Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 in C minor

Jaap van Zweden, whose international reputation has burgeoned in recent years, has conducted numerous recordings including the complete Beethoven and Brahms symphonies. He is now midway through recording all the Bruckner symphonies with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra for Exton and Challenge Classics, with Symphonies Nos. 2, 4, 5, 7 and 9 already issued to great critical acclaim. This latest release features the massive Eighth Symphony which was the last that the composer completed.

Amsterdam-born Jaap van Zweden has risen rapidly in little more than a decade to become one of today’s most sought-after conductors. He has been Music Director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra since 2008, and is also Honorary Chief Conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and Radio Chamber Philharmonic (having been Chief Conductor from 2005-2011). In January 2012 he was announced as Music Director Designate of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, where he will take up the post of Music Director in September 2012, for an initial contract of four years. Appointed at 19 as the youngest concertmaster ever of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, he began his conducting career in 1995 and held the positions of Chief Conductor of the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra (1996-2000), Chief Conductor of The Hague Philharmonic (2000-2005), and Chief Conductor of the Royal Flemish Philharmonic Orchestra (2008-2011).

His recent releases for Challenge Classics have included a superb live recording with the Netherlands RPO of Britten’s War Requiem (CC72388), and a concert recording of Wagner’s Parsifal (CC72519) which has just won the Edison Award.