I too wish I had the musical knowledge/vocabulary to properly discuss my favorite composers' work or to discuss the relative merits of famous conductors. But all I can offer are generalities. I can tell you that Bruckner's 3rd symphony is full of Wagnerian heroism and grandeur, but delving deeper is beyond me. It's frustrating, but one can't be an expert in--or even conversant in--every aspect of culture.
More positively, I'm looking forward to seeing Patrice Cheréau's production of Elektra, which is coming to the Met (and movie theaters worldwide) this April. http://www.metopera.org/Season/2015-...rauss-tickets/ Nina Stemme, perhaps the greatest dramatic soprano alive, takes the title role, which is reason enough to buy a ticket. It's also worth noting that this is the final opera overseen by Cheréau, an influential director whose Centenary Ring scandalized 1970s audiences by reinterpreting the Ring Cycle as a socialist critique of Industrial Age Europe. Such reinterpretations are commonplace now, but most directors lack Chereau's subtlety and respect for the original libretto.
And here's a video of Stemme as Isolde from a few years ago.