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

[Roffe]

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

As far as I know there were 850 in the choirs, 170 in the ochestra, 8 vocal solists, 1 organ player, and Mahler, i.e. 1030 persons on stage.

BTW, I was listening the the LPO/Tennstedt DVD starting at 19:50 CET and finishing at 21:17. This was the one with the tempi closest to Mahler himself that I had access to.

[Freddy van Maurik]

On Sunday I didn't find the time to listen to M8, but on Monday I played the Chailly on DVD-Audio. I still consider this to be a very good M8, it ranks among my top choices. I love the Concertgebouw recording, especially the way you can really hear Mater Gloriosa from outside the hall; it sounds exactly as it does when you're actually there. Good to great voices, very good orchestral playing. I reckon I should take the chance to compare this to some others now: I'm still not that sure of the Wit M8, and I should revisit the Tilson Thomas and the Nagano. And I got the Zinman immediately after its release, but have heard it only once, so I guess I should add that to the playlist. In the late 90s, I LOVED the Abbado, but I haven't heard it in some years now, so that's added. And I'm curious about the Mitropoulos, which I heard probably just twice, some years ago. Well, there goes the weekend...  

Freddy

[sbugala]

Time has kinda been an issue this week. But I played the 1st movement to Witt's rendition.  For whatever reason, this is usually one of my least favorite movement in Mahler, except for that incredible ending. However, Witt really is winning me over to it.  There's clarity, but everything's exciting without being overblown.  I want to get to his 2nd movement tonight, but I'm kinda in M9 mood.

[chalkpie]

On Sunday I didn't find the time to listen to M8, but on Monday I played the Chailly on DVD-Audio. I still consider this to be a very good M8, it ranks among my top choices. I love the Concertgebouw recording, especially the way you can really hear Mater Gloriosa from outside the hall; it sounds exactly as it does when you're actually there. Good to great voices, very good orchestral playing. I reckon I should take the chance to compare this to some others now: I'm still not that sure of the Wit M8, and I should revisit the Tilson Thomas and the Nagano. And I got the Zinman immediately after its release, but have heard it only once, so I guess I should add that to the playlist. In the late 90s, I LOVED the Abbado, but I haven't heard it in some years now, so that's added. And I'm curious about the Mitropoulos, which I heard probably just twice, some years ago. Well, there goes the weekend...  

Freddy

I listened to Chailly M8 today as a matter of fact. It's my favorite version that I own, and I agree with the points you made. Anybody that says Chailly is "flat" or "neutral" and can still say that after hearing that incredible ending, well they lose all credibility with me or we hear things VERY differently. The sonics hold up quite well and add such power and presence to this recording. Yes, I am a Chaillly Mahler fanboy 

[waderice]

I will shortly be departing on a trip to Europe that will include a stop in Munich.  I checked the final volume of de la Grange's Mahler biography to see if the Munich Exhibition Hall in which Mahler premiered his 8th Symphony still exists.  Even in the chapter describing the premiere, plus the appendix that outlines for Mahler pilgrims what places of interest still exist that were part of Mahler's life are both unclear on this.  My assumption is that the Munich Exhibition Hall where the Eighth was premiered no longer exists, and was apparently bombed during the war.  Am I correct on this?

Wade

[James Meckley]

Wade,

The Neue Musik-Festhalle still exists, but its function has changed. It's now a part of the Deutsches Museum Verkehrszentrum and, as such, is filled with planes, trains, and automobiles—a transportation museum and a paean to the industrial revolution.

http://www.deutsches-museum.de/en/verkehrszentrum/information/

http://entartetemusik.blogspot.com/2010/09/veni-creator-spiritus.html

Have a good trip!

James

[waderice]

Wade,

The Neue Musik-Festhalle still exists, but its function has changed. It's now a part of the Deutsches Museum Verkehrszentrum and, as such, is filled with planes, trains, and automobiles—a transportation museum and a paean to the industrial revolution.

http://www.deutsches-museum.de/en/verkehrszentrum/information/

http://entartetemusik.blogspot.com/2010/09/veni-creator-spiritus.html

Have a good trip!

James

Thanks, James!  The quip at the second link about removing the cars, trains, and planes would indeed have been both quite a logistical and financial challenge to attempt to stage a recreation of the M8 premiere in the same hall.  Not to mention that the performing stage and organ that were there at the time of the premiere are no longer there.  Likely the financial challenge would even have been too much for Mahler philanthropist Gilbert Kaplan to undertake, had he wanted to.  If the hall is fairly close to where we're staying, and where the Oktoberfest festivities are located, maybe we'll get to that hall to see where the premiere took place.

Ironically, much of my professional career was in transportation for the military.

Wade