Anton Bruckner’s (1824-1896) 8th Symphony in C Minor, WAB 108.
00:00:00 – I. Allegro moderato.
00:16:52 – II. Scherzo. Allegro moderato – Trio. Langsam.
00:32:30 – III. Adagio. Feierlich langsam; doch nicht schleppend.
01:01:02 – IV. Finale. Feierlich, nicht schnell.
This performance uses the 1939 Robert Haas edition, which amalgamated the 1st and 2nd versions of this work. The full score can be downloaded here: http://ks.imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/5/54/IMSLP465769-PMLP16220-bruckner8.pdf
The recording features the Sinfonieorchester des Norddeutschen Rundfunks (now known as NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester) conducted by Günter Wand.
This recording was made live during the final two concerts of the 1987 Schleswig Holstein Music Festival on 22nd and 23rd August in Lübeck Cathedral.The concentrated attention of the capacity audience in the cathedral was such that this recording of those performances is almost free from any extraneous noises.
This is one of the finest among the many recordings available of this symphony by Günter Wand. It’s more intensely nuanced and its musical discourse is more free and expressive than other recordings by him, due, in part, to the acoustic characteristics of the cathedral, which made him make his tempos a bit slower than usual to achieve clarity.