Gustav MAHLER (1860-1911)
Symphony No. 8 in E flat major, Symphony of a Thousand
Magna Peccatrix: Judith Howarth (soprano); Una poenitentium: Anne Schwanewilms (soprano); Mater Gloriosa: Sofia Fomina (soprano); Mulier Samaritana: Michaela Selinger (mezzo-soprano); Maria Aegyptiaca: Patricia Bardon (mezzo-soprano); Doctor Marianus: Barry Banks (tenor); Patr Ecstaticus: Stephen Gadd (baritone); Pater Profundus: Matthew Rose (bass)
London Philharmonic Choir; London Symphony Chorus; Choir of Clare College, Cambridge; Tiffin Boys’ Choir
London Philharmonic Orchestra/Vladimir Jurowski
rec. live April 2017, Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London
Latin & German text with English translation
LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA LPO-0121 [83:25]
Some MusicWeb colleagues and I were recently discussing how modern digital recordings are now so good and dependable these days, that by and large all the reviewer usually has to do is to confirm in passing the high quality, excellent balance and clarity of any new issue. Then I took this new live recording to a friend’s flat for first listen, knowing that he had a good sound system and within seconds of first playing it we were surprised upon hearing the somewhat distant, faintly muddy sound of the grand, choral opening. For purposes of comparison and verification, I then played on two different sets of equipment at home another LPO live recording with Tennstedt from 1986, Sinopoli on DG in 1990 and, just for the heck of it, the classic 1971 Solti on Decca – and sure enough, the openings of all three offer a more satisfactory listening experience, being sharper and more immediate, regardless of what system was being used. Furthermore, I moved on to solicit the ears and opinion of the Ultimate Authority (being Mrs Moore) who confirmed our observation. The issue is much more apparent in the massed choral sections and not so much when the soloists are singing and it certainly improves; maybe adjustments were made as the performance progressed and by the end the listener will have perhaps have forgotten and forgiven that blemish. I am certainly not saying that the sound is poor but the other recordings are superior in impact and perhaps the sound engineers didn’t first find the right settings for such a massive piece in that particular venue; I have not previously encountered that problem in the live LPO series.
The first solo voice we hear is Judith Howarth’s soprano which is somewhat afflicted by a pulse when she sings loudly and becomes rather strident in the admittedly murderously exposed passages for her, but her fearless commitment is commendable. I am an admirer of Barry Banks’ neat, distinctive, tight voice, and while I do not think his sound is especially well suited to the heroic demands of Mahler’s writing for tenor here, despite his voice not being especially large, he certainly pierces the thick textures of the music. Matthew Rose’s sturdy bass is also noticeably prominent in ensemble but nobody here lets the side down in this notoriously demanding work.
Its hyperbolical nickname might be Symphony of a Thousand but the mere 400 performers here sound sufficient to impart the requisite weight to Mahler’s grandiose conception of “blending the human and the divine” (as the blurb puts it). The Tiffin Boys’ Choir in particular is to be congratulated for the way in which their young voices penetrate the great wall of sound generated by the three other massed choirs. The climax to the Gloria in Part I elicits spontaneous roars of applause from the audience, whose appreciation is included here – and it certainly gives me the “tingle factor” every time I listen to it.
As with other famous, large choral pieces such the Berlioz Requiem or Beethoven's Missa solemnis, just keeping it together is a feat in itself and Vladimir Jurowski assuredly does that – and more. He has long had an association with the LPO and in the many years I been attending their concerts, he has rarely, if ever, disappointed. On his watch, the LPO has, in my estimation, become the finest of the London orchestras; the sheen on their strings and beauty of the woodwind playing in the prelude to Part II or the passage when Mater Gloriosa floats into view amply demonstrate their virtuosity.
The solo singing in Part II is a little patchy; I have heard more secure, smoother-voiced baritones than Stephen Gadd deliver Pater Ecstaticus’ apostrophe to Eternal Love and Matthew Rose is rather grainy as Pater Profundus, but the ensuing sequence of choral numbers for a variety of angels is delightful. Patricia Bardon is predictably imposing as Maria Aegyptiaca, Anne Schwanewilms pure-voiced as Una poenitentium and especially lovely is the silvery Sofia Fomina in her brief contribution as Mater Gloriosa. The final number intoned by the Chorus Mysticus is first suitably rapt then rises to a thrilling conclusion; once again, the audience erupts after the shattering climax of the whole work.
The booklet provides a helpful note from Mahler specialist Stephen Johnson expounding on the Platonic, metaphysical basis of the composer’s thought, and the full Latin and German texts with English translation – furthermore, a performance of over 83 minutes has been fitted onto one disc. This was a 2017 performance; I do not know why its release has been so long delayed.
Any performance - and recording - of this still-controversial choral symphony is an event and there is a great deal to enjoy here, even if my reservations about the sound and some of the solo singing mean that it does not replace my favourites.
Ralph Moore
