4.0 out of 5 stars
Almost, but Nott quite there - 4.5 stars, actually
Please note, the following review is based on regular two-channel stereo playback.
Close, but no cigar. I keep looking for a Mahler 8th for which we can all agree upon, once and for all, that the famous and somewhat overrated Solti version can finally be placed to the side. It hasn't happened yet. Oddly enough, three of the better - if not best - Mahler 8th's are out on DVD: Bernstein/Vienna Phil. (DG); Chailly/Leipzig Gewandhaus (C-Major), and Dudamel's truly "Symphony of a Thousand" from Caracas, Venezuela (DG). All three of those DVD's are highly satisfying, and in slightly different ways.
Nott's recording of the 8th isn't all that easy to describe. On the one hand, it's probably THE most clearly recorded Mahler 8 yet (it's better recorded than the recent Markus Stenz one on Oehms). On the other hand, the two adult choruses and children's chorus sound relatively small. A look at the photo of the stage that's included in the booklet, confirms that there's relatively little space for large choral forces in Bamberg's Konzerthalle. And while the vocal soloists - the usual mixed bag in terms of quality - don't necessarily sound too far forward, they do sound as though they're coming through separate, more directional type microphones. They sound as though Nott and his engineers decided to 'go' for maximum clarity in terms of diction. That's usually a fatal flaw because, 1). it seldom really works and, 2). Goethe's text is really 'poetic' German that makes little sense any way. Who cares! - read the text in the booklet. I would prefer that the soloists sound more 'natural' and integrated into the overall acoustic.
The upshot of all this is that there is greater emphasis and clarity upon the orchestra itself. That's where our next minor flaw asserts itself. In previous releases of Nott's Mahler cycle, other reviewers have made charges against the Bamberg Symphony not being among the world's best. By and large, I felt that those criticisms were exaggerated and almost irrelevant. But here in the 8th symphony, there are definitely some tuning issues that crop up within the first ten minutes or so of Part II. I would bet almost anything that the principal hornist of the orchestra would like to have another crack at his brief solo near the beginning of Part II. As a result of these issues, this isn't the most comfortable Mahler 8th to listen to in Part II's introductory section. However, once we reach the baritone solo, everything becomes much smoother sailing until the end. And I'm happy to report that both the baritone and bass-baritone solos are quite good; in fact, far better than usual. It's the tenor that I have my next issue with.
It took a bit of digging around in the booklet to figure out who's who, and who's singing what part. Tenor Stefan Vinke is a name I haven't encountered before, nor am I anxious to encounter again. He's not terrible, but he's another tenor who falls far short of Rene Kollo (Solti), Ben Heppner (C. Davis and Chailly), Johann Botha (Boulez and Bertrand de Billy) and, best of all, Richard Leech (Maazel/VPO). Yet, as in so many performances, he actually improves at Mahler's second brutal solo for the tenor, "blicket auf".
On the plus side, there are two passages in Part II that are absolutely marvelous and showcase Jonathan Nott at his best. The first of those two is the orchestral interlude right after the tenor's first solo. This is the lovely passage for harps, harmonium (chamber organ with a slight vibrato) and unison violins (later, the woodwinds join in), and it sounds absolutely stunning on this recording - the best I've ever heard it. The other passage is the entire "blicket auf" section, which culminates in an incredible climax. Suddenly, the adult choruses sound larger than they had previously (go figure!). However, the climax of "blicket auf" is so good that it just about eclipses the end of the symphony - an ending for which Jonathan Nott holds the final E-flat major chord too briefly.
There are two other 'extra musical' things I need to mention. First, the organ sounds very good on this recording. It's not huge sounding, but it has a very nice tone quality. As a result, the opening E-flat chord of the symphony is quite impressive here (quick tempi throughout Part I). The other 'extra musical' item is the treatment of the unison tam-tam (gong) and cymbals at the end of Part II. While Nott is a bit quicker with the ending than I generally like (this is where Markus Stenz is better than anybody!), he makes the tam-tam fully audible by having the cymbals strike just slightly after the gong has been struck. In so many recordings the tam-tam is completely covered over by the cymbals. Here, Nott keeps that from happening, which is great.
So there you have it - the usual mixed bag that's mostly very good, but still falls short of my having to tell everyone that they HAVE to buy this thing. You don't have to, but it won't hurt your collection either. I have no idea how it stacks up against the competition in 5.1 surround sound, as I don't have an sacd setup. Clean up the tuning at the start of Part II; use larger choral forces; integrate the soloists more into the overall acoustic fabric of the hall, and hold the final chord of the symphony a bit longer (Zinman does that better than anyone!): voila! - you might have the greatest Mahler 8th ever.
Safe recommendations: Solti/CSO (Decca); Chailly/RCOA (Decca); Boulez (DG); Markus Stenz (Oehms Classics); Jansons/RCOA (RCO Live). Personal favorites: Benstein/L.S.O. (Sony) ; Colin Davis/BRSO (RCA); Wit (Naxos); Zinman/Tonhalle Zurich (RCA), and the three DVD's mentioned in the first paragraph. There are many other good ones as well.
Topic: B.G.'s 4 star Amazon review of Nott/Bamberg M8 (Read 7082 times)