Wagner was Bruckner’s idol. The latter once brought the manuscripts of his second and third symphonies to Wagner’s residence at Bayreuth, in order to hear the master’s opinion of them. Wagner studied the score of the Second and said, “Very nice,” but it was the Third Symphony which truly elicited his enthusiasm. Bruckner was delighted and dedicated the symphony to Wagner, which is why the composition is sometimes known as the “Wagner Symphony.” Regardless of whether Wagner considered Bruckner a fawning devotee at first, he was surely pleased to spot in Bruckner’s Third Symphony motifs that paid tribute to his operas Die Walküre, Tristan und Isolde, Tannhäuser, and Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. Basing his work on Heine’s novel and his own experience of sea voyaging, Wagner composed Der fliegende Holländer. The overture, which was completed last, created a microcosm of the entire opera. As a show opener, it unfolds the story step by step, with each note ending on a cliff-hanger to capture the audience. John Williams has had a lifelong love of the French horn, attributing to it a sound capable of stirring memories of antiquity. John Williams's virtuosity makes the solo horn sound like the ancient hunting horn. The music, reminiscent of Britten's works blended with Celtic folk melodies, is sinuous and bucolic.