Symphony No. 8 In C Minor: 2. Scherzo. Allegro Moderato - Trio. Langsam - Scherzo da Capo
Symphony No. 8 In C Minor: 3. Adagio. Feierlich langsam, doch nicht schleppend
Symphony No. 8 In C Minor: 4. Finale. Feierlich, nicht schnell
When word got out that Pierre Boulez was planning to record the mammoth Eighth Symphony of Anton Bruckner, the reaction in some quarters was akin to the announcement that a leading Marxist intellectual had accepted the CEO... more » position at General Motors. While Boulez has already acclimated the music world to his latter-day interest in the core symphonic repertory with his recent performances of Mahler, the sense of incongruity with Bruckner's mystical solemnity seemed too great a leap to expect from the famous apostle of the avant-garde. Forget about those prejudices--Boulez's accomplishment here is arguably even more successful than his accounts of Mahler. It also offers a fascinatingly fresh view of the great symphonist, who some feel will finally come into his own in the 21st century. Stereotypes of Boulez's razor-sharp, "cerebral" bias don't do justice to the sensuous pleasure he can elicit from the Vienna Philharmonic's musicians, a detailed alertness to Bruckner's instrumental touches that are too often overshadowed by focus on his architectonics. Boulez, of course, has a command of the latter as well, and his brisk pacing of the Robert Haas compilation/edition creates a sense of momentum and flow that's particularly striking in his brilliant realization of the Scherzo and the Finale. True, there's less of the "apocalyptic" (an epithet sometimes given to this symphony), of the crushing tragedy, one hears in Karajan's canonical interpretation or the fine version by Skrowaczewski, and Boulez's chary avoidance of pauses in the celestial Adagio cheats us of the near-death-experience-in-music that comes through in Celibidache's glacial but visionary concert recording. But that sense of detail--witness the balance of horns and strings in the Adagio's closing pages--counts for much. Moreover, this live recording gains warmth from the acoustics of the Abbey Church of St. Florian--where Bruckner served as organist, and where his body is buried--and benefits from excellent engineering. Ironic as it might seem, Boulez may indeed win new converts to Bruckner with this performance. --Thomas May« less
When word got out that Pierre Boulez was planning to record the mammoth Eighth Symphony of Anton Bruckner, the reaction in some quarters was akin to the announcement that a leading Marxist intellectual had accepted the CEO position at General Motors. While Boulez has already acclimated the music world to his latter-day interest in the core symphonic repertory with his recent performances of Mahler, the sense of incongruity with Bruckner's mystical solemnity seemed too great a leap to expect from the famous apostle of the avant-garde. Forget about those prejudices--Boulez's accomplishment here is arguably even more successful than his accounts of Mahler. It also offers a fascinatingly fresh view of the great symphonist, who some feel will finally come into his own in the 21st century. Stereotypes of Boulez's razor-sharp, "cerebral" bias don't do justice to the sensuous pleasure he can elicit from the Vienna Philharmonic's musicians, a detailed alertness to Bruckner's instrumental touches that are too often overshadowed by focus on his architectonics. Boulez, of course, has a command of the latter as well, and his brisk pacing of the Robert Haas compilation/edition creates a sense of momentum and flow that's particularly striking in his brilliant realization of the Scherzo and the Finale. True, there's less of the "apocalyptic" (an epithet sometimes given to this symphony), of the crushing tragedy, one hears in Karajan's canonical interpretation or the fine version by Skrowaczewski, and Boulez's chary avoidance of pauses in the celestial Adagio cheats us of the near-death-experience-in-music that comes through in Celibidache's glacial but visionary concert recording. But that sense of detail--witness the balance of horns and strings in the Adagio's closing pages--counts for much. Moreover, this live recording gains warmth from the acoustics of the Abbey Church of St. Florian--where Bruckner served as organist, and where his body is buried--and benefits from excellent engineering. Ironic as it might seem, Boulez may indeed win new converts to Bruckner with this performance. --Thomas May
CD Reviews
A Desert Island Performance of Bruckner's Greatest Symphony
Tansal | New York, NY | 06/15/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I have been waiting for the release of this performance since I first heard of its recording in September of 1996. For anyone tracking the recordings of Pierre Boulez, the typical reaction upon hearing that he had recorded a Bruckner symphony is: "Boulez conducting Bruckner?" I've been a fan of many of Boulez's recordings for Deutsche Grammophon and so I was very curious to hear his version of this, my favourite of Bruckner's symphonies. I had read his reason for making the recording was that he thought rather highly of the Adagio. I was half expecting to find a recording that rushed through the first two movements only to perform the Adagio, and then breeze through the finale as well. Knowing how dull a performance can sound when Boulez is disinterested in the piece, and how he can at times sound too clinical, I was a bit worried about what this account may bring. Well, now that I've heard this recording, I can rest easy. It is one of the most impressive accounts of the Eighth symphony I've ever heard. My introduction to this piece was through Herbert von Karajan's last recording (of four) of this piece, with the Vienna Philharmonic. Boulez also records with the same orchestra, and they perform with the same transcendent beauty here as they did with Karajan soon before his death. There are many differences between the two recordings. Karajan's is slower and is thus represented on two discs, significantly increasing the cost. It is still a favourite of mine, even after having heard easily a dozen other recordings. However, when people would ask me for a recommendation for this piece, they would balk at the price of Karajan's recording. Well, now I can wholeheartedly recommend Boulez's account on a single disc, and thus half the price. Boulez's performance is deeply felt and on numerous occasions sent chills over my body, in the same way Karajan's did, but for different reasons. Karajan's recording has more mystery and sounds more spiritual. Boulez's is more rhythmic and pressing and intense while still flowing and allowing the passages to breath. It's a superb performance and if I were pressed to choose between the two, I would choose the Boulez. For me, this performance is somewhere between Karajan's account and Furtwangler's 1944 account, also with the Vienna Philharmonic. It combines better sound than Karajan's with a less eccentric but still close interpretation to Furtwangler's. (This is probably the only time a comparison between Furtwangler and Boulez could be made!) I'm sure someone will come along, as often is the case, to proclaim that Boulez has a heart of stone and doesn't plumb the depths of emotion in this work, but to my ears this is a desert island performance of Bruckner's greatest symphony."
An Epiphany Experience
Grady Harp | Los Angeles, CA United States | 01/05/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If you believe you understand the power of music to speak in spiritual language then prepare yourself. Boulez and the Vienna Philharmonic have approached the altar of the Bruckner Symphony No. 8 in a way that brings to mind all of the master conductors of the past century and for me he supercedes all other standards in this energizing, uplifting, transcendental recording. Repeated hearings only open new windows of understanding about how Bruckner approached the Sacred Ideal in this organ-like symphonic architectural wonder. The clarity we have come to expect from Boulez is keenly present to uncover lines hidden by other conductors' lack of vision. This is a mighty and magnificent performance that deserves every honor it is gathering. Celebrate yourself and buy it to play whenever the world is too much with you!"
Exciting Bruckner, if lacking a little in grandeur
Alexander Leach | Shipley, West Yorkshire United Kingdom | 07/13/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I very much enjoyed this CD, although some of Boulez's tempi are faster than I would have liked: the second subject of the finale for example goes at a tremendous clip, and I'm not sure it respects the composer's 'nicht schnell' marking. Similarly the slow movement presses ahead a little too much at times.Still this is a fine interpretation and one which I would recommend to all Brucknerians.Don't worry if you've been put off by Boulez's Mahler (as I have), as this performance is not lacking in emotion, and is superbly played (especially by the brass and lower strings) and wonderfully recorded.Sinopoli on DG would be my first choice, but this CD has given me a lot of pleasure: the finale is perhaps the most exciting on record!"
Boulez' Bruckner a spectacular surprise
Alexander Leach | 09/12/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This recording of Anton Bruckner's biggest, most complex and prodigious symphony, by a conductor known for his dispassionate approach and disdain for the grand Romantic gesture, came as a complete surprise. It's a stunning performance, one of the very best I've heard. He clocks in -- at 76 minutes -- on one disk, but like most conductors who manage this feat (Klaus Tennstedt excepted), he doesn't give the least impression of being in a rush or short-changing Brucknerian majesty. Perhaps he's at his most distinctive in the transitional passages; too often, they become mere note-spinning, when Bruckner obviously lavished them with as much love as on his massive climaxes. Boulez gives them shape and makes them sing. Always the most erratic of conductors, does Boulez lose interest during the rehearsal period, or what? But this issue justifies his reputation. I'm looking forward to more of his Bruckner, and am especially eager to hear what this French intellectual hears in the prescient Ninth."
At last, a definative Bruckner Eight
dvimus | 07/13/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The days are gone when recordings of Bruckner's Eighth Symphony were a rarity, but despite that great recordings have remained elusive. Haitink was too dour and the normally relaiable Gunter Wand got into quite a mess on his RCA recording. Karajan's mid 70's version was probably the only reliable choice and his tended towards the rhetorical. Not so with this new Boulez recording. Every detail is carefully thought out but never do you feel Boulez gets in the way of the music. Unlike almost all other recordings, the double-dotted rhythm of the first movement is correct and played naturally. Boulez resists the temptation to overstate the conclusion of the short first movement, realising there is still much further to go, placing the emphasis instead on the third movement and the finale which is surely what Bruckner intended. The third movement with that yearning melody in D flat is here played with such poingency and feeling that you immediately sense this is where Bruckner intended the heart of his greatest symphony.
Boulez's judging of tempos of each movement is exceptional throughout, broadening out at the big climaxes and pushing the tempo in the build ups. Never is there a feeling the music has lost direction, the big problem with Guilini, also on DG. The Vienna Philharmonic know this work possibly better than any other orchestra and here they play it with an intensity that they lack for Guilini. Boulez is prepared to honour Bruckner's dynamics to the letter, avoiding the temptation of others, including Haitink, to 'edit' the big brass tuttis. In this performance they shine out in their full glory. The strings have that famous polish of the VPO and the quality of their tone will rank alongside the finest work they have committed to disk.
The venue for the recording was the Bruckner Church in Linz. Boulez voiced some reasonable concerns about the possible acoustic problems. He need not have worried. The DG engineers have worked wonders and every detail of this recording is clear and vivid. At high volume, the power of this recording is quite breath-taking, but it works at lower volumes as well. The quality of the recording is splendid. It must go down as one of the finest recordings to come from DG and that is no mean achievement in itself, considering the high standards of so much of DG's output. Here though they have truly excelled themselves. Boulez uses the original Hass edition of the score, complete in every detail. This is infinately preferable to Novak; those cuts still feel wrong no matter how many times you hear them. Far better to hear Bruckner as he intended his works to sound rather than through one of his numerous editors who cut large chunks out often without reference to Bruckner himself.
For those who may be wary of Boulez in German and Austrian music, here you need have no fear. This is certainly one of the finest recordings Boulez has ever done."
Track Listings (4) - Disc #1