Symphony No. 8 in E flat major ("Symphony of a Thousand")
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Recordings of Gustav Mahler's mystical Symphony No. 8 in E flat major, "Symphony of a Thousand," are surprisingly numerous, despite the obvious physical difficulties and prohibitive costs of mounting such immense productions. There are several terrific choices on the market, among them the critically praised recordings by Leonard Bernstein, Georg Solti, Claudio Abbado, Michael Gielen, and Riccardo Chailly, to name just a few conductors whose dramatically different but impressive interpretations feel convincingly Mahlerian. ...
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Recordings of Gustav Mahler's mystical Symphony No. 8 in E flat major, "Symphony of a Thousand," are surprisingly numerous, despite the obvious physical difficulties and prohibitive costs of mounting such immense productions. There are several terrific choices on the market, among them the critically praised recordings by Leonard Bernstein, Georg Solti, Claudio Abbado, Michael Gielen, and Riccardo Chailly, to name just a few conductors whose dramatically different but impressive interpretations feel convincingly Mahlerian. Neeme Järvi's 1994 performance with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Gothenburg Opera Orchestra, eight vocal soloists, and five choirs almost belongs in this group of esteemed recordings, but not quite; its sweep and energy keep it exciting, and the tight pacing holds the work together, but it has some serious problems which prevent it from being truly great. On the whole, the solo singing is fine, the orchestral playing competent and sometimes compelling, and the choirs are...
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