Mahler: Symphony No. 8, Solti (CD)

Discs: 1
Record Label: London
Release Date: May 15, 2006

“Now at last Mahler’s Symphony of a Thousand can be head on record at something approaching its full, expansive stature. Here is a version from Solti which . . . conveys that feeling of a great occasion . . . so overwhelming is the build-up of tension.” — Gramophone

Intended to be performed by one thousand musicians, Mahler’s great Eighth Symphony is a masterpiece unlike any other — at times sacred-sounding, at others raw and bombastic like one might expect from Gustav Mahler. In this tour de force performance, Sir Georg Solti leads his beloved Chicago Symphony Orchestra with a host of Viennese singers and a star-studded cast of soloists.

1972 Grammy® Award, Classical Album of the Year
1972 Grammy® Award, Best Classical Performance–Choral
1972 Grammy® Award, Best Engineered Recording–Classical

Contents:

Mahler Symphony No. 8 in E-flat Major (The Symphony of a Thousand)
Heather Harper soprano
Lucia Popp soprano
Arleen Auger soprano
Yvonne Minton mezzo-soprano
Helen Watts contralto
René Kollo tenor
John Shirley-Quirk baritone
Martti Talvela bass
Vienna State Opera Chorus
Vienna Concert Choir
Vienna Boys’ Choir
August 1971, Sofiensaal, Vienna