Mahler: Symphony No. 8 "Symphony of a Thousand" [Hybrid SACD] [Hybrid SACD - DSD]

Hermann Prey (Performer), Gustav Mahler (Composer), Bernard Haitink (Conductor), Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (Orchestra), Kees De Wijs (Performer), Hanneke van Bork (Performer), Heather Harper (Performer), Ileana Cotrubas (Performer), William Cochran (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Hermann Prey, Kees De Wijs, Hanneke van Bork, Heather Harper, Ileana Cotrubas, et al.
• Orchestra: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
• Conductor: Bernard Haitink
• Composer: Gustav Mahler
• Audio CD (May 16, 2006)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Hybrid SACD - DSD
• Label: Pentatone
• ASIN: B000F6YX0C
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #155,246 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Allegro Impetuoso-'Veni, Creator Spiritus'

2. A Tempo-'Imple Superna Gratia'

3. Tempo I-'Infirma Nostri Corporis'

4. Sher Fliebend-Noch Einmal So Langsam Als Vorher Nicht Schleppend-'Infirna Nostri Corporis'

5. Plotzlich Shr Breit Und Leidenschaftlichn Ausdrucks-'Mit Plotzlichem Aufschwung - 'Accende Lumen Sensibus'

6. 'Qui Paraclitus Diceris'

7. A Tempo-'Gloria Sit Patri Domino'

8. Poco Adagio

9. Piu Mosso Allegro Moderato

10. Wieder Langsam-'Waldung, Sie Schwankt Heran'

11. Moderato-'Ewiger Wonnebrand'

12. Allegro-'Wie Felsenabgrund Mir Zu Fuben'

13. Allegro Deciso-'Gerettet Ist Das Edle Glied'

14. Molto Leggiero-'Jene Rosen, Aus Den Handen'

15. Schon Etwas Langsamer Und Immer Noch Mabiger 'Uns Bleibt Ein Erdenrest'

16. Im Angfang Noch Etwas Gehalten-'Ich Spur' Soeben'

17. Auberst Lanfsam-Aadgaissimo-'Dir, Der Unberuhrbaren'

18. Fliebend-'Bei Der Liebe, Die Den Fuben'

19. Unmerklich Frischer-'Er Uberwachst Uns Schon'

20. Hymnenartig-'Blicket Auf Zum Retterblick'

See all 21 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Some Pluses Outweighed by Minuses, July 22, 2006

By 

J Scott Morrison (Middlebury VT, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mahler: Symphony No. 8 "Symphony of a Thousand" [Hybrid SACD] (Audio CD)

This recording of Mahler's Eighth Symphony by Bernard Haitink and the Concertgebouw, plus soloists and chorus, was greeted with less than unanimous praise when it came out in 1971 on the Philips label. Here it is again on Pentatone, this time in the hybrid SACD format (playable on both SACD and plain CD machines). I have to believe that the main reason it has been released again is because of the opportunity to have it in more realistic and brilliant sound, although even on that score it is not one of the better Pentatone SACDs I've heard; the recording level is low and the sound is somewhat bass-shy. This is a low-energy performance with some serious weaknesses. Although the orchestra sounds in fine fettle, Haitink's way with the score is soft-edged, almost accentless and formally smudged. It starts nicely enough with a dynamic first couple of minutes but then it begins meandering which, it must be said, is one of the problems with the symphony's form. Some conductors, though, like Horenstein, Solti and Bernstein, have overcome this problem. The five combined Amsterdam choruses manage the punishing choral bits without screaming, and that is all to the good. But the soloists, with the exception of Ileana Cotrubas, Heather Harper and Hans Sotin are not particularly distinguished, and tenor William Cochran is downright painful to hear to times.

The bottom line is that this release is only for Haitink completists, Mahler completists and those interested in buying fodder for their SACD rigs. Others will likely be more discerning. It's not that this is a bad performance, it's just that it is easily outclassed by others.

Scott Morrison

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Haitink's "Symphony of a Thousand" in Glorious SACD, July 10, 2006

By 

John D. Truslow (Boston MA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mahler: Symphony No. 8 "Symphony of a Thousand" [Hybrid SACD] (Audio CD)

I bought this performance many years ago when it was issued as a Philips LP set (catalog number 6700 049 - 2 LPs), but my turntable was rather primitive - totally unable to track the heavily-loaded passages. When I upgraded to a Linn system, I was very pleasantly surprised at both the sonics and the performance. I had always considered the Solti on London to be definitive. Now I found Haitink's approach more persuasive. But I was hardly prepared for the SACD. If you have a stereo system sophisticated enough to reveal the difference between CDs and SACDs, and you like the 8th, you really should experience this current incarnation.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A HUGE missed opportunity, April 25, 2010

By 

Lawrence Rapchak (Whiting, IN United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mahler: Symphony No. 8 "Symphony of a Thousand" [Hybrid SACD] (Audio CD)

I remember my profound disappointment when first listening to this recording upon its initial release. Why? Because the LIVE performance at the May, 1971 Holland Festival that preceeded this recording was one of the absolutely GREATEST Mahler 8ths of all time...and this bland, lightweight studio version managed to capture ALMOST NONE of the qualities of that live performance.

If only the Dutch Radio had chosen the LIVE performance for release! My old 1/4 mil. audio tape I made off the air from the broadcast in Cleveland in October of '71 is almost useless; thank goodness I was able to dupe a good casette from it before it started to deteriorate.

The majesty and "royal" ambience of the live performance is musical GLORY itself; the sound is round and plush, with great depth and detail. The orchestra and choruses perform as if possessed, their essentially light and NON-weighty sound (as is typical of Dutch instruments and voices), producing a pure and shimmery quality of sound which, supported by the majestic Concertgebouw organ, takes this performance to new heights of radiance and tonal beauty. Furthermore, the piano, harps and celeste, which Mahler introduces mid-way through the work as the music is entering its higher, more celestial realm, have NEVER been captured with such brilliance. This makes a huge difference during the latter portions of Part II, especially the exquisite music of the Biblical ladies, one of the true glories of this score, which Haitink treats with love and care.

And yes, Haitink really delivers in the big ending---where the listener seems to SWIM in glorious waves of sound. The only drawback to the performance is the fact that bartione Vladimir Ruzdjak, who delivered Pater Ecstaticus' part so superbly in Bernstein's 1966 London recording, for some reason sings Pater Profundis' demanding role in the live Haitink performance. He must have been a late substitute for the actual basso, since Ruzdjak's voice has none of the weight needed for the part. No surprise that Hans Sotin was brought in for the studio recording.

I realize that my comments have very little to do with the current recording in question---so go ahead and declare my comments as "unhelpful". My point in writing is to let the world know that there DOES EXIST an incredible Haitink Mahler 8th---hopefully still in the archives of the Dutch Radio-- that can stand alongside ANY other performance of this work..Bernstein and Horenstein included.

Will it ever see the light of day?