Haitink's 1971 recording of the Eighth had a coolish reception when it first appeared and one can appreciate that after some performances It could seem rather underwhelming. Solti's Decca recording is at full voltage, of course; Inbal's recent Denon performance comes emotionally somewhere between Solti's and Tennstedt's for EMI. But I found myself being won over by the Haitink interpretation, especially in Part 2 where the lyrical refinement of his approach is most convincing. Part I is oddly balanced; even with the enhanced CD quality, the choirs sound under-nourished, in spite of their evident spiritual fervour.
The soloists are well matched, even though Heather Harper and Hanneke van Bork are not ideally cast as Gretchen and the Mater Gloriosa. Cochran's Dr Marianus is better than some, but Kenneth Riegel's singing of the role for Inbal has set a standard that is almost unfair. Cotrubas and Finnila are the stars of this recording, blending beautifully in their duet. Haitink obtains fluent and idiomatic playing from the Concertgebouw Orchestra and there is the considerable bonus of a noble performance of the Adagio from the Tenth Symphony.'