Search - Anton Bruckner, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra :: Bruckner: Symphony No. 8

Bruckner In Vienna

Charles A. Jackson | Las Vegas, NV United States | 10/16/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Wilhelm Furtwangler is perhaps one of histories most maligned conductors. A favorite of the Nazi's then an enemy, it wasn't until late in the war that he fled to Switzerland at the behest of Albert Speer. What he left us from those wartime recordings are, among many others, two stunning recordings of Bruckner's monumental 8th symphony. Recorded in early 1944 in Vienna, this performance may be the best live recording ever committed to tape. The performance is at once harrowing and sublime. The brass is dark and crisp, the woodwinds are incisive without ther usual Vienna nasalness, and the strings are astounding. I have never heard a better string sound in my life. Imagine the hardships that the musicians of the Vienna Philharmonic must have performed under. The sound, while not perfect by today's exacting standards, is suprisingly clean and crisp. The playing is almost perfect. Furtwangler rings every ounce of emotion out of his musicians, especially in the long, arching adagio. The lines are crystal clear and the flow of the music is astounding. If Furtwangler never recorded another piece, this would be a fitting legacy to his genius."

As magical as performances come.

Charles Baker | Tallahassee, Florida | 04/02/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Great performances marry great music with musicians completely devoted and in tune with the nature of the work. At the amazing time that this and the"companion" Bruckner 9th with Berlin were recorded Bruckner was as important to these musicians as any music has ever been to any musicians, and the depth of communication achieved is truly scary. A better word might be "awesome" as is said these days: or even better "awful" in the original sense of the word ("awe-full"). I return again and again to these recordings to be humbled and exaulted as few things in my life can do.

If you know a fine young musician ewho does not understand Bruckner yet, this recording might convince them, if they are not just listening for sonic spectacle.

The 8th symphony played as the heartfelt prayer it is."

Incredible

Erez Katz | CA, USA | 03/05/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It is amazing how in humanity's darkest hour, such music can be produced...



Furtwangler knows Bruckner and other conductors are simply left in the dark in comparison... except maybe for Celibidache.



The sound is what you would expect from a Mono recording from 1944; however, this is a historical recording that stands beyond the limited technology available during that era."