Leopold Stokowski's 1950 recording of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 8, ("Symphony of a Thousand"), has been released in the Archipel Desert Island Collection, though this historic recording is really of limited interest to Mahler specialists and dedicated Stokowski fans and should not be considered an essential pick for general listeners. Not that there's anything to distrust about the interpretation, which for its time was extraordinary, and acceptable by modern standards of Mahler performance. But it's difficult to make ...
Read More
Leopold Stokowski's 1950 recording of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 8, ("Symphony of a Thousand"), has been released in the Archipel Desert Island Collection, though this historic recording is really of limited interest to Mahler specialists and dedicated Stokowski fans and should not be considered an essential pick for general listeners. Not that there's anything to distrust about the interpretation, which for its time was extraordinary, and acceptable by modern standards of Mahler performance. But it's difficult to make out everything that's happening in the fairly compressed mono recording. The vocal soloists, the combined choirs, and the New York Philharmonic perform with assurance and well-rehearsed accuracy. Anyone who knows this symphony well will have no trouble making out the various choral lines and instrumental parts, despite the narrow dynamic range and occasional distortion when the microphone is overloaded. However, first-time listeners may feel disoriented by the dense wall of sound in...
Read Less
