Search - Vladimir Ruzdjak, Gustav Mahler, Leonard Bernstein :: Mahler: Symphony No. 8; Kindertotenlieder

Top Performance of the 8th.

William Eames | Kirkland, WA USA | 10/07/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I wil first tell you that the Mahler 8th is one of my absolute favorite Symphonies of all time; most people love or hate it, or so I was told. I have the 1986 mastering of this 8th on the CBS label, it sounded OK (a bit distant and thin) but nowhere near as good as the LP version. Frankly I was disapointed in the 1986 CD. But when I heard this new Bernstein Century re-issue, what sound and performance! Its like I hear the full range of the orchestra including the lows, and the presence is really there. I consider this among the top 3 perf of the 8th (Horenstien and the Solti). Bernstein/DG is great too, Sinopoli/DG 2CD for the price of one (Avail in Europe) is really nice as well. When I listen to this I feel great joy. The Janet Baker Kindertotenlieder is NOT the first appearence on CD, it was released around 1986 with the Mahler 2nd on CBS. Another small gripe is that I think they could have gotten the 8th on one CD, but these are minor complaints. Sony has done a great job in improving the sound of this re-issue compared to the CBS issue (I did not hear the Royal Edition published in the early 90's). Highly recommended as far as I'm concerned. If I was going to have a single 8th it would be this one or the new Solti on Decca Legends on 1 CD (mid-price to boot!)."

The Difference and An Historical Trivia Note

Robert L. Edwards | New York, NY United States | 10/14/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a superb younger Lenny performance that remains unequaled in many ways. While the Solti is operatic in nature, Lenny's performance is much closer to what Mahler imagined as a "Symphony of a Thousand." It evokes much more of the turn-of-the-century sensibility of Mahler's world. The difference is neither subtle nor unimportant.



One of the other reviewers noted this is the "famous 1966 recording that followed upon a rapturously received live concert in London."



Actually, the London performance was hastily arranged because Columbia wanted to record the 8th as part of their complete Mahler Symphony series - the first available on disc. But the cost of that leather-bound 15 LP set, a compilation largely of live performances, was rapidly increasing. Originally, they were going to do a studio recording of the 8th and planned a performance series with one of history's greatest Mahler orchestras of all time, the NY Philharmonic of the 1960s. That performance in NYC with the magnificent deep-throated Westminster Symphonic Choir and soloists that included the rarely recorded Saramae Endich was beyond spectacular. But the bean-counters at Columbia didn't want to spend the money to record it in a studio in NYC with American forces and opted to fly Lenny to London because it was cheaper to record it there. So arrangements were made for a London performance, that was in reality a "rehearsal" for the recording sessions. The folks Lenny meticulously prepared for the original planned recording session in New York sat at home.



That decision resulted in one of the more significant losses in recorded literature. The London forces, good as they are, are no match for the magnificence of the original production with Lenny's home team. Those live performances (3 of them?) at Lincoln Center WERE recorded (as sonic tests) and likely exist somewhere in Columbia/CBS/Sony archives. With greatly renewed interest in Lenny's legacy, now would be a good time to ferret out those tapes and get them released. For those of you who are Mahler and/or Lenny fans, a letter to the folks at Leonard Bernstein's home on the web, and to Sony might do some good."

It's either this or Solti's on Mahler's Eighth.....

Shota Hanai | Torrance, CA | 09/02/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you want to find possibly the greatest performance of one of Mahler's most spectacular (and certainly the most grand and gigantic) symphony he has ever written, you either have to buy Solti's legendary performance with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra or Bernstein's equally recognized performance with the London Symphony Orchestra.



Both has their ups and downs (even though it really depends on a person's taste of how the interpretation is laid out). Either CD would make an excellent collection for a classical music fan or simply a Mahler fan (like MEEEE!).



I couldn't agree more that, according to one reviewer, Solti's performance is technically the superb, and the most solid. All the performing groups (not to mention the more advanced recording compared to Lenny's) are incredible. The pipe organ really roars as well. The soloists, the sopranos especially, will really blow you away. In short, techniquewize, (and not to mention the low price in a single CD), Solti wins.



Emotionwize, however, Lenny wins it all. The performers are equally sensational, even though the recording is slighly dated, but this should not be something to sweat about. The tempi's much more preferable, not too straightforward and full of retardinados and changes in tempo. The "Gloria" recap in the first movement is much slower that most other recordings, putting more emphasis on emotion and extreme measures Mahler could have appreciated. While Solti's vocal groups shatter you like like a blizzard, Lenny's singers will melt your heart through such emotional depth and character. Maybe even a bit too much character, as of a female choir (as young female Angels guiding Faust in the plot) which kinda sounds as if singing a broadway musical. The finale of each movement is absolutely astounding. The "Glo-o-o-r-i-a-a-a-a-a-a!" combined by all the choir and the soloists near the very end of the first movement really gives you the chills, and could move you too. And during the much anticipated conclusion of the second movement (as Faust prepares to enter the gateway to heaven), when the choir begins to sing Alles Vergangliche (All that is fleeting...), you will definitely feel the same reaction as I did when I was listening to one of the soprano solo. How she soared her voice like an innocent, tender, Goddess, really "draws us ever upwards", a emotional experience so powerful, so pure, so lulling, so emotion-filled, make me cry warm, happy tears. (Sniff....). The fanfaric finale can be equally moving, as if you have arrived at the very presence of the all-powerful Creator, the crash of the cymbals and the roar of the tam-tam explodes like a bright beam of light.



You wouldn't be disappointed in either recording. If you want to really get into the emotions of the music, this would be the choice for you. Solti's (as well as Robert Shaw's) would make an excellent guide for music appreciation."