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Discussion: Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 - Blomstedt

Posts: 9

Post by terence May 12, 2007 (1 of 9)
thanks edvin, great review.

one point:

"In the slow movement, the climax is followed by the string melody in its full glory. Blomstedt makes a HEAVY ACCENT on each note of the tune, and I like it more each time I hear it".

not TOO much of a stabbing action on each note i hope?!

Post by Edvin May 12, 2007 (2 of 9)
Thanks.
No stabbing at all I assure you. Molto espressivo! Lots of passion. The seventh will be released soon. His previous recording on Denon is one of the best ever so my hopes are high.

Post by terence May 12, 2007 (3 of 9)
thanks E, will now proceed to purchase!

Post by Edvin May 12, 2007 (4 of 9)
A splendid time is guaranteed for all.

Post by terence June 11, 2007 (5 of 9)
edvin (or indeed anyone else) - any idea how this compares with the boulez DG performance, one which which i'm pretty familiar?

Post by flyingdutchman April 5, 2008 (6 of 9)
Edvin said:

His ego is not up among the clouds, even though he is a devout Seventh-day Adventist.

What does that have to do with anything?

Post by Ernani71 January 18, 2011 (7 of 9)
At first, I really disliked the sonics on this one . . . then, between the second and third movements, I turned the volume up. Whoa. What a difference. I was especially impressed by the brass -- so well balanced, so smooth and glowing. Not a hint of harshness anywhere.

It's not perfect though: when the first movement climaxes something goes very wrong and you might think you just blew one of your woofers.

Performancewise, I like it better than the Haitink, though it's pretty langourous. I particularly liked the Adagio.

Celibidache seems to be the only conductor of this symphony who knows that its absolute zenith is the theme played by the flutes in the Finale. That is the moment when you reach the mountain peak, the moment of supreme inspiration. The rest is looking out at the sublime view. All the other conductors play that theme as if it were just another part of the symphony. Of the ones I've heard, only Celi hears it. Blomstedt totally misses it.

Still, this one is very enjoyable. Make sure you turn the volume up though; otherwise it sounds somewhat buried.

Post by jdaniel January 18, 2011 (8 of 9)
I'm trusting Mr. Hurwitz and picking up Janowski's 8th on Pentatone with the Suisse Romande. I'm interested to see if they repeat the recording magic of Ansermet's era.

My favorite is Wand's on DHM. The church acoustic sometimes gets out of hand, but the way Wand handles the slow, glowing string descent with harp in 3rd mov't makes everyone else seem earthbound. The burnished brass sound glorious as well.

We'll see.

Post by Ernani71 January 22, 2011 (9 of 9)
jdaniel, I just listened to Thielemann's, and it's good. The sound isn't as creamy-smooth as Blomstedt, but it's more opulent. Perhaps the brass is a little too forward. Sometimes Thielemann pulls the tempi like taffy; at other times he goes very quickly from loud to near silence and back again (sharp dynamic contrasts). Which one is better, Blomstedt or Thielemann? I haven't decided. I like them both. Dying to hear Wand's.

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