BRUCKNER, A.: Symphony No. 8 (Aachen Symphony, Bosch)

Presentación del Álbum

This recording of Bruckner's Eighth Symphony by the Aachen Symphony Orchestra is interesting in several respects. First, the Aachen Symphony is, by its own definition, a "municipal" orchestra, dating back as far as 1720. Its technical skill, musical acumen, and grandeur of sound are not at all what spring to mind when thinking of a "municipal" orchestra. The massive orchestra required for this symphony plays as a finely adjusted ensemble, befitting its long-standing history. Conductor Marcus Bosch leads the orchestra through an intelligent and musically satisfying rendition of one of Bruckner's most significant works, brilliantly combining the grandeur of brass chorales and full-orchestra tuttis with tender intimacy of the extended Adagio. This album is also curious because it includes the performance on a standard two-channel audio CD, but also a separate DTS 5.1-channel disc that can be played through many DVD players through home theater systems. The necessity for these two formats stems from the recording location -- St. Nikolaus Church in Achen. On the standard CD version, balance and texture are a significant problem, particularly in forte passages. The resonance of the church is simply too great for all that Bruckner demands. The 5.1-channel DTS version is able to make up for some of this by splitting the texture into a greater number of speakers. The result is still a bit muddy and overly resonant, but it does give a more realistic impression of what this performance would have seemed like live.

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