Bruckner: Symphony 8

Bernard Haitink conducted Bruckner’s Eighth Symphony for the first time with the Concertgebouw Orchestra in 1959. The symphony was then recorded for the first and only time under his direction and with ‘his’ orchestra for Philips on LP in 1969. Haitink was to go on to perform the work with them more than twenty times in the years that followed. Under his direction, the Concertgebouw Orchestra was to establish a Bruckner tradition of international caliber.

Fourty-five years after his first Bruckner recording comes a new live recording of Bruckner’s Eighth Symphony performed by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under their conductor laureate Bernard Haitink.

Complete on two Super Audio discs, this is a live recording taken from concerts that Bernard Haitink gave with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra on 18 and 20 February 2005 in the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.

Recorded in both conventional stereo sound and in 5-channel multichannel sound, this recording gives a fascinating portrait of the approach to Bruckner’s music developed by Bernard Haitink and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra over their many years of working together.

Recorded live at Concertgebouw Amsterdam on 18 and 29 February 2005.