The Best Recordings of Bruckner Symphony No. 8
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ก.พ. 2025
- Gil Zilkha, singer/collector/music enthusiast
In this installment of Essential Classical Music, I cover the best recordings of Bruckner's 8th Symphony. This video is taken from my larger video covering the major symphonies and their best recordings. Featured conductors include Karajan, Wand, and Furtwängler, among others.
Thank you, Gil, for the fine recordings you cover. The Bruckner 8th is one of the most spiritually elevating I have ever heard. Every conductor gets something interesting from the incredible score. Others that I especially love include the following: van Beinum for his very powerful performance, especially the timpani crescendo at the beginning of the 4th movement. I love Skrowaczewski as a Bruckner interpreter. In his multiple recordings he brings out the power and the drama of the 8th while also offering a gorgeous inward Adagio. Another of my very favorite recordings is that of Otmar Suitner, who offers an electrifying rendition that seems totally natural. Takashi Asahina gave several renditions of the 8th, including his finest one at the close of his life. And there are the two performances of the 8th offered by Jascha Horenstein (an earlier one on Vox and a 1970 "live" performance. Great power and a combination of monumentality and majesty. The Bruckner 8th contains such a wealth of melodic beauty, spiritual fervor and mystical radiance.
Excellent! I've never heard you before. I love Bruckner. I'm 80. I used to play classical lps on KPOF-AM in Denver, Colo. back in the day. Mon. Dec. 1, 2024, Missouri.
Thanks, I’m glad you enjoyed it. I always thought it would be fun being a classical deejay.
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.
Most terrible Bruckner = Celibidache
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
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.
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.
Wow, you quoted my favourite: by Günter Wand | NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester 1987.
Great to see someone who's not Huruwitz! But what about Celibidache and Jochum?
Yes just call him horror witz
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.
We are lucky indeed to have so many fine recordings of the 8th now. A few that made my list that are not on yours are Skrowaczewski (Saarbrucken), Tennstedt (London), and Celibidache (Munich).
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!
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
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!
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.
About Furtwängler, I would rather pick the 1949 Berlin PO recording, which has a much better sound (the Urania label has a pseudo-stereo remastering which is just extraordinary) and much more impressive as a perfmoance, don't you think?
Interesting pronunciation of Böhm.
you missed Celibidache live in Tokyo, 1990 I think, the only one with Peter Sadlo on timpani, he is the soul of this piece, just listen to the finale, that is breathtaking
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.
I like the Thielemann too.
Imo the best Bruckner 8s are: Haitink, Jochum and above all Giulini!
Suitner!❤
Hello . Another great recording Bruckner symphony 8 is Carl Shuricht whith Wiener philarmonia .
Yes. They are all good. There is no winner.
@@Listenerandlearner870 there is a winner for sure: vpo under giulini
Is is not philharmonia but philharmoniker
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.
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!
Celibidache!
Best recordings? Rather... archive recordings.
No Jochum?