Saturday, December 2, 2023

Vänskä’s Latest Mahler Release is Massive

courtesy of Shuman Public Relations

As I continue to work my way through the many albums that were released yesterday, I have come to the penultimate release in the project to record the all symphonies of Gustav Mahler performed by the Minnesota Orchestra under the baton of Music Director Osmo Vänskä. This is one of two “monster” undertakings, the second of which will be the third symphony that will bring the project to a close. Those following the entire project can probably now deduce that yesterday’s release accounts for the eighth symphony.

Both the third and the eighth have structures that depart radically from what one usually expects of a symphony. Both have extended durations, and the third has far more than the usual number of movements. However, the similarly long duration of the eighth has only two movements; but the second of those movements is about an hour long! Mahler clearly appreciated his undertaking when he gave the eighth its own name: “Symphony of a Thousand.” So, even if this symphony does not mark the conclusion of the overall project, it is definitely a significant event.

Ironically, that significance seems to have been ignored by Amazon.com. As I write this, I have yet to encounter a Web page for this symphony on either their CD site or their download site. Fortunately, Presto Classical has come to the rescue with a Web page, which, for now at least, is only selling CDs. My guess is that the release consists of two CDs, one for each of the two “parts” (they are not called “movements”), whose respective durations are about 23 minutes and a little less than one hour.

That “thousand” epithet may fall short on the number of performers that are required. Clearly, the full resources of the Minnesota Orchestra (including an organist) have been assembled for the recording task. However, they are extended by four choirs: the Minnesota Chorale, the National Lutheran Choir, the Angelica Cantanti Youth Choirs, and the Minnesota Boychoir. Then there are the seven vocal soloists: two sopranos (Carolyn Sampson and Jacquelyn Wagner), two mezzos (Sasha Cooke and Jess Dandy), one tenor (Barry Banks), one baritone (Julian Orlishausen), and one bass-baritone (Christian Immler).

The first movement is the Latin hymn “Veni Creator Spiritus” (come creator spirit). The second movement sets the text of the final scene of the second part of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s Faust, when, in spite of all of the machinations of Mephistopheles, Faust’s soul enters Heaven, where he is welcomed by all of the angels (seven of whom have awesome vocal talents). Mahler was never shy when it came to ambitious undertakings, but this one definitely pushed him to the limit!

Since I am based in San Francisco, I have followed the work of Michael Tilson Thomas (MTT) conducting the San Francisco Symphony from the very beginning of his tenure. Unless I am mistaken, I never missed any program that he prepared that included Mahler’s music. That said, I tended to brace myself when I encountered his approach to the eighth symphony; and I have to say that, between the extended duration and the massive number of performers, I felt very much at home with MTT’s interpretation of the score. Yes, the overall duration runs over 80 minutes; but, if one has become acclimated to Mahler’s “language,” it is not difficult to settle into prolongations that tend to last longer than one might have expected.

In other words, while the eighth symphony is no mere walk in the park, when it is properly presented, it is thoroughly engaging. In that respect I have no trouble saying that I was as engaged with this new Vänskä recording that I was with my MTT encounter. As a result, I welcome this new album into my collection with the same joyous enthusiasm of the angels that greeted Faust!

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