Hi Gil! Thanks for your insightful presentation. I'm currently listening to Karajan / BPO. I have the complete set. I'm a Boulez fan so I'm probably going to pick up his recording and maybe the Giulini. I'll check out some of your others videos.
Celibidache’s Bruckner 8 stands out for its length and slow, long drawn out pace. I’m not knocking that (or him), but you have to be in for it and many people aren’t.
You're absolutely right about Karajan''s mid '70s Bruckner 8th with the Berlin Philharmonic. The playing is definitely superior to his digital remake in Vienna. The sublime adagio is the highlight of the Bruckner 8th and is the most beautiful thing he ever wrote. I heard Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic play the Bruckner 8th in Chicago in the late 1970's and it was a revelation. Their strings and their burnished French horns were drop dead gorgeous. Best Bruckner performance I ever heard in my life.
Yes, Furtwangler! Although I only know the 1954 performance. His wartime perfomances were phenomenally passionate and meaningful so I would love to hear the one you recommend from 1944.
Wow, proposing marriage after Bruckner 8th sounds so apt -- talk about a huge build-up. :) Agree that Vienna Philharmonic seems to own the Bruckner sound. Love the Old World splendor of their brass and shimmering strings. I have Karajan's 2nd version and it's fabulous. Curious now about Thielemann's "rounded" sound. Thanks!
For me, the non plus ultra is the live NDR recording with Wand from the Luebeck Cathedral that you discuss. That big reverberation adds to the majestic awe of the piece.
Gil, I respectfully suggest that you should have drawn reference to Karajan's greatest exposition of Bruckner - namely, the 1944 finale of the B8 in stereo. Have you heard it please? B
Hello Gil, thank you for this! I also prefer the BPO's version of the 8th by Karajan. It just sounds so much better to my ears than the Wiener version: especially those heavenly strings at the end that seem to be coming from another world entirely. We need more videos like these, keep up the good content!
Congrats to the Bruckner wife :) Interesting way to pronounce Böhm, I had to check the video image to understand it. I agree on Boulez. I find Janowski the most satisfiing out of the versions I know.
Thanks, William! Yes, I actually meant to mention that. Both the Musical Concepts issue of the 8th by itself and the Orfeo set of Vienna concerts from 1944-54 are very good and available via streaming.
Interesting. I always see the abbreviations as BPO, VPO, NYPO, etc. But I spell out the city so people who don’t automatically know can piece it together.
Hi Gil! Thanks for your insightful presentation. I'm currently listening to Karajan / BPO. I have the complete set. I'm a Boulez fan so I'm probably going to pick up his recording and maybe the Giulini. I'll check out some of your others videos.
Thanks Reid, I appreciate the feedback! Yes, the Karajan BPO set sounds great
No Celibidache?
Celibidache’s Bruckner 8 stands out for its length and slow, long drawn out pace. I’m not knocking that (or him), but you have to be in for it and many people aren’t.
Hello . Another great recording Bruckner symphony 8 is Carl Shuricht whith Wiener philarmonia .
Yes. They are all good. There is no winner.
Great to see someone who's not Huruwitz! But what about Celibidache and Jochum?
You're absolutely right about Karajan''s mid '70s Bruckner 8th with the Berlin Philharmonic. The playing is definitely superior to his digital remake in Vienna.
The sublime adagio is the highlight of the Bruckner 8th and is the most beautiful thing he ever wrote.
I heard Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic play the Bruckner 8th in Chicago in the late 1970's and it was a revelation. Their strings and their burnished French horns were drop dead gorgeous. Best Bruckner performance I ever heard in my life.
Yes, Furtwangler! Although I only know the 1954 performance. His wartime perfomances were phenomenally passionate and meaningful so I would love to hear the one you recommend from 1944.
Wow, proposing marriage after Bruckner 8th sounds so apt -- talk about a huge build-up. :) Agree that Vienna Philharmonic seems to own the Bruckner sound. Love the Old World splendor of their brass and shimmering strings. I have Karajan's 2nd version and it's fabulous. Curious now about Thielemann's "rounded" sound. Thanks!
For me, the non plus ultra is the live NDR recording with Wand from the Luebeck Cathedral that you discuss. That big reverberation adds to the majestic awe of the piece.
Gil, I respectfully suggest that you should have drawn reference to Karajan's greatest exposition of Bruckner - namely, the 1944 finale of the B8 in stereo. Have you heard it please? B
Hello Gil, thank you for this! I also prefer the BPO's version of the 8th by Karajan. It just sounds so much better to my ears than the Wiener version: especially those heavenly strings at the end that seem to be coming from another world entirely. We need more videos like these, keep up the good content!
Congrats to the Bruckner wife :) Interesting way to pronounce Böhm, I had to check the video image to understand it. I agree on Boulez. I find Janowski the most satisfiing out of the versions I know.
Interesting pronunciation of Böhm.
Hi
Bōhm as in ‘burm’, like ‘term’ or ‘germ’
as in Birmingham
That's closer than his pronunciation, but there's no "r" in there.
Suitner!❤
Imo the best Bruckner 8s are: Haitink, Jochum and above all Giulini!
Great choices, although I haven’t heard the Thielemann yet. For the Furtwangler, the Musical Concepts transfer sounds even better.
Thanks, William! Yes, I actually meant to mention that. Both the Musical Concepts issue of the 8th by itself and the Orfeo set of Vienna concerts from 1944-54 are very good and available via streaming.
Celibidache!
All good, but boy did you miss A LOT of great ones.
If you abbreviate “Philharmonic Orchestra” as “PO”, you have missed something essential. It’s properly abbreviated as “PhO”.
Interesting. I always see the abbreviations as BPO, VPO, NYPO, etc. But I spell out the city so people who don’t automatically know can piece it together.
Only in Vietnamese!
No Jochum?