Bruckner: Symphony No. 8

In this way, of course, one can let a new Bruckner cycle begin: right away with perhaps the greatest challenge, namely the monumental Eighth. For Christian Thielemann, Anton Bruckner’s symphonies are, like probably only Richard Wagner’s music dramas, urgent matters of the heart. A performance of the Eighth at the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden led him to his present position as principal conductor. With the Vienna Philharmonic, with whom he has been associated for many years – he conducted the New Year’s Concert in 2019 – Thielemann successfully launched a new cycle of Bruckner symphonies. At his performance of the Fourth at the Salzburg Festival 2020, the Standard admired the “monumental chamber music” and BR-KLASSIK was astonished: “Skilfully, Thielemann dispose of waves of increases, damming up the sound before Bruckner’s monumental eruptions, which then crash into the hall like breakwaters This can also be understood in the present, deeply moving recording of the Eighth – in the edition by Robert Haas – from the Golden Hall of the Vienna Musikverein, because large-format, but fluid, intense in sound, but subtle in the transitions and with colourful details, this masterly interpretation is well suited to take on those of the greats such as Schuricht, Karajan, Giulini or Wand.