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09/27/2026
“50th Anniversary Tribute to Rudolf Kempe”
Anton Bruckner: Symphony n° 8 in C minor, WAB 108 (1887/90 Haas edition)
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Rudolf Kempe (conductor)
Newly Remastered Stereo Recording: Zürich Tonhalle Studio, Zürich, Switzerland (November 12‑13, 1971) – 81’ 52
Somm Recordings/Ariadne 5052 – Booklet in English and German
 
The conducting of Rudolf Kempe, who died fifty years ago at only sixty‑six, was consistently tasteful and often understated, perhaps to a fault. If not the most exciting (or sublime) baton of his era, his could nonetheless be quite effective in Wagner and Bruckner, two masters of the slow burn who respond well to a certain patience. Contrary to what the liner note suggests, this Symphony n° 8
from Zürich was not Kempe’s only commercial recording of the latter composer; he had taped a Fourth and a Fifth in Munich some years earlier, now on Profil. This Eighth (in a new remastering by Lani Spahr) has been kicking around for some time, but I hadn’t heard it before. It is less polished than the Munich recordings—nor does the Zürich orchestra sound at all virtuosic. The recording sports enough distortion that I imagine the remastering is from a vinyl copy rather than the original tapes (the notes don’t say), and perhaps that is partly why the oddly prominent low brass sound so much less than ingratiating. Otherwise, the playing is mostly warm (if not smooth) and idiomatic, the ensemble tight enough.
The playing is, in short, sufficient to let us hear and enjoy the tremendous musicality Kempe brings as an interpreter here, alongside some unexpected fire in the belly. “Fire” is not, perhaps, the first word that should come to mind in a performance of this mighty work, from which drama is more effectively coaxed than wrenched. Kempe is quite free with both tempo and inflection, with lots of variety of articulation. Such an approach can make the Eighth feel episodic; the score’s monumentality unfolds best with a minimum of fuss. But the conducting shows a sense of balance: impetuous at times, yes, as in a first-movement coda, the “annunciation of death,” that accelerates into its climax, or a scherzo pushed almost too hectically forward, and at times too fast for the orchestra to comfortably keep up. But the trio is, if not serene, poignant. And a slow basic tempo in the first and third movements gives room for the occasional acceleration; Kempe sometimes pushes forward too much, but he also knows when to linger or pull back. For instance, the great climax of the slow movement suddenly turns quiet, almost somber, after the cymbal clash. It’s a surprise, and a moving one. But I think the most impressive thing is the expressive sensitivity in lyrical passages throughout the symphony, at once animated and vulnerable. For all the excitable moments, one doesn’t feel harried in the end.
This is not the most majestic Bruckner Eighth on record, or the best played. But it’s full of surprises, and they work so well that this must be one of the most compelling Eighths I’ve heard in some time.
Samuel Wigutow
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