Top shelf
Jeff D. Wolf | Abilene, TX | 10/11/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Among the more than 20 recordings I have of the Bruckner 8th, a handful rise above the others: Wand (his first, out-of-print analog RCA is the best of the three), Karajan with the VPO, Omar Suitner on Berlin Classics, and Chailly on Decca/London. Bohm (on one 80-plus minute CD, regardless of what one review here says) belongs in this exalted company. For those who might be familiar with other Bohm recordings, his Bruckner 8th performance and DG's sound quality are outstanding in the same vein as Bohm's Brahms 2nd and Brahms 4th recordings, also with the VPO.
In short, a fabulous recorded performance of one of the 19th century's great orchestral masterpieces."
Sigh; slow movement is Nowak, not Haas
Mr. Allan K. Steel | Sydney, AUS | 12/08/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"The other reviewers rave about this; it's pretty good but not right near the top, I feel.
The DG cover advertises this as the Haas version, but it's Nowak: has the really bad cut in the 3rd movement which totally wrecks the structure and buildup to the final climax: see Robert Simpson's book on why Haas is SO much better here (or just use your ears!).
So that misnomer about Haas is a major disappointment, since otherwise this recording is pretty good. Other reviewers say the sound is great, etc. In fact, the strings get rather thin on top: this is a more "shadowy" type recording than "clear cut" in sound. So not absolutely ideal, but OK. Horns come through in the background in interesting ways not often heard on other recordings...."