Mahler’s gigantic 8th symphony will attract attention in any recording or performance. The staggering costs and logistics of staging either are phenomenal, but getting the piece to work live is very different from a recording. While Yannick Nézet-Séguin’s latest DG release captures the essence of a live performance, this Mahler 8 has mixed results. Recorded in March 2016 in Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Philadelphia, the engineering doesn’t allow the music to stimulate as it should.
The choir is as much a part of the performance as the soloists. The combined forces of Westminster Symphonic Choir and The Choral Arts Society of Washington sound rich, sonorous and well balanced in their opening phrases, with impeccably clear diction. Shame that as the opening section evolves, the orchestra overshadows the second choir. This imbalance between the choir and orchestra is consistent throughout the bolder sections of the work. The choir seems rather distant with no audible separation between choirs 1 and 2. In the second part of the Symphony (track 11), there is some better-balanced engineering, which allows the choirs to shine. As with the main choir, The American Boychoir, commendable for its tone and purity of sound, is not well balanced, drowned out by a tsunami of sound. The important organ feels rather too distant throughout, not having the punch and presence called for in this Symphony. Another distraction comes from the audience, its presence becomes all the more obvious through the later tracks of the album.
Taking the first soprano is Angela Meade. Her voice is appropriately sized for the work, but is rather more operatic than symphonic. Meade’s vibrato is one of personal taste; those preferring a wider and richer tone would appreciate her, but her large voice does at time overshadows others in the ensemble. Erin Wall as soprano 2 has a characterful voice that complements Meade. At times, especially in the higher tessituras, the two voices are indistinguishable without a score, their excessive vibratos cloud the intonation.
Related Classical Music Reviews
- Review: Mahler – Symphony No. 8 – Ádám Fischer
- Review: Mahler – Symphony No. 4 – Minnesota Orchestra, Vänskä
- Review: Mozart – Die Zauberflöte – COE, Nézet-Séguin
Tenor Anthony Dean Griffey has a pleasing voice with a lighter tone, but in some of the ensemble work, he becomes lost. Baritone Markus Werba comes into his own as Pater Ecstaticus in Part 2, but is overshadowed by occasional imbalances once more. Bass John Relyea shines in his role as Pater Profondus, but again suffers the same fate of engineering as Werba.
The orchestra is well prepared and secure following Nézet-Séguin, sharing his vision of this monumental work. There are moments, especially at the changes of meter, when the orchestra is completely confident in following the conductor, but the soloists and choir lack the same level of assurance when rubato and tempo changes are applied.
As comparisons go, I still have reverence to Simon Rattle’s recording with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, which is paced and measured with an arching sense of unity. At the episodes where Nézet-Séguin’s soloists and choir have uncertainty, Rattle is in complete control. Rattle’s choirs have a warm sound, and while not every word is clear, the depth of emotion behind the notes are conveyed with conviction. The brass is bright, without being harsh, and the organ has a significant impact. Furthermore, Rattle’s soloists are unfaltering, blending sympathetically. Claudio Abbado’s all-star Berlin recording is difficult to surpass; The combined choirs bring a more professional chorus tone compared with Rattle or Nézet-Séguin.
Mahler – Symphony No. 8
Angela Meade – Soprano I – MAGNA PECCATRIX
Erin Wall – Soprano II – UNA POENITENTIUM
Lisette Oropesa – Soprano III – MATER GLORIOSA
Elizabeth Bishop – Contralto I – MULIER SAMARITANA
Mihoko Fujimura – Contralto II – MARIA AEGYPTIACA
Anthony Dean Griffey – Tenor – DOCTOR MARIANUS
Markus Werba – Baritone PATER ECSTATICUS
John Relyea – Bass – PATER PROFUNDUS
Westminster Symphonic Choir
The Choral Arts Society of Washington
The American Boychoir
Michael Stairs – Organ
The Philadelphia Orchestra
Yannick Nézet-Séguin – Conductor
Deutsche Grammophon, CD 4837871
Mahler – Symphony No. 8 – Recommended Comparisons
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