Bruckner 8 Berlin Staatskapelle/Barenboim April 17

[amateur51]

I'm surprised you even need a watering can, I once heard Peter Clack (did you know him, HS?) play 'Ride of the Valkyries' on a simple garden hose...

I thought that was why the government's brought in a hosepipe ban No?

My Nain could play The Flight of the Bumblebee without a hosepipe but now we're back to the charcoal biscuits (qv, op cit)

[Nick Armstrong]

My Nain could play The Flight of the Bumblebee without a hosepipe but now we're back to the charcoal biscuits (qv, op cit)

Why am I not surprised....!!!

[HighlandDougie]

I'm usually in the Hornspieler camp in my views on Barenboim as a conductor, at least in 19th century repertoire (Furtwängler-lite was a phrase I used before) so it was better than I had thought it might be, at least interpretatively (fine slow movement) but, oh dear, the orchestra sounded like the BBC Symphony on a bad day. Maybe it was due to listening to it via lo-fi Radio3 play it again, albeit via my piece of Hi-fi rolls-roycery (ATC speakers/Naim amplification) but I thought earlier comments about it being episodic were fully justified. Beautifully played in parts and by no means dull, it just didn't seem to cohere into an organic whole. Maybe I'm too used to Kubelik and his Munich forces (now there's a proper Germanic-sounding orchestra).

[John Skelton]

There is a Berlin Staatskapelle / Barenboim Bruckner 8 on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efCGwNVsNSA

[scottycelt]

As a non-musician far be it for me to get too involved in a discussion about one constitutes a 'good' Bruckner performance or not ...

However, I have to confess that Barenboim (whom I greatly admire) is not my favourite conductor when it comes to these symphonies. I feel that the performances often lack the power and depth that one experiences from the hand of other leading maestros. His final coda in the Eighth is far too fast for my liking and it certainly did give me the impression of an 'abrupt' finish as the presenter indicated. Surely the composer meant us to wallow in the huge 'coming together' of all the symphony's subjects amidst a glorious display of orchestral splendour? Wand, in particular, managed to convey the majesty and awe of the moment admirably, by being almost reluctant to reach the finishing line ...

Still, I'm being churlish as Barenboim's obvious deep love of this music is a pure joy to behold....