Symphony No 8
This new, budget recording rises right to the top of the list of available Mahler Eighths. Not only does Conductor Antoni Wit appreciate the work for its breadth and enormity; the superb recording--and apparently Wit's ear--captures a wealth of detail that is simply inaudible in most other recordings. It is one of the few recordings I can think of in which the organ does not sound overdubbed into the performance, mandolins and harps make just the right impression, and string parts are clear and clean. In addition, Wit's tempi seem ideal, neither rushed nor too leisurely. The choruses are superb--and superbly recorded--and the vocal soloists are, simply, the best on record. Most tenors sound strained, most of the time the soprano works too hard: here there's none of that. Vocal lines are finely sung, and the voices merge well, both with eachother and the choral and orchestral fiber. This is ravishing: very highly recommended.--Robert Levine