Symphony No. 8 in C minor was completed in 1890 by Austrian composer Anton Bruckner (1824 - 1896). It is dedicated to the Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria. This symphony is sometimes nicknamed "The Apocalyptic", but this was not a name Bruckner gave to the work himself. For many classical music lovers, this monumental work is Bruckner's best, but personally I think the 9th is even better. For the first time, the composer switched the usual sequence of scherzo and adagio, which has a refreshing effect. The adagio itself is surely one of the most beautiful movements ever composed, over 25 minutes of sheer bliss. The complete four movement work has an average playing time of 78 minutes (AllMusic). I have eight versions, of which I have a slight preference for the Vienna Philharmonic under Pierre Boulez on a Deutsche Grammophon CD.
