Leonard Bernstein - Mahler: Symphony No. 8 (1966) [2016] Hi-Res

The Symphony No. 8 in E-flat major by Gustav Mahler is one of the
largest-scale choral works in the classical concert repertoire. Because it
requires huge instrumental and vocal forces it is frequently called the
"Symphony of a Thousand", although the work is normally presented
with far fewer than a thousand performers and the composer did not
sanction that name. The work was composed in a single inspired burst,
at Maiernigg in southern Austria in the summer of 1906. The last of
Mahler's works that was premiered in his lifetime, the symphony was a
critical and popular success when he conducted its first performance in
Munich on 12 September 1910.
The fusion of song and symphony had been a characteristic of Mahler's
early works. In his "middle" compositional period after 1901, a change
of direction led him to produce three purely instrumental symphonies.
The Eighth, marking the end of the middle period, returns to a combination of orchestra and voice in a symphonic context. The structure of
the work is unconventional; instead of the normal framework of several
movements, the piece is in two parts. Part I is based on the Latin text
of a 9th-century Christian hymn for Pentecost, Veni creator spiritus
("Come, Creator Spirit"), and Part II is a setting of the words from the
closing scene of Goethe's Faust. The two parts are unified by a common
idea, that of redemption through the power of love, a unity conveyed
through shared musical themes.
Mahler had been convinced from the start of the work's significance; in
renouncing the pessimism that had marked much of his music, he
offered the Eighth as an expression of confidence in the eternal human
spirit. In the period following the composer's death, performances were
comparatively rare. However, from the mid-20th century onwards the
symphony has been heard regularly in concert halls all over the world,
and has been recorded many times. While recognising its wide popularity, modern critics have divided opinions on the work; Theodor W.
Adorno, Robert Simpson and Jonathan Carr found its optimism unconvincing, and considered it artistically and musically inferior to Mahler's
other symphonies. Conversely, it has also been compared—by Deryck
Cooke—to Beethoven's Ninth Symphony as a defining human statement
for its century.



Tracks:

1. Part I: Hymus, Veni, Creator Spiritus 24:00
2. Part II: Closing Scene From Goathe "Faust" (Beginning) 22:40
3. Part II: Closing Scene From Goathe Faust (Continuation) 16:20
4. Part II: Closing Scene From Goathe "Faust" (Continuation) 16:50

Personnel:

Conductor – Leonard Bernstein
Orchestra – The London Symphony Orchestra
Alto Vocals – Anna Reynolds, Norma Procter
Baritone Vocals – Vladimir Ruzdjak
Bass Vocals – Donald McIntyre
Choir – Leeds Festival Chorus
Organ – Hans Vollenweider
Soprano Vocals – Erna Spoorenberg, Gwenyth Annear, Gwyneth Jones
Tenor Vocals – John Mitchinson