Mahler: Symphony No. 8

Despite a distinguished solo cast and a conductor steeped in die Mahler tradition, this performance (recorded at the re-opening concert of the Frankfurt Alte Oper) is a frustrating mix of inspired peaks and routine troughs, emotional highs and spiritual lows, of large-scale cohesion yet small-scale break-up. Neither as intense as Solti, Kubelik, Inbal, Maazel, Tennstedt or Haitink, nor as orchestrally sophisticated, it moves from one climax to die next without so much as a glance at the beauties of detail in between. Ates Orga

Our rating

3

Published: January 20, 2012 at 3:47 pm

COMPOSERS: Mahler
LABELS: Sony Essential Classics
WORKS: Symphony No. 8
PERFORMER: Robinson, Marshall, Heichele, Wenkel, Launch, Walker, Stilwell, EstesFiguralchor des Hessischen Rundfunks, Frankfurter Kantorei, Frankfurter Singakademie, Limburg Cathedral Boys' Choir, Frankfurt Opera Orchestra/Michael Gielen
CATALOGUE NO: SBK 48281 ADD (1981)

Despite a distinguished solo cast and a conductor steeped in die Mahler tradition, this performance (recorded at the re-opening concert of the Frankfurt Alte Oper) is a frustrating mix of inspired peaks and routine troughs, emotional highs and spiritual lows, of large-scale cohesion yet small-scale break-up. Neither as intense as Solti, Kubelik, Inbal, Maazel, Tennstedt or Haitink, nor as orchestrally sophisticated, it moves from one climax to die next without so much as a glance at the beauties of detail in between. Ates Orga

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