Search - Bruckner, Haitink, Cgb :: Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 in C Minor / Wagner: Siegfried-Idyll

The second-best Bruckner Eight ...

Pater Ecstaticus | Norway | 02/06/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"... after Haitink's recording of the same symphony with the Wiener Philharmoniker - a gigantic achievement, this last one, and IMHO at least as great as any Karajan or Giulini ...(It is still available as a budget twofer on Philips).

The recorded sound for the Bruckner Eight under review here is typically 'Philips', in that it, in a very warm but natural soundpicture captures the wonderful acoustics of the Grote Zaal (Main Hall) of the Concertgebouw, perfect for the gigantic ebbs and flows of this music, and providing the necessary space for the phrases to breath to the full. For that is what Haitink does here: he takes ample time to let the music unfold in all its splendor. (Speeds for the four parts are: 16:03 / 16:11 / 29:14 / 23:53)

This (truly magnificent early digital!) recording of Bruckners Eighth Symphony (1981, Haas-edition) stands between his first studio recording (1969) and his third studio recording with the Wiener Philharmoniker (1995, Haas-edition). 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 Vienna 1995, but there, the conducting is even more disciplined and the playing even more poised - with a little more 'bite', maybe. Combined with a somewhat more direct recording of instruments, this makes this Vienna Philharmonic-recording IMHO well-nigh-perfect. Haitink really seems to love Bruckner and he truly makes this music sing in the most eloquent and naturally flowing way. This is as true for this Concertgebouw-recording as for his later, even more superb recording with the Vienna Philharmonic. Anyhow, IMHO this Haitink/Concertgebouw-recording, which sings this music with such caressing, warm sympathy and with such grandure, is simply not to be missed."