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Mind you, at the Concertgebouw there's no choice. You have to do Mahler and Bruckner: that's just the way it is, the tradition in its 115 year history, from Mengelberg and van Beinum through Haitink, and now Chailly. He had no real form in Bruckner when he arrived in Amsterdam in the late 80s, but boy has he learned the ropes. But then I suppose this great Brucknerian orchestra is a fine teacher, and Chailly's 8th is quite an achievement, and one which might bring the shorter Nowak version of the score a few more admirers. It also allows Chailly to fit this huge odyssey onto a single cd without ever feeling as though he's had to rush.
No, you don't get that sense of architectural immensity that late Haitink (with the Vienna Philharmonic rather than the Concertgebouw) or Karajan afford; instead of their comparative ruggedness there's unusual gentleness and sensitivity, and a warmth that's quite unexpected. The recording is a tremendous help: the fabulous Concertgebouw acoustic has been beautifully captured, and new details can be heard as layer upon layer of sound is rolled out in front of you. This might not be the right first choice if you want just a single representative recording of Brucker's Eighth Symphony, but if you want to be moved by its emotional warmth and not just its size and impact, you ought to hear Chailly.
Andrew McGregor - presenter of CD Review on Radio 3
Like This? Try These:
Mahler 6: San Fransisco Symphony
Sibelius Tone Poems: Lahti SO --Matt Fernand
Find more reviews on the BBC Music website 
Customer Reviews
Chailly and the Concertgebouw are in the midst of what appears to be a complete Bruckner cycle; they have already recorded numbers 2, 4, 5, 6, and 9. (Chailly recorded the 7th with the RSO Berlin, also excellent.) The Eighth is enormous - about 80 minutes long - and Chailly has the full measure of the work's massive structure, but takes care to allow the myriad details to come through. The half-hour long "Adagio" (for many listeners the high point of the piece) is done with great feeling and mystery, and the orchestra is as sublime as anyone could wish for. Actually, the playing everywhere is superb; take for example, the galloping, thrilling opening of the final movement. The sheer power of the orchestra will sweep you away.
As someone who greatly admires this piece, I have a number of versions, with Haitink, Tennstedt, Karajan, Furtwängler and Welser-Möst as the most interesting so far. But this excellent newcomer is self-recommending, and fits on a single disc, making it a relative bargain as well. (NB: Chailly uses the Nowak edition, for those who are interested.)
A great piece, performed by one of the finest orchestras in the world, collaborating with one of the world's great conductors. Spectacular sound to boot.
Bruckner is not new music to the Concertgebouw, but this is not the heavy reading that Karajan secured in Berlin. Perhaps the second Karajan version from Vienna has not been surpassed, but for those like myself who like a clean, studio recording with a first-class orchestra (which a Bruckner recording definitely needs), this is a safe and satisfying version, beautifully played.
He is averse to drama, eitther thorugh wide dynamic contrasts, sudden flashes of excitement, or emotional abandon. This is a steady-as-she-goes performance, and in that regard it was frustrating to hear Chailly hold back, time and again, when he should have charged ahead. Was this recording meant to go straight to a museum next to the stuffed auk? Even the sublime Adagio doesn't arouse Chailly to eloquence, and only the finale, which is foolproof for thrills, gets the blood flowing. In sum, a typical Chailly production, with lots to admire on the technical side but no real passion to win one's heart.
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