Amsterdam and Vienna are the two undisputed Mahler cities. Amsterdam for the enthusiastic promotional work of Willem Mengelberg; Vienna because of Mahler's post of conductor at the Hofopera. It is less known that Leipzig also has close connections with Mahler. Not only was he an opera conductor here, he also composed his First Symphony and parts of the Second. While Mahler's Eighth Symphony brought
… the thematic coherence between his earlier symphonies to an absolute peak, you can also see the same Eighth as a late completion of Mahler's Leipzig period (even though he was already at work in Vienna at that time). During the Internationales Mahler Festival Leipzig 2011, all these connections were widely discussed in a monumental performance of Mahler's Eighth. For this, Gewandhauskapellmeister Riccardo Chailly mainly drew on local staff for the occasion. It is Chailly's third recording of the work, but these do not show any major interpretation differences with his earlier recordings (Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra 1995 and 2001), at most a less section-oriented approach with therefore larger lines. The organ is less prominent. The organ balcony, on the other hand, offers several surprises. For example an extra brass ensemble that is used on musical climaxes. An emotional highlight is the short but ethereal solo of Mater Gloriosa. Like a true queen of heaven, she towers above the enormous choral and orchestral apparatus, preparing the way for the sublime final choir. (JWvR) but these do not show any major differences in interpretation with his earlier recordings (Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra 1995 and 2001), at most a less section-oriented approach with therefore larger lines. The organ is less prominent. The organ balcony, on the other hand, offers several surprises. For example an extra brass ensemble that is used on musical climaxes. An emotional highlight is the short but ethereal solo of Mater Gloriosa. Like a true queen of heaven, she towers above the enormous choral and orchestral apparatus, preparing the way for the sublime final choir. (JWvR) but these do not show any major differences in interpretation with his earlier recordings (Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra 1995 and 2001), at most a less section-oriented approach with therefore larger lines. The organ is less prominent. The organ balcony, on the other hand, offers several surprises. For example an extra brass ensemble that is used on musical climaxes. An emotional highlight is the short but ethereal solo of Mater Gloriosa. Like a true queen of heaven, she towers above the enormous choral and orchestral apparatus, preparing the way for the sublime final choir. (JWvR) The organ balcony, on the other hand, offers several surprises. For example an extra brass ensemble that is used on musical climaxes. An emotional highlight is the short but ethereal solo of Mater Gloriosa. Like a true queen of heaven, she towers above the enormous choral and orchestral apparatus, preparing the way for the sublime final choir. (JWvR) The organ balcony, on the other hand, offers several surprises. For example an extra brass ensemble that is used on musical climaxes. An emotional highlight is the short but ethereal solo of Mater Gloriosa. Like a true queen of heaven, she towers above the enormous choral and orchestral apparatus, preparing the way for the sublime final choir. (JWvR)more
