Bruckner 8 WPO/Furtwangler 1944 Live Recording

ZNC Dandy · Post by **ZNC Dandy** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 10:01 am

Being that i'm a certified member of he Bruckner cult, I am ashamed to say that I have not heard this recording. Does anyone know where I can get it. I think I may have found it on iTunes, but the Performer says Berlin Philharmonic. Any help is much appreciated as always.

finnbogi · Post by **finnbogi** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 11:35 am

This one?

ZNC Dandy · Post by **ZNC Dandy** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 11:47 am

That must be it. Many thanks!

Chuck Jackson · Post by **Chuck Jackson** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 9:59 pm

This is quite possibly the best Bruckner 8th ever done and the best live concert recording ever. Consider that it was recorded in October of 1944 and everything, including life, was at a premium in Vienna. Furtwangler is very reserved in this recording, none of his far reaching emotions, he stays out of the music's way and let's it speak for itself. I own just about every Bruckner 8 recorded and this is the best, with Gunter Wand NDR Symphonie running a close second(I still can't get used to him putting the grace notes in the Scherzo on the beat). The Vienna sound is there with the really fat(some may say quirky) oboe sound, the Vienna Horn sound(unparalled in my mind to any horn sound) and the low brass is particularly good.

While I am on a subject I feel confident talking about, search out the 1958 Von Karajan/BPO Angel recording. It is by far his best traversal of the score and comes with the best recording of the Prelude to Parsifal I have ever heard. If you aren't fimiliar with the Prelude, it is the closest thing to a religous experience ever put on paper by Wagner. The rest of the opera ain't bad either.

Beware of the Italian company that released the Furtwangler Bruckner, they didn't get the old radio crap out of the sound. Happy Listening.

Chuck"who doesn't feel comfortable talking about the tuba since I no longer am able to play, but can talk a blue streak about recordings" Jackson

bort · Post by **bort** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 10:32 pm

Just downloaded it through iTunes. Looks to be an awful good use of $3.99.

(Except the people at iTunes labeled the 4th movement as "Symphony No. 86 In D..."

)

ZNC Dandy · Post by **ZNC Dandy** » Tue Feb 27, 2007 8:35 am

SymphonicBeast wrote:The Cincinnati recording with Jesus Lopez-Cobos seems to be my favorite so far. Call me a home-town bias if you must, I just find it tastier than the others I have heard. Anyone have an opinion of this recording?

I love that recording. Its one of my favorites of anything. Pete Norton and Mike Thornton are amazing. Simply amazing. If you want to hear some immense bass trombone sound listen to the last movement of this recording.