As with Mahler's Symphony No. 2 from the Chicago SO I heard a month ago, a live concert of these works is an overwhelming experience. The sheer power of sounds from the orchestra, chorus, and soloists is almost too much to take in two ears.
I think both symphonies mentioned earlier derive some extra attention, not only due to their expanded and mighty instrumental and singing proportions, but to their subtitles as well. Here, 'A Symphony of a Thousand' portends a lot from the imagination of a listener.
In two large sections, Symphony no. 8 is more troublesome for a listener compared to the earlier 'Resurrection'. The first portion subsists on grand choral interjections, and a generally breathless and magnificent opening; one might even use the term overblown, but I find the experience much more magnificent than that.
This leaves the much longer second half to subvert everything which came before. It is quiet and mystical, featuring a cast of vocal soloists to convey a Faustian morality. Not until the very last moments does the music rise to the first movement's glory. This setup creates a very uneven listening experience, but in the right hands, can be quite effective.
1970: Bavarian RSO, Kubelík (Live)
1972: Chicago SO, Solti
1980: Boston SO, Ozawa
2005: Berlin SO, Nagano
For now, we will have a very basic list of Mahler reviews. The current list covers the most recent spate of listened recordings, not necessarily the best or most worthwhile. The older recordings are from our collection but newly reviewed, and the newer recordings represent recordings which were recommended to me. Until we at The Oozy Channel Keep have gotten ourselves up and running, this should suffice and we can reorganize the page a little more coherently in the future.