Revisit: Chailly/RCOoA/Decca M8 - it's pretty, bloody good!

[barryguerrero]

After years of neglect, I went back to the Chailly/RCOoA/Decca recording of Mahler 8. The way Chailly accompanies the vocal soloists, particularly in Part II, makes this possibly the best overall M8 that also pays attention to the dynamics and phrasing of those soloists. It's just very, very musically done. I think it's hard to beat in many ways. It's funny I've not revisited in such a long time.- my loss (or gain in rediscovering it). The cast is just great.

[John Kim]

Barry,

It is a really fine M8th. It is my top pick next to Bernstein. I particularly like it that Chailly takes Part I. slowly at over 24 min. whereas the Part II is paced pretty normally at 57 min.

The sound is excellent but I wish Decca had recorded it in SACD format.

John

[barryguerrero]

In addition to the CD's I also have it on a DVD-A disc, which sounds very good.

Added later: You know, Part I doesn't really 'sound' slow. Chailly starts out much slower than usual - underpinned by a very strong entrance of the timpani - and then proceeds at a normal tempo when the opening dies down. Why he does this becomes clear at the 'hohepunkt' - the main climax - which is the recapitulation of "Veni, Veni, Creator Spituritus" - located at the the climax of the big fugue. Chailly takes that recap much slower than usual and can justify doing so, because it's the same exact 'Tempo 1' that he used at the beginning of the movement. It works!

[Roland Flessner]

I’ve recently been surveying M8s, and in this round, I’ve been looking for recordings that don’t obscure orchestral colors. Yes, it’s a choral symphony, but instrumental detail is important, too, and in numerous recordings including Chailly, it’s often lost in a fog. The recordings that have impressed me most favorably are Nott/Bamberg and Thierry Fischer/Utah. Nott is really excellent, with a fine cast, full-blooded orchestra, and brisk tempos that give a sense of urgency. Nagano is quite good but loses momentum here and there. Inbal/Frankfurt and Bertini have much to recommend them, but each has fog that’s a little different, Inbal in the bass and Bertini in the midrange.

I’m not done yet . . .

[barryguerrero]

Thanks for that update, Roland. It really bugs me that the tenor in the Nagano M8 goes into falsetto at one high spot. Also, I'm not crazy about the more 'French' registry (registration?) used on the pipe organ. That said, I think Nagano's Part I is really terrific. Both Bertini and Inbal are among my very favorites.