Takt 1 broadcast of VPO/Welser-Most M8 is happening tonight in U.S.

[barryguerrero]

The broadcast begins 1:45am on the left coast and 4:45 one the east coast. In Wien, it's actually 10:45am. It's being performed at the Konzerthaus, the very same hall that the Bernstein/VPO Mahler 8 dvd emanates from. The cost for a 'ticket' is $10 (yes, I bought one), but that includes a few weeks to comb their site and listen to things. Here's the info.  https://www.takt1.de/video/stream/tausendklang-wiener-philharmoniker-and-welser-moest

The cast is a group of no-names, which often times works out better than with 'big names'. Hopefully, this gets issued on a dvd/blu-ray at some point.

[barryguerrero]

The ending to Part II was fabulous - right up there with Marcus Stenz, Gary Bertini and maybe one or two others.

I'm back listening to it again, now that I'm more awake. Part I was excellent, including the big double fugue and the "Gloria" at the end. I like that W-M. isn't taking the start of Part II too slowly and that I can clearly hear the pizzicatos in the double basses. 

[barryguerrero]

Monday, 13 May:  I finally heard the whole thing and it was very, very good. My only minor criticism is that W-M. took so much of the 'three penitent women' section of Part II at a fast tempo. While I like that, it did make some of the singers sound a bit breathless and as though they were scrambling to stay with the beat. Maybe W-M. based his 'interpretation' (tempo relationships) on the Gary Bertini recording. I say that because the end of Part II was done very slowly with plenty of gong, bass drum pedal, organ and offstage brass. In short, it was wonderful.

[mike bosworth]

Just returned from a research trip to Vienna, during which I attended the Generalprobe (dress rehearsal) of the M8 at the Konzerthaus on Friday the 10th.  My first time in that venue.  I thought that Part II was very well done.  I prefer a slightly slower and more deliberate tempo in Part I, but it still sounded good.  As usual, the number of choristers, particularly the children, could have been bigger.  Good organ, tam tam, and tubular bells.  Mater Gloriosa and offstage horns way up top directly above the performers on stage.

Welser-Moest ran through the entire work without stopping, then went pack to briefly work on 5 or 6 passages that he wasn't so happy with.

An interesting and enjoyable experience!

Mike Bosworth
Tokyo

[erikwilson7]

So far I've only gotten a chance to spot-check an audio recording of the performance on the website, and from what I heard it sounded pretty great. I only knew W-M's Bruckner before this but he's quite a good Mahler conductor too. The ending of Part II was magnificent like Barry said. He pulled a Bertini with that tempo.

One of my favorite moments of the symphony is the brief "Ewiger Wonnebrand" and I found, again, that Peter Mattei did a spectacular job. His Pater Ecstaticus from Chailly's 2016 Lucerne Blu-Ray is my favorite moment from that, too.

I'd love to see another Mahler release from W-M one of these days.