Bruckner’s Eighth

Bruckner’s Eighth Symphony is dazzling, unadulterated musical splendour. Here, the monumental symphony is performed by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Chief Conductor Ryan Bancroft.
“Bruckner was a deeply questioning person, constantly re-examining things, and that is something I can relate to: I too have been a doubter, yet at the same time curious. The closer you come to him, the more the music opens up,” says Ryan Bancroft.

He also prefers to view Bruckner in the light of a particular predecessor: “For me, the symphonies are like an extension of Schubert – larger in scale, but with a similar human vulnerability.” A few years ago, Ryan Bancroft led a widely acclaimed performance of the Fourth Symphony with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra.

The Eighth Symphony was Bruckner’s last completed symphony and represents a summation of his entire output as a composer. Having completed work on the monumental finale, Bruckner remarked: “It is the most significant orchestral movement I have created in my entire life.”

Read more about chief conductor Ryan Bancroft