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31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The HOTTEST Mahler 8th ever!, April 6, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Mahler: Symphony No. 8 (Audio CD)
During his life, Jascha Horenstein was grossly underrated as a Mahler conductor of the first rank. Despite his choice of not wanting a regular conducting post where he could polish his magnificent interpretations with an orchestra that understood his intentions with Mahler and other composers, his existing recordings show that the conceptions he shaped of these works far outshined the shortcomings in performance quality that exist. However, near the end of his life, his stature as a Mahler conductor had grown to the point where he became increasingly in demand to present these interpretations either in concert or in the studio with first-rank orchestras. During these occasions, a tape recorder was nearly always running to preserve Horenstein's performances. It was almost certainly this performance of Mahler's 8th that catapulted Horenstein to fame as one of the top interpreters of that composer. At the very end of his life, Horenstein had just committed to disk, a studio recording of the Mahler 3rd Symphony, the second and last significant Mahler document that assured his fame as a Mahler interpreter who would be long remembered. But back to the performance at hand. In one of those too-good-to-be-true occasions that confront us from time to time in our lives, Horenstein was presented the opportunity to conduct the London Symphony Orchestra in a special concert where there was, oddly enough, extra money found to spend on a large program, and what other work than the gigantic Mahler 8th Symphony could be found to present as an expenditure of that surplus? From October, 1958 to the performance on March 20, 1959, soloists, choruses, a performance hall (the Royal Albert Hall) and an undetermined number of rehearsals were hastily arranged. The fruits of these efforts are much evident on these two CDs, as is the dedication of those involved, particularly that of Horenstein, who most certainly gave the performance of his life. The intensity of performance causes one to dismiss what mistakes exist in the execution. I have had this performance on LP records for a good while on the semi-private Bruno Walter Society label, which used an early stereo LP studio master pressing in poor condition of this performance as the source. It is good to now hear this performance in its full glory with the original concert tapes as the recorded source, and the sound is very good overall, for its age. In short, buy this CD to hear one of the hottest recorded Mahler performances ever! This Mahler 8th sits atop the heap of all the others, and should remain there for a long time to come.
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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The grandest 8th of them all, March 25, 2003
This review is from: Mahler: Symphony No. 8 (Audio CD)
Horenstein's live interpretation of Mahler's 8th stands apart from any other Mahler's 8th I have heard. I have heard this work twice in live concerts -- once by the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra and once by the Boston Symphony Orchestra. I also have many different CD recordings of it. While I have been impressed by Solti's interpretation and others as well, they all pale by comparison to Horenstein's, which is simply overwhelming in its scope and grandeur. If I were able to roll the clock back and hear just two live concerts of this symphony, the first would be the premier conducted by Mahler himself in Munich in 1910, and the second would be this performance conducted by Horenstein in London in 1959, which I'm sure played a big part in the Mahler advent in England. The cheering at the end of the performance only begins to tell of what a deeply profound musical experience this must have been. An absolute must for all Mahler fans. If I could, I would give this 10 stars.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The work where Mahler resurrected in Britain., March 10, 2004
This review is from: Mahler: Symphony No. 8 (Audio CD)
Jascha Horenstein, in my humble opinion, is the greatest Mahlerian ever. Other contenders; Leonard Bernstein's Mahler has the schizophrenic, vulgar and over-the-top qualities that are outstanding, but outshined by too much of neuroses and self-indulgence. Bruno Walter is tender, lyrical, but lacked a bit of edge and Klemperer is a grumpy Mahlerian; my least favourite. Both "protege" of Mahler performed only a certain number of Mahler symphonies in their lifetime and dismissed the others ala carte - Mahler's glorious Symphony no 8 being the most glaring. Coming close is newcomer Benjamin Zander, whom I heard in a lecture that this maestro is a likely inspiration, but his attention to detail and score markings sometime leaves a performance of his akin to "text-book" music. Maestro Horenstein combines the analytical observation with soul and heart, as the late maestro Barbirolli put it "feel his music in your bones". Barbirolli certainly comes close to Horenstein as best Mahler conductors ever, but Horenstein has the edge that Barbirolli lacked. And it comes to no surprise a reviewer quoted Horenstein's Das Lied as a Mahler that Furtwangler would conduct. You see, why I regard Horenstein as the greatest Mahlerian ever is that if the great Furtwangler ever conduct Mahler in an alternate world, this is how Horenstein's Mahler sound. His Mahler Eighth is the most powerful Mahler I've ever heard. Instead of all out bombast like Solti, as other reviewers note -he shapes up the music and pushes the drama gradually while maintaining the momentum. The codas of "Veni Creator Spiritus" and Faust's final scene is overwelming, while you listen to Solti's - they wither out. I think it is perfect to what Mahler described as the sound of the whole universe resounding. As other great live performances, Horenstein's great Mahler Eighth is without glaring distractions and flaws. The whole London audience must've caught some bloody epidemic, and coughs are recurrent throughout the whole performance. The London Symphony isn't as powerful as the present, and the brasses couldn't hit some high notes. Since there was 700+ contingent of choir and orchestra, a miss of cue will result in massive "tanglement" - choir members and soloists struggling to get back to the bars. I have to admit Part I was a little messy, and thank God by part II, everyone was on the gear. But these performances of enthusiatic but imperfect individuals are more treasured tham limb, lifeless unenthusiatic performances by so-called professional, "perfect" ensambles. I recommend a good stereo system or the best that you have, and neighbours willing to bear your noise. Then, let Horenstein's Mahler Eighth resound. It will change the way you perceive music, and everyone around you.
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