With each new Miaskovsky symphony that appears on CD the absence of his Sixth becomes more regrettable—not only is it his most moving and memorable score, it was also one of the benchmarks for Soviet symphonism in the 1920s (which were of course Shostakovich's formative years). The Eighth is one of a series of symphonies, including Nos. 9 and 10, in which Miaskovsky superimposed elements of speculative post-Scriabin chromaticism on a solidly academic, post-Glazunov approach to symphonic structure. The results are only intermittently convincing.
The long brooding slow movement is the most interesting, even though like the others it promises rather more than it delivers. From around 3'03'' to 4'01'' it even finds itself in the harmonic orbit of The Rite of Spring (the introduction to Part 2). Stravinsky also lurks behind parts of the finale, which starts with a nod towards the opening of Petrushka. Here the main problem is that the triple-time rhythmic character is fatally similar to that of the first movement, so that we seem to be tilling the same already over-cultivated furrow. It helps little that the scherzo is predominantly in 7/4; this succeeds only in emphasizing the squareness of its phrase-structure.
The Czech performance is serviceable, though somewhat pale in characterization—the passage from 2'42'' in the second movement, where the violins are nothing like the requested pianississimo, is one instance among many of disappointingly narrow dynamic range. Recording quality is likewise respectable but unremarkable. This is a useful library acquisition then, but hardly an inspiring experience.'