Mahler: Symphony No. 8 in E-Flat Major "Symphony of a Thousand" (Live)

Featuring

Thierry Fischer
Orla Boylan
Celena Shafer
Amy Owens
Charlotte Helekant
Tamara Mumford

Barry Banks
Markus Werba
Jordan Bisch
Utah Symphony Orchestra
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir
The Madeleine Choir School Choristers
Gustav Mahler

Did you know?

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Composition History

Mahler completed the draft of his enormous Eighth Symphony, nicknamed 'Symphony of a Thousand' due to its large forces, between June and August of 1906 at his summer home in Maiernigg.

Critical Reception

The premiere of Mahler's Eighth Symphony was attended by notable figures such as Richard Strauss, Camille Saint-Saëns, Alban Berg, Anton Webern, and Thomas Mann, who described Mahler's as 'the most serious and sacred artistic will of the age.'

Recording & Production

This recording of Mahler's Symphony No. 8 was made live at the historic Salt Lake Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, Utah, on February 19 and 20, 2016.

Composer Biography

The Eighth Symphony was the last work Mahler heard performed; he died less than nine months after its premiere.

Notable Performances

The first performance of Mahler's Eighth Symphony took place in Munich on September 12, 1910, with Mahler himself conducting a thousand performers.

Compositional Technique

Unlike his earlier symphonies, Mahler's Eighth Symphony features continuous singing throughout, blending symphony with oratorio and even opera in its second part.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Mahler described his Eighth Symphony as so grand that 'the universe begins to vibrate and to sound,' with 'planets and sun rotating' instead of human voices.