As with his Seventh symphony, Bruckner began his Eighth without a commission and without any specific promise that it would be performed. Nowadays, it’s one of his most often performed symphonies. It also happens to be his longest symphony – one, with its sheer breath of scope, asks for the listener to adjust his or her internal clock. And this performance is nothing short of epic. Recorded in the legendary ‘Decca’ venue of the Sofiensaal, the producer/engineer team were the equally legendary John Culshaw and John Parry.
ANTON BRUCKNER
Symphony No. 8 in C minor
Wiener Philharmoniker
Georg Solti
Recording producer: John Culshaw
Recording engineer: Gordon Parry
Recording location: Sofiensaal, Vienna, Austria, December 1966
‘Solti’s achievement on this classic Decca recording is Bruckner as the composer surely wanted it and is hard to fault’ MusicWeb
‘Ever since its first appearance on London LPs, Solti’s VPO Eighth has been one of the work’s best-recorded accounts, and Decca’s CD transfer is first-class’ Fanfare
‘mysterious and powerful, Solti melds drama and symphonic cohesiveness with a real sense of occasion’ International Record Review