BaL 1st October 2011 - Bruckner's 8th Symphony

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Richard Osborne with a personal recommendation from the available recordings of Bruckner's Symphony No.8

Available versions:

CD
BBC Symphony Orchestra, Sir Reginald Goodall
Staatskapelle Dresden, Eugen Jochum
Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt, Eliahu Inbal
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Lorin Maazel
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Riccardo Chailly
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Daniel Barenboim
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Eugen Jochum
Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Volkmar Andreae
Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Heinz Rogner
SWR-Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg, Michael Gielen
Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, Carl Schuricht
Vienna Pro Musica Orchestra, Jascha Horenstein
NDR Symphony Orchestra, Hamburg, Schuricht
Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, Hans Knappertsbusch
Bayerisches Staatsorchester, Hans Knappertsbusch
Leningrad Philharmonic, Evgeny Mravinsky
Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, Karl Bohm
Zürich Tonhalle Orchestra, Rudolf Kempe
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Berliner Philharmoniker, Wilhelm Furtwängler
Prague Radio Orchestra, Lovro von Matacic
Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Leipzig, Hermann Abendroth
Saarbrücken Radio Symphony Orchestra, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Rafael Kubelik
Orchestra de la Suisse Romande, Marek Janowski
Bruckner-Orchester Linz, Dennis Russell Davies
Berliner Philharmoniker, Klaus Tennstedt
Berliner Philharmoniker, Carlo Maria Giulini
Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, Bruno Walter
Philharmonia Orchestra, Carlo Maria Giulini
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Mariss Jansons
Berliner Philharmoniker, Daniel Barenboim
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Klaus Tennstedt
Münchner Philharmoniker, Günter Wand
Berliner Philharmoniker, Günter Wand
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Karl Böhm
NDR Symphony Orchestra, Carl Schuricht
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, George Szell
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bernard Haitink
Wiener Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan
Wiener Philharmoniker, Pierre Boulez
Orchestra Métropolitan, Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, Ivor Bolton
Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, Sergiu Celibidache
Ireland National Symphony Orchestra, Georg Tintner
New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Bruno Walter
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Wilhelm Furtwängler
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Rafael Kubelík
Philharmoniker Hamburg, Simone Young
Staatskapelle Dresden, Bernard Haitink
Staatskapelle Dresden, Christian Thielemann
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Hans Knappertsbusch
Kölner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester, Otto Klemperer
Kölner Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester, Günter Wand
Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan (2 versions)
Wiener Philharmoniker, Sir Georg Solti

Lionel Rogg (organ)

DVD
The Cleveland Orchestra, Franz Welser-Möst
Wiener Philharmoniker, Pierre Boulez
Wiener Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan
NDR Sinfonieorchester, Günter Wand
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Herbert von Karajan
Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin (DSO), Kent Nagano
World Philharmonic Orchestra, Carlo Maria Giulini
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Zubin Mehta

[Curalach]

You can add to the list: London Philharmonic Orchestra, Neeme Jarvi, on Chandos. Not, I would have to say, Neeme's finest moment!

[makropulos]

This one's a monster to cover. And among others you might add - all findable, whether "available" or not, I have:

Böhm Vienna PO DG

Celibidache Suttgart Radio SO DG

Furtwängler Vienna PO (1944) DG
Furtwängler Berlin PO (1949) Audite - a different performance (a day later) from the one on Testament

There are several different Haitink Concertgebouw performances, and another with the Vienna PO

Jochum Hamburg State PO (1949), DG 449 758-2, still obtainable from marketplace sellers last time I looked.
Jochum Hessian Radio (1940), Tahra 638-9
Jochum Bamberg SO (1982), Altus DVD 001 (easy to get from Japan)
Jochum Berlin PO (1964) - the standard DG version, which I think you have above as Bavarian Radio SO
Jochum Concertgebouw (1984) Tahra 169

There are two Kubelik performances, both with BRSO on Orfeo and BR Klassik - not sure which one you've listed.

Matacic NHKSO 1975 Altus 048
Matacic NHKSO 1984 NHK DVD (both available in Japan)

Prêtre Vienna SO Weitblick 0096-2

Solti Chicago SO 430228-2
Svetlanov USSRSO Scribendum 020
Szell Cleveland Sony Classical
Szell Vienna PO Living Stage

And that's just from what's on my shelves. There are several different Karajan versions too.

Since it's RO reviewing it, my guess would be that he'll go for Karajan's late VPO set - or maybe Giulini on DG, which he called (rightly I think) "one of the great Bruckner recordings of the age".

[Tony Halstead]

Horenstein, LSO, recorded live at the Proms, 1970./ BBC 'Legends' CD

[umslopogaas]

Three more, all on LP:

Cleveland O., Szell (CBS)
New Philharmonia O., Klemperer (EMI HMV)
Schuricht/VPO (EMI HMV)

I got to know the work from that Szell/Cleveland version and still treasure it. I have never really warmed to Klemperer. The Schuricht is very good as far as I can tell, which is halfway: one of the biggest frustrations of my collecting career, its a two LP set, but I've only got one of them. Looks like it'll stay that way, judging from the prices now being asked on ebay.

[verismissimo]

Are we/is he going to get all tangled up with performing editions on this one?

I've had Cleveland/Szell for years, which I like a lot. And more recently BPO/Barenboim.

[BBMmk2]

"On the Shoulder of Giants"(Peter Graham), indeed!

[makropulos]

Are we/is he going to get all tangled up with performing editions on this one?

I've had Cleveland/Szell for years, which I like a lot. And more recently BPO/Barenboim.

We had something of that discussion during the Proms - seems a bit soon to go there again, maybe? But for anyone who wants to see what's what, the discography on abrucker.com gives all the details :)

[Petrushka]

In addition to those listed and to the helpful amendments from Makropolous, there is a live 1966 performance from Joseph Keilberth and the Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra on Orfeo.

Incidentally, I'm not aware of a version from Mariss Jansons and the Concertgebouw as listed. Is this perhaps the RCO Live Haitink?

Many of these recordings, perhaps as many as 75% of them, will not even be considered due to corrupt editions, dated sound and so on and I'd agree with Makropolous that RO will choose either VPO/Karajan or VPO/Giulini though I wouldn't rule out BRSO/Kubelik recently issued on the orchestra's own label or BPO/Tennstedt on Testament.

[Barbirollians]

The live Barbirolli on BBC legends got a rave review from RO a few years back .

[Colonel Danby]

I've got Schuricht on a CD which was burned from the original LPs: working in a CD shop, I was enthusing about Bruckner (as you do) and got talking with a man who just loved the Eighth. And lo and behold, a couple of days later he returned with the precious gift.

It is a very fine recording, but I still have to admit it doesn't quite displace Karajan's later VPO account in my affections: totally divine IMHO and Herbert's finest hour. So I imagine that RO won't choose it for BaL

[Nick Armstrong]

Karajan's later VPO account in my affections: totally divine IMHO and Herbert's finest hour.

Colonel, frightfully sorry and all that, but that HvK/VPO is a performance whose virtues have always totally eluded me. It's precisely how I don't like Bruckner played - slow, marmoreal &c. &c. I raced to buy it when it came out as No 8 is one of my favourite symphonies, but... I tried. But I got rid of it.

I am a huge fan of Klaus Tennstedt in this piece. He plays it as I imagine it.

[Petrushka]

I got to know the Bruckner 8 from the 1944 VPO/Furtwangler back in 1974 when recordings were thin on the ground. RO will not be choosing this version, and nor should he, but I would not be at all surprised if he did at least play the climax of the first movement which is the most terrifying on disc. Still a great performance and one which holds a special place in my affections.

There are now so many good recordings about but I side with Colonel Danby in choosing the 1988 VPO/Karajan. There is also a magnificent DVD of a 1979 performance given at St Florian (VPO) a fortnight before I saw Karajan for the only time conduct this very work (BPO) in the RFH.

[Petrushka]

I am a huge fan of Klaus Tennstedt in this piece. He plays it as I imagine it.

In which case, the recent Testament issue with the BPO must be right up your street. I recall attending a performance of the 8th in the RFH in 1980 when Eugen Jochum was to have conducted the LPO. He was indisposed and his place was taken by Klaus Tennstedt. Riches indeed!

[Barbirollians]

I should have added that the BBC legends Barbirolli is by miles by favourite version - vital, yet spiritual . I am also a fan of the 1944 Furtwangler and have a sneaking regard for the Boulez.