Wit/WNP/Naxos M8...FINALLY.

[Leo K]

Finally I hear an M8 that really reveals to me the true wonder and spirit of the M8...and frankly, helps me to love this work, the hardest nut to crack in the Mahler canon for me.  I am totally floored and really, what can I really say to do justice to the power of this performance?

Thank god I have finally found a recording that showed me the light!!!!

Feel bad about taking so long to buy this thing, but I saw it used for real cheap this weekend.


Wow  


--Todd

[Jeff Wozniak]

Probably my favorite 8th overall.  Others have certain aspects that I like better, but this one as a whole does it for me.

[mahlerei]

M8 has never posed any problems for me, but I agree Wit does a remarkably good job with this symphony. Better recording than we usually get from Naxos, too.

[Zoltan]

As a Mahler 8th aficionado (how's that for a contradiction?) I like Wit's take on it a lot: Tempo's are just great, orchestral balance and playing as well (engineer and editing help?), the two choirs sound very articulated in stereo, I can even live with soprano II's strange German and interesting light sounding voice, and the tenor is ok.

And glad to see another person "converted" to M8.

[barry guerrero]

I think it may still be the best overall recording of the work to date, as it just gets so much of it right. That said, I really do like the new Schwarz/Seattle one quite a bit. That may be my "favorite" Mahler recording for 2009 ("best" would probably go to the Marcus Stenz M5).

[Leo K]

I think it may still be the best overall recording of the work to date, as it just gets so much of it right. That said, I really do like the new Schwarz/Seattle one quite a bit. That may be my "favorite" Mahler recording for 2009 ("best" would probably go to the Marcus Stenz M5).

I really like the new Schwarz M8 too...


Just listened to the Wit M8 again last night and again was amazed...I feel like a heel for waiting so long to buy it...better late than never though!

This is by far my favorite M8 now...I relistened to the new MTT M8 again yesterday too, and although the sound on SACD is steller and really amazing, the Wit is definitely better in terms of pace and drive and excitement.

--Todd

[sbugala]

I heard it via the free download on Ravinia's site trumpeted here some months back. Wow! What a fantastic performance. Now, I'm ready to own it. 

[chalkpie]

I'm late to the party, but I'm gonna get this sucker based on youse guys raving about it!

[sbugala]

Totally worth it! I'm glad I got it.

[John Kim]

...I think I heard Part I. of the Witt M8th while I was flying from Seattle to Korea.

It didn't impress me much though; it sounded like just a plain performance. Perhaps the inadequate sound system should be blamed for this .

John,

[chalkpie]

OK - I finally got this one, and the hype was real! My new numero uno M8, along with the Chailly RCO. This version ties the entire piece together and never drags for a moment, as so many other versions do for me. Splendid sound and spectacular playing to boot as well. This proves a second tier orchestra can boogie with the best of 'em. Easily a 10/10 in my book.

[Russell]

I'll agree with (almost) everyone that the Wit is really good, with great sonics to boot.  (But I'd stop short of saying it's the best out there--too many others vying for that title--but I think it's better than a LOT of others.)  Does anyone have (or has anyone heard) the Blu-ray Audio of this performance?  I'm wondering if it offers substantially better sound than the CD.  (It should, but I'd like to hear from someone who's actually listened to it.)  It's also available as a hi-res download on Qobuz.com, which I'm very tempted to try.

Russell

[mahlerei]

Russell

The Blu-ray does indeed enhance what is already a very good performance/recording. However, that applies only to the stereo layer only; the surround mix seems to have all sorts of issues, as Dave Billinge reports in his appendix to the MusicWeb review.