So what's everyone doing this Sunday? (100 years of the M8)

[stateworkers]

I'll be sending the sympathetic vibrations from here, I think the recent Elder/Hallé 2010 broadcast will do nicely.

7:50 it is then; in addition to being a really good performance, the timings coincide (given a 5 minute respite in the lee) to end at 9:15 sharp!

It'll be like some Scriabinesque attempt to morph reality by a concerted sonic event... I mean, do you think that people will feel the Mahler vibe because of a bunch of folks playing such an epic work through, from so many locations?

Play it loud as you dare, then

[BeethovensQuill]

I like the idea of a Scriabinesque event, might just play The Poem of Fire before hand since Scriabin completed it in 1910, think i'll play the Elgar Violin Concerto since it was premiered November 10th 1910, then at just before 2pm Mahler's 8th will begin.  If i had a recording of Stravinsky's Firebird i would have played that aswell. Im looking forward to sunday morning/afternoon then the NFL in the evening my time, C'mon Oakland

I have 4 Mahler 8's Solti, Tennstedt, Kubelik and Gielen, my fave of the 4 would be the Tennstedt but i havent listened to the Solti in awhile.


"Try to imagine the whole universe beginning to ring and resound. There are no longer human voices, but planets and suns revolving."

[chalkpie]

I'm gonna hit Chailly's M8 tomorrow

[mahler09]

I'm going to listen to M8, although I haven't quite decided which recording yet.  Although, interestingly enough, I ran into Benjamin Zander today.

[James Meckley]

Although, interestingly enough, I ran into Benjamin Zander today.

Did you ask him when he's going to record M8?

James

[chalkpie]

I'm going to listen to M8, although I haven't quite decided which recording yet.  Although, interestingly enough, I ran into Benjamin Zander today.

Really?! Where?

[mahler09]

In the hall of New England Conservatory today.  No, I didn't get to ask about M8 but if I see him again that will be a priority.  I did mention briefly that I had his recordings and he was very nice.

[chalkpie]

Does anybody know the exact number of performers on stage at this premiere?

[Alexandros]

12 September 1910, world premier of the Mahler 8 in Munich.

Play a recording at the exact same time?  In the Eastern time
zone of the US that would 2:00pm if the Munich premier started
at 8:00pm.  Who's with me?

Just listening to the live WDR 3 broadcast of the centennary performance from Duisburg with huge forces under Maazel:

"Sinfonie der Tausend" live aus der Kraftzentrale Duisburg

Gustav Mahler Sinfonie Nr. 8 Es-dur

Magna Peccatrix: Manuela Uhl
Una Poenitentium: Nancy Gustafson
Mater Gloriosa: Anna Virovlansky
Samaritana: Lioba Braun Mulier
Maria Aegyptiaca: Renιe Morloc
Doctor Marianus: Thomas Studebaker
Pater Exstaticus: Dimitri Vargin
Pater Profundis: Jan-Hendrik Rootering
Opernchφre und Philharmonische Chφre aus Essen, Dortmund, Gelsenkirchen,
Bochum, Duisburg, Hamm, Dόsseldorf, Siegen, Bielefeld
Projektchor "Sinfonie der Tausend"
Kinder- und Jugendchφre aus Essen, Dortmund, Duisburg, Oberhausen,
Velbert-Langenberg sowie Riga
Choreinstudierung: Alexander Eberle
Ruhrgebietsorchester, bestehend aus Mitgliedern der Duisburger Philharmoniker, Borchumer Symphoniker, Essener Philharmoniker, Dortmunder Philharmoniker, Neue Philharmonie Westfalen, Philharmonisches Orchester Hagen

Musikalische Gesamtleitung: Lorin Maazel

άbertragung aus der Kraftzentrale im Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord 

[James Meckley]

Does anybody know the exact number of performers on stage at this premiere?

The exact number is probably lost to history but, again according to La Grange, the two SATB choirs comprised a total of 500, with 350 in the children's choir. That's 850. Add to that a huge orchestra, eight vocal soloists, and the auxiliary brass group, and you end up with something very close to the 1,000 promised by Emil Gutmann.

It's often done today with only 600–700 performers. I heard a live Solti/Chicago performance in 1971 just before they went to Vienna to record it, and I think he used only about 550, a limit imposed by the size of the stage in the Civic Opera House.

It's almost time!

James

[Russell]

It's approaching 10:50 am on the west coast, and I'm about to cue up the 'live' Maazel/NYP recording in glorious 96/24 on my laptop!  Unfortunately I have to listen on headphones and I won't likely be able to finish it, as I've got a luncheon engagement.  I'll be playing another M8 tonight on the big system.

Russell

[Leo K]

Thanks Russell for the B-day wishes!


By the way...I listened to the Witt M8 this morning, and was totally blown out of my chair.  This is still in my top three of M8, perhaps the very tippy top of that list.  Sonically it is still superior to most recordings of this work.

--Todd

[John Kim]

I don't own the Witt but I am perfectly happy with Ozawa, Bertini, Bernstein, and Abbado.

John,

[chalkpie]

I did Gielen instead of Chailly (I was too lazy to go to the car to grab it + I haven't heard the Gielen in a while).

I got back from the store late so I started around 3:15 Eastern. I'll be honest - I was imagining the man himself conducting this, and thinking about what he must have been "thinking" about during this virgin flight (besides the music of course), and it was a special experience. MY 5-year old daughter jumped on my lap for about the last 10 minutes or so of the work, and I was tearing up like a school girl. What a special moment - albeit a bit bittersweet for a few reasons, but I'm very glad I did this. It's a magical work that gets better each time I hear it.

The Gielen recording is good, but not my favorite. Good soloists, solid playing, great choirs. It seems a bit by the "book", and lacks a bit of spark like Lenny, Chailly, and Boulez to mu ears, but a good recording nonetheless. Giele4n does quite well with the intro to part II - a nicely performed section that is quite mysterious sounding.

[BeethovensQuill]

I think we think alike about the Gielen, part 2 is very good, although i found the last 2 sections not quite hitting the highs.  I listened to the Solti which i hadnt listened to in awhile which i enjoyed but its not my favourite 8th.