Although conductor Daniel Barenboim made his name with brilliant, sometimes controversial symphonic cycles of Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert, and Schumann, he has always had a special connection to the symphonies of Anton Bruckner. He’s recorded the cycle several times—first with the Chicago Symphony in the ‘70s and ‘80s and later with the Berlin Philharmonic. Yet, conducting Bruckner with the powerful Berlin Staatskapelle, Barenboim is sublime, endowing the works with a spiritual depth, colorful drama, and a gorgeous flood of emotion. There's particular magic in this recording of the eighth, which manages to gracefully rise from the lush, slow movement to the brassy drama of the finale.