Search - Haitinik, Wiener Philharmoniker, Anton Bruckner :: Bruckner: Symphonies 3 & 8

Maybe the best Bruckner 8 ...

Pater Ecstaticus | Norway | 04/18/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"... at least to my taste, but it is certainly a worthy contender to those recordings which are generally considered to be the very best, for example Karajan, Giulini, Wand or Boulez (and many others).

Firstly, I would like to apologize for incompleteness of this review, because I would only like to say my thoughts on the recording of the Eighth Symphony - it used to be available by itself, but now only as a budget twofer, where you also get the Third Symphony (a wonderful recording as well, by the way).

The recorded sound for the Eighth is maybe typically 'Philips' with a warmly sympathetic but natural, not too expansive, crystal clear soundpicture, with just enough 'air' around the different instrument groups. The instruments are fairly directly recorded, but just right for being able to relish in that very typical disciplined, gorgeous and crisp sound of the Vienna Philharmonic, which on this specific recording is captured simply greatly.

Haitink takes ample time to let the music unfold in all its splendor, but at the same time there is a superb grip - at least to my amateur ears - on the structure. Well, one could only expect as much, with a conductor who had up to then been studying and performing this music for about thirty years!

If you also love this recording by Bernard Haitink, I would also like to recommend you listen to Haitinks earlier, 1981 (digital) recording of the same work with the Concertgebouw Orchestra. (Speeds for the four parts in this 1981 recording are: 16:03 / 16:11 / 29:14 / 23:53, making this 1981 recording just slighly slower overall, but only because of the especially expansive adagio.) This magnificent 1981 recording (Haas-edition as well) stands between his first studio recording (1969) and his third studio recording, under review here. This 1981 'Eighth' is taken rather 'spacious' and 'wide', very noble, with grand over-arching legato. The playing of the Concertgebouworkest is as mellifluous as ever. The same holds true for the recording under review here, but here, as a plus, the conducting is even more disciplined and the playing even more 'poised' - with a little more 'bite', maybe, but this may be result of the character (?) of the orchestra itself. Combined with a somewhat more direct recording of instruments, this makes this Vienna Philharmonic-recording IMHO well-nigh-perfect to the ears of this particular listener.



So this (Vienna) recording offers us the best of both worlds, or three worlds actually, recapitulating: firstly, gorgeous playing and recorded sound (some of the best I have ever heard in this format); secondly, the music is allowed to bloom in moderately expansive speeds; and thirdly, a clear sense of structure, especially in the Adagio (27:26 min). All three make this a truly gripping acount of Bruckner's masterpiece.



Haitink really seems to love Bruckner and he truly makes this music sing in the most eloquent and naturally flowing way; sensitive to every nuance and with feeling, but at the same time nicely disciplined. This is as true for this Concertgebouw recording as for this (14 year) later, even more superb recording with the Vienna Philharmonic. Anyhow, this recording (like the Concertgebouw recording), which displays this music with such caressing, warm sympathy and with such nobility, is IMHO essential hearing."