – 1896) was an Austrian composer and organist best known for his symphonies and sacred music, which includes Masses, Te Deum and motets. The symphonies are considered emblematic of the final stage of Austro-German Romanticism because of their rich harmonic language, strongly polyphonic character, and considerable length. His compositions helped to define contemporary musical radicalism, owing to their dissonances, unprepared modulations, and roving harmonies.

Unlike other musical radicals such as Richard Wagner and Hugo Wolf, Bruckner showed respect, even humility, before other famous musicians, Wagner in particular. This apparent dichotomy between Bruckner the man and Bruckner the composer hampers efforts to describe his life in a way that gives a straightforward context for his music. Hans von Bülow described him as "half genius, half simpleton". Bruckner was critical of his own work and often reworked his compositions. There are several versions of many of his works.

His works, the symphonies in particular, had detractors, most notably the influential Austrian critic Eduard Hanslick and other supporters of Johannes Brahms, who pointed to their large size and use of repetition, as well as to Bruckner's propensity for revising many of his works, often with the assistance of colleagues, and his apparent indecision about which versions he preferred. On the other hand, Bruckner was greatly admired by subsequent composers, including his friend Gustav Mahler.

Abendzauber (Evening magic), WAB 57, is a song composed by Anton Bruckner in 1878. Bruckner composed the song on a text of Heinrich von der Mattig on 13 January 1878. He dedicated it to Carl Almeroth. The piece was not performed during the composer's life, because of its performance difficulties (humming voices). It was first performed in 1911 by Viktor Keldorfer with the Wiener Männergesang-Verein (Vienna men's choral association), and was thereafter published by the Universal Edition. It was very popular with Austrian choirs during the interbellum. The work, of which the original manuscript is stored in the archive of the Wiener Männergesang-Verein, is issued in Band XXIII/2, No. 29 of the Gesamtausgabe.

The 82-bar long work in G-flat major is scored for TTBB choir, tenor or baritone soloist. Similarly to Das hohe Lied, the first part (58 bars) is sung by the soloist with an accompaniment of humming voices. From "Wer könnte je vergessen", the melody is taken over by the choir. In addition, four horns are figuring Alphorns, and a Ferngesang (chant from a distance) of female voices is figuring yodelers.

The song, which is in the line of Mitternacht, WAB 80, and the two settings of Um Mitternacht (WAB 89 and 90), is a remarkable example of nature imagery. Bruckner's specialist Ernst Kurth considers this original, somewhat odd piece as one Bruckner's most romantic works

Source: Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abendzauber,_WAB_57).

Although originally created for Male Chorus (TTBB), I created this Interpretation of "Abendzauber" (Evening Magic WAB 57) for Winds (Flute, Oboe, French Horn & Bassoon) & Strings (2 Violins, Viola & Cello).