Catalogue | Orchestra

Symphony No. 8 is Mahler’s most monumental symphony, for it is itself a combination of two enormous choral cantatas; in it, Mahler brings together “Veni, creator spiritus”, the old Pentecostal hymn of Hrabanus Maurus, with Goethe’s Faust II. The two texts could hardly be more dissimilar, which is why the music also makes very different demands on the listener in the two respective parts. The first part of the Symphony is complete in itself; the ecstatic enthusiasm of the hymn alternates with intimate passages, then leading back to the opening hymn-like character at the end. The second part, a setting of the Faust text, is not only two-and-a-half times as long as the first but also far more complex. Goethe’s esoteric poetry allows Mahler to ascend into ever higher spheres. However, his music almost always does justice to Goethe’s words and the scenic description; Mahler’s celestial visions are manifested in this tremendous work. The ensemble, consisting of an eight-part double choir, a boys’ choir, 8 soloists and a huge orchestra including organ earned the Symphony its nickname “Symphony of a Thousand” before its premiere. Even if Mahler insisted on crossing out this subtitle on the announcement poster, it does indeed express the work’s monumental quality very well.

live recording of 24 June 1970 in the Kongreßsaal des Deutschen Museums in Munich.

• Audiophile Audition | Patrick P.L. Lam | February 7, 2010

  Rafael Kubelik and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra attest to this Mahlerian vision through a combination of technical command and musical coherency.
  “I have just completed my 8th – it is the greatest I’ve ever done. And so particular in content and form that it is impossible to write about...

• Classica-Répertoire | Stéphane Friédérich | January 6, 2005

  Audite poursuit son intégrale live des symphonies de Mahler en nous proposant pour ce concert du 24 juin 1970 un mastering qui confère à cet...

• Diapason | Jean-Charles Hoffele | January 5, 2005

  Ce n'est pas la relative méforme de Norma Procter qui fragilisera le geste épique de Kubelik dans ce concert inédit, enregistré en même temps que...

• Fanfare | Lynn René Bayley | January 11, 2010

  It’s really a pity that this disc is just a reissue of a performance previously available in DGG’s set of complete Mahler symphonies conducted by...

• http://transcentury.blogspot.com | June 24, 2010

  With Mahler’s music now so popular – with a veritable flood of recordings emerging as the 100th anniversary of his death in 1911 approaches – it...

• Infodad.com | January 6, 2010

  With Mahler’s music now so popular – with a veritable flood of recordings emerging as the 100th anniversary of his death in 1911 approaches – it...

• klassik-heute.com | Sixtus König | August 2, 2005

  Die Aufführung von Gustav Mahlers achter Sinfonie im Juni 1970 bildete nicht nur den Höhepunkt von Rafael Kubeliks Münchner Mahler-Zyklus, sondern...

• klassik.com | Miquel Cabruja | April 18, 2005

  Mehrkanaligkeit
  In immer kürzeren Abständen wirft die Musikindustrie neue Formate auf den...

• Le Monde de la Musique | Patrick Szersnovicz | January 6, 2005

  Œuvre « officielle » chantant la joie de créer, vocale d'un bout à l'autre, la Huitième Symphonie « des Mille » (1906) est gagnée par...

• Muzyka21 | Michał Szulakowski | January 5, 2005

  „Wszystkie moje wcześniejsze symfonie były tylko preludium do tej właśnie. W tamtych dziełach panuje jeszcze całkowicie subiektywny tragizm,...

• Pizzicato | Rémy Franck | January 3, 2005

  Am 25. & 26. Juni 1970 nahm Rafael Kubelik die Achte Mahler im Studio für die Deutsche Grammophon auf. Am 24 Juni entstand mit demselben...

• Wiener Zeitung | Edwin Baumgartner | May 2, 2005

  Kubelik: Mahler-Symphonien 6, 7 und 8
  Rafael Kubelik war der Prototyp des hochintelligenten und dabei grundehrlichen Musikers, einer von jenen, die von Stars à la Karajan in den Schatten...

• www.allmusic.com | Blair Sanderson | January 12, 2005

  Rafael Kubelik made this live recording of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 8 in E flat major with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra on June 24, 1970,...

• www.ClassicsToday.com | David Hurwitz | January 5, 2005

  This live Mahler Symphony No. 8, made the same month as Rafael Kubelik's recording for DG, has all of the musicality of his studio effort, with...

• www.classicstodayfrance.com | Christophe Huss | January 5, 2005

  Quel incroyable contraste avec la version Nagano qui paraît en même temps. Autant le chef américain intellectualise la partition et cherche à...

• www.ionarts.org | August 7, 2005

  Live Recordings of Mahler's Eighth
  Speaking of such a performance, Rafael Kubelik's 8th on Audite was also captured on one night (June 24th, 1970, to be precise). There are truly...

• www.SA-CD.net | Mark Wagner | June 8, 2005

  Hmmmmm..... - First, I will say that I have never heard a recording or performance taken at such a break neck speed....in fact, there are places in...

• www.SA-CD.net | Oscar Gil | September 6, 2005

  Kubelik is one of the truly great Mahler conductors. He focuses on the more lyric and descriptive aspects of the works, never over-emphasizing the...