Customer Reviews

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

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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

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.

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?

I completely agree with the review of Mr.Scott Morrison and I would still point out a strange thing I noticed in my SACD: there is a pause between the tracks as if each track were an individual song. There should be no pause except between the first and the second movements. It is strange that Pentatone did not notice this problem before releasing this SACD.