A Universe of Sound: Recording Mahler's Symphony No. 8

[AltoNicoRuso]

@metafixi when this piece was premiered, there was well over 1,000 musicians on the stage. :|

[metafixi]

Ha! They should try Berlioz's Ta Deum or Requiem. Now THAT requires a huge orchestra.

[fledgehog]

its a shame there are no plans to release a dvd of this!! i love watching MTT conduct. i have the audio recording and it is fantastic!

[grimmrad]

Love it when at 4:55 the soprano almost gets into tears. What a piece!

[sfsymphony]

Yes, recorded live in Davies Symphony Hall over four concerts, using the mighty Ruffati Organ, the largest concert hall rgan in north america. Quite an experience.

[karzats]

@sfsymphony Is this the performance in the new Vinyl release of the Mahler Symphonys?

[mswcpt]

This is really quite something - breath-taking. Is it at the Davies Symphony Hall? Did they use the hall organ?

[mrcleanbag]

i know this is totally unrelated to the video, but when will the next season of Keeping Score be released? I am quite excited about it!

[Aephqan]

Applause!

[allegrobas]

Beautiful music and video. Thanks for posting.

[nevertheless123]

what a sound ! and all of this was written before the grammaphone as invented!

[TheStockwell]

@nevertheless123 Okay, here I am getting all picky and annoying: recorded sound goes back, more or less, to Edison's machines in 1877. By the late 1890s, recording was widespread. By 1901, years before Mahler compose the Eighth, flat disc gramophone recordings were available commercially.

[nevertheless123]

@TheStockwell hahaha yeah I know you textbook types who have to get to the gory details:) But I think you get my point but are just poking some fun.

the point is that no technology was actually used to write this amazing music and also the greatest music written for about 250 years. Oh well I know you know but good to know about the exact dates of gramophone etc.,. (also for correcting my spelling!)

[TheStockwell]

@nevertheless123 Yeah - I hate pointing things out. Thanks for not getting mad, by the way. I'm not trying to look smart or cool. Usually, people who point out tiny facts wind up sounding like "fact trolls." But this music - wow! If you hear it live, then try to listen to CDs or MP3 files, you'll just plain give up. What gets me is that Mahler wrote this 80-minute masterpiece in EIGHT WEEKS! One man, sitting in a hut, with a pile of paper, pen and ink, a piano, and a lakeside view. Holy Smokes!

[nevertheless123]

@TheStockwell you got me excited. 80 minutes of music with about 20 (?) different instruments playing together to produce intricate textures of sound while also producing so much emotion, and ALL WRITTEN ON A PIECE OF PAPER within eight weeks by a short man sitting in a hut. I am speechless in this age of "Katie Perry" who doesnt know how to sing but making millions. Should make us feel good that we understand how REAL music is(was) made. It makes me feel good. LONG LIVE CLASSICAL MUSIC!!!

[tyrelroo]

3:10

I love this part in the symphony, the very end of the first part, with everybody going just *berserk* with this colossal scale: choir, brass, woodwinds, everybody.

[freshhh1994]

@tyrelroo

Yeah, seriously. That's like more than twice the usual tempo.

[ksbav8r]

Does anyone know what kind of recording console Andreas Neubronner is using in the control room there? Or what kind of pres or converters they are using?

[dga471]

Is the mater gloriosa really singing from above the audience? The visual effect is great, but how can we hear the voice clearly?

[olivertheil]

@dga471 Yes, Laura Claycomb was singing from high above the audience. The acoustics of Davies Symphony Hall are superb and her incredible voice carried magnicifently throughout the room. One of those "goosebump" moments just like Erin described in the video.

[aabaker22]

Weird question - why does Tilson Thomas turn around at 6:18?

[plien69]

@aabaker22 At the climax of both movements, Mahler specifies a complement of brass to be "isoliert postiert" or offstage. Conductors have traditionally placed these brass players above and behind the main audience, to fill the hall with their additional parts and ringing sound.

At 6:18 they are coming back in for the second (and final) time, to play one of the main motifs of the entire piece, capping the work as a whole.

[aabaker22]

Thank you!

[Dougie11387]

He's cueing the offstage brass.

[TheGerman6th]

To conduct to the organ player in the back

[veers0r]

Cool, too bad it's not available as 96/24 FLAC download. :(

[studentjohn36]

The Schoeps microphone people must be very happy for this (free?) plug.

[afemalefan]

Magnificent performances, recording, and a really nice mini-doc, but it would have been nice to have SOME credit given to the chorus - the largest number of individuals comprising this Symphony of A Thousand. They prepare longer than anyone and deserved mention. Not just SFSC but the SF Girls Chorus and the boys chorus. (They don't get much credit on the liner notes, either.) Still, I think the Grammy is a shoe-in and it should win internationally as well. Congratulations.

[2Dawgz]

It was at a Mahler 8 performance by the SF Symphony on June 25, 1998 when I met the man who was later to become my husband. Naturally, the Mahler 8 is "our song."

We had the enormous privilege of hearing the Mahler on April 30 of this year, conducted by Pierre Boulez in Vienna's Musikverein. It was a life changing experience.

[wendileona]

@2Dawgz How did it change your life?

[gab1279]

I saw Erin Wall sing Mahler 2 with Houston, she is incredible!! I can't wait to hear this CD, the orchestra sounds simply amazing on this video.

[reeser8]

The sweep of the women's chorus missed me by about 5 people! Can you re-edit the footage to include me, please? Only kidding. It is still great to have this to show my friends and family. Thanks for posting it on YouTube.

[Bbobe900000]

Holy crap! Look at the timpanist at 6:42. !!!!!!!!!! There are like 2 feet between the drum and the top of the stroke!!!

[alejoeisabel]

You must check out the Venezuelan conductor who replaced Dudamel in the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra. His name is Christian Vasquez and he did Maher Second Symphony, "Resurrection"

Cut and paste, "vasquez mahler 2"

He has memorized the entire score. Just amazing. He is only 25yo.

[Zakster44]

Was the concert footage part of the whole symphony? If so, are there any plans to release it on DVD?

[sfsymphony]

hello Zakster44,

There are no plans to release Mahler 8 on DVD, we only shot this Promo video, not the entire concert. Glad you enjoyed it and hope you like the recording.

[stevtomato]

@sfsymphony OMG it's Erin Wall, I saw the recording of her with conducted by Eschenbach in Paris I think, with Twyla Robinson... They were the most amazing sopranos that matched together so well! Especially the High C and Bflat at Chorus Mysticus... in my opinion, the only performance of that the worked so well and what made it harder is Eschenbach's speed was way too slow!

I wish I could hear that on this video, but oh well! Thanks for posting this up =)

[relham27]

Heard this piece live in Cincinnati in May, it keeps the audience spellbound. This is more proof that MTT is a great Mahlerian, and a great conductor!

[randomgraph]

Go Eric!

[Bettarazzi]

Inspiring!

(rushes off to find credit card)

[FrEricT]

This is so awesome. I have Seattle Symphony's recording of M8 sitting on my desk right now. A tremendous work; i'm looking forward to ordering SFS's recording. I LOVE watching MTT; he is a true national treasure, and was so beloved of Bernstein who is probably responsible for our knowledge of Mahler. A great video!

[Cleansan]

Fantastic.

[cazam]

this is awesome! thank you soo much for the upload!!

[ThaSchwab]

You should've done this with all of them. :( At least No. 3. I never saw the greatness in No. 8. I did, however, in Nos. 1, 5, 6 and 7.