Karl Böhm’s view of Bruckner’s monumental Eighth Symphony is both personal and very persuasive, taking in a swift and exciting handling of the first two movements, an aptly slow but always flowing Adagio, and a very grand but also propulsive finale. Textually, Böhm restores some of the cuts in the Nowak edition of the finale, without going quite as far as Haas. At least four recordings have been preserved (so far), most notably his commercial release for DG and the very quick, electrifying Palexa live rendition from Zurich (arguably his finest).
This one falls somewhere in the middle, tempo-wise, while the playing of the BRSO is very good, if not quite as fine as on the Audite release of the Seventh Symphony with this same orchestra. The trumpets in particular tend to sound raw at the climaxes, but when you consider how many opportunities there are for mishaps in the brass section this is still pretty impressive. Böhm’s handling of the latter stages of the Adagio is especially notable, with each climactic wave achieving greater intensity, and he builds the coda of the finale with unerring skill. The 1970s broadcast sound is good, if a touch lacking in depth. In short, this is another worthy memento of Böhm’s art, one that Brucknerians will naturally want to hear.
