 [Larger view] | Gustav Mahler, Sir Georg Solti and more - Mahler - Symphony No. 8 / Popp · Augér · Minton · Harper · Kollo · Shirley-Quirk · Talvela · Chicago SO · Solti
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| Solti+Mahler 8= incredible | |
| I was looking for a recording of this symphony that would bring out the intensity that Mahler intended. Naturally, if you're looking for intensity, you look to Solti. From the first bar you can tell that you will be a part of something special and unprecedented. Never has there been such a gathering of top vocalists and instrumentalists. With names like Popp, Talvela, the Vienna boy's choir, the Chicago Symphony and one of the greatest conductors in the history of music at the helm, you can't go wrong by this recording. The soloists are absolutely magnificent, if I had one gripe it would be that they don't quite blend as well as on Horenstein's version however this is a very minor criticism and will certainly not detract from your appreciation of the recording. The ending is probably the most incredible moment in classical music history as the brass and concert organ roar out huge towering chords . To quote Mahler, "Try to imagine the entire universe beginning to ring and resound." Absolutely beautiful, brilliant performances by all groups and soloists. This is definitely a must own for any Mahler listener. | |
| One-in-a-million performance of the "Sym. of a Thousand"! | |
| It is almost inconeivable that one could possibly experience the Mahler 8th symphony in the confines of your home. As the title suggests, the forces required to pull it off are more massive than ever assembled before, or since. And Decca pulled out all of the stops in putting together what can only be described as one of the most stunning achievements in the history of recorded music. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra, with an out-of-this-world horn section so aptly appropriate for the work, were moved to Vienna to join forces with three outstanding choirs (the Vienna State Opera Chorus, the Vienna Singverein, and the Vienna Boys Choir) in a recording venue far better suited to the massive forces than would have been available in Chicago (the Vienna Sofienaal) and where there was a far better organ to capture the opening with all of its magnificence. On top of that, all 8 soloists are top notch. I won't repeat what so many others have said about the sound. It qualifies as a miracle in my opinion. Experiencing this in your living room with any satisfaction is miraculous indeed, but then experiencing this so well done in the concert hall would probably be even more miraculous. For those who say you cannot compare the concert experience to the what you get in recordings, the recording playback environment being seen as inferior to the experience in the concert hall, I dare them to try to put together an experience today in a concert that would come anyhwere close to what you get here. And do it on a reasonable budget too! | |
| Almost Unbearably Beautiful | |
| Gustav Mahler was scorned for half of the last century as being a composer of excesses: to the uninitiated he seemed intent on pushing sound, percussive effects, line and emotion to the outer limits of human tolerance. And nowhere are these criticisms more seemingly founded than in his Symphony No. 8, or 'Symphony of a Thousand'. Yet it is that very spectrum of composition - the mightiest of organ-based fortissimos and the near inaudible whispers of his pianissimos - that makes this wondrous work magical. Because of the vastness of forces required to perform it - a huge orchestra supplemented with extra brass choirs, massive choruses often written antiphonally, a children's chorus, and eight operatic quality soloists - it is not performed as often as his other works. Fortunately most live performances have been followed by recordings and of all these this magisterial accomplishment by Georg Solti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as recorded in 1971 in the Vienna Sofiensaal is the crowning glory. Solti keeps the mighty forces under control, allowing them to explode for the many climaxes and shimmer when called upon to caress the poetry of Goethe. He has a choice group of soloists in Heather Harper, Lucia Popp, Arleen Auger, Yvonne Minton, Helen Watts, Rene Kollo, John Shirley-Quirk, and Martti Talvela, all of whom not only have splendid voices but the musicality to make their contributions part of the fabric of the symphony rather than diva turns. This CD is one of the Decca Legends digital re-masterings of a 33-year-old recording and it sounds as fresh as anything being made today. Highly recommended on every level. |
