Recorded in 1991 by BBC Television, Klaus Tennstedt's stirring performance with the London Symphony Orchestra of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 8 in E flat major, the so-called "Symphony of a Thousand," is a treasure that has been missing from the catalog far too long. This live recording documents one of the most exciting performances of this work, and the combination of artists for this occasion is felicitous. The octet of vocalists -- sopranos Júlia Várady, Jane Eaglen, and Susan Bullock; altos Trudeliese Schmidt and ...
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Recorded in 1991 by BBC Television, Klaus Tennstedt's stirring performance with the London Symphony Orchestra of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 8 in E flat major, the so-called "Symphony of a Thousand," is a treasure that has been missing from the catalog far too long. This live recording documents one of the most exciting performances of this work, and the combination of artists for this occasion is felicitous. The octet of vocalists -- sopranos Júlia Várady, Jane Eaglen, and Susan Bullock; altos Trudeliese Schmidt and Jadwiga Rappé; tenor Kenneth Riegel; baritone Eike Wilm Schulte; bass Hans Sotin -- the London Symphony Orchestra and Choir, the London Symphony Chorus, and the Eton College Boys' Choir collaborate with Tennstedt to make the symphony much more than a heroic read-through. Indeed, they transfigure the score into something nearly supernatural. Here and there are some slight inaccuracies of attack or intonation, but they really don't matter in the face of the uplifting power of the...
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