Anton Bruckner, the bicentenary of whose birth is celebrated by the music world this year, was wholeheartedly idolizing his older colleague, Ferenc Liszt. They met in person only very late, in 1885, in Vienna. Brahms had made Liszt’s acquaintance much earlier, in 1853, at the age of twenty, when, thanks to the assistance of József (Joseph) Joachim, he could visit Weimar and enjoy Liszt’s hospitality for a longer period of time. It was during this stay that Brahms anecdotally fell asleep while Liszt was performing his Sonata in B minor to a select audience – something that did not escape Liszt’s attention. A concert programme with music by Bruckner, Brahms and Liszt was barely something their contemporaries could countenance. Today, it seems more surprising the three musical ‘Weltanschauungen’ (worldview) were felt to be so radically different, as were their respective attitudes to sacred music.