FREE UK SHIPPING OVER £30!

Mahler - Symphony No.8

£11.38

Usually available for despatch within 3-5 working days

Label: Audite

Cat No: AUDITE95551

Barcode: 4022143955517

Format: CD

Number of Discs: 1

Genre: Vocal/Choral

Release Date: 31st May 2010

Works

Mahler, Gustav

Symphony no.8 in E flat major 'Symphony of a Thousand'

Artists

Martina Arroyo (soprano)
Erna Spoorenberg (soprano)
Edith Mathis (soprano)
Julia Hamari (alto)
Norma Procter (alto)
Donald Grobe (tenor)
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (baritone)
Franz Crass (bass)
Eberhard Kraus (organ)
Choruses of Bavarian, North & West German Radio
Regensburger Domspatzen
Frauenchor des Munchner Motettenchores
Symphonie-Orchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks

Conductor

Rafael Kubelik

Works

Mahler, Gustav

Symphony no.8 in E flat major 'Symphony of a Thousand'

Artists

Conductor

Rafael Kubelik

About

Symphony No.8 is Mahler’s most monumental symphony, for it is itself a combination of two enormous choral cantatas; in it, Mahler brings together “Veni, creator spiritus”, the old Pentecostal hymn of Hrabanus Maurus, with Goethe’s Faust II. The two texts could hardly be more dissimilar, which is why the music also makes very different demands on the listener in the two respective parts.

The first part of the Symphony is complete in itself; the ecstatic enthusiasm of the hymn alternates with intimate passages, then leading back to the opening hymn-like character at the end. The second part, a setting of the Faust text, is not only two-and-a-half times as long as the first but also far more complex. Goethe’s esoteric poetry allows Mahler to ascend into ever higher spheres. However, his music almost always does justice to Goethe’s words and the scenic description; Mahler’s celestial visions are manifested in this tremendous work.

The ensemble, consisting of an eight-part double choir, a boys’ choir, 8 soloists and a huge orchestra including organ earned the Symphony its nickname “Symphony of a Thousand” before its premiere. Even if Mahler insisted on crossing out this subtitle on the announcement poster, it does indeed express the work’s monumental quality very well.

This is a live recording of 24 June 1970 in the Kongreßsaal des Deutschen Museums in Munich with Rafael Kubelik and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.

"Conceivably, many people own the Kubelik set of Mahler symphonies on DG. But being a live performance, and in remastered sound, this is still an excellent introduction to Mahler's monumental Eighth Symphony. Kubelik is a reliable, no frills conductor, who will always give a balanced, thoughtful reading without extremes of temperament. You could do a lot worse than to learn Mahler from this undoubted master. The soloists are well chosen, as each voice is so distinctive it’s easy to track them: there’s no mistaking Fischer-Dieskau, for example, though his lines are less spectacular, perhaps, than those of the sopranos. Kubelik’s characteristic light touch is persuasive in the non vocal passages. It mirrors the surprising delicacy of the vocal writing. Other conductors can get away with darker textures, perhaps because their singers aren’t as transcendently clear as Kubelik’s.” - Musicweb

Please note: This recording is now only available in CD format only - the SACD version [AUDITE92551] is no longer available.