Mahler 8th Symphony

@newbee

“You could have convinced me that Part I and Part II were composed as separate symphonies”

Perhaps having that in mind, Mahler directed that in performance, there be a five minute break between the two Parts.

I like the Solti a lot, but, I have not listened to it in a long time because I have it on LP and I rarely listen to classical on LP these days.  The Horenstein mentioned above is also very good, it just slipped my mind.

I guess that the five minute pause between parts is to give listeners time to go to the restroom given the nearly hour long duration of the second part.

larryi,

I have CDs of the Sinopoli and Inbal (and many others) you mention above, but haven’t listened to them in years.

I believe Mahler really comes into his own in Symphonies 7-9. Of course the early “Wunderhorn” symphonies are magnificent as well, but there is a definite maturity in the last three (I’m not mentioning the unfinished 10th or “Das Lied…” (but they certainly apply) because they’re not complete symphonies. One could make an argument for each of the last three as being the “best.”
I prefer them over the first six, wonderful as they may be. As I’m listening to the 8th right now it’s the best for me , but that changes with each different one. The variety in Part ll of the 8th staggers the imagination.
‘ All his symphonies are so different. You have to marvel at the creativity of the master.

RV, for the most part we agree I think. I cut my teeth on Mahler with Levine's 7th. I still prefer it but there are several versions out now that are pretty good. I do like MMT's version with the SFO. FWIW I attended a different performance of it live in SF, sat in the lower balcony, and was very disappointed, either me or MMT went to sleep! I love the 9th, many excellent recordings but I remain very partial to Bernstein's performance with the Berliner Phil, a 1979 live recording that just blows me away! If you have never heard it try to.

We probably disagree on the importance (to ourselves, of course,) of Mahler's 8th, and I would have to replace it with the 6th. It's got some real meat on the bones both in the lyrical portions and more dramatic ones, and the ending is to die for (couldn't resist). 

And, speaking of dying, or rising as it might really be, the last movement of the 2d is a lease breaker except, thank God, I don't have a lease to break. Emotionally speaking, for me at least, it falls into the category of the 1st act of Puccini's La Boheme performed by Freni & Gedda and conducted by Thomas Shippers. 

All good stuff!