Mahler 8 on Essential Classics, 11/04/13

[Nick Armstrong]

There was a Colin Davis-led Mahler #8 with the LSO in the RAH on Sunday, April 21st 1985 - part of the LSO's Mahler, Vienna & the Twentieth Century Festival.

Oh well done, ferns! That's the one! I started work in London in '84 and that festival was a massive part of my first year or so Went to most of the concerts - lots of Abbado I recall - and still have the two very handsome programmes that covered the series (which was in two parts I recall) plus a rather stylish C Rennie Mackintosh-style mug with GM's silhouette...

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

In the same series, about six weeks later, was the afternoon concert in the Barbican with Bernstein conducting the Concertgebeouw in Mahler's Ninth - which, I seem to remember from previous discussions, was attended by everyone who later joined this Forum!

[Nick Armstrong]

In the same series, about six weeks later, was the afternoon concert in the Barbican with Bernstein conducting the Concertgebeouw in Mahler's Ninth - which, I seem to remember from previous discussions, was attended by everyone who later joined this Forum!

[Tevot]

Hello there,

Re # 12 and 14 Thropp and Oliver. Opinions are clearly divided about the 8th. Thomas Mann at the premiere in Munich 1910 called it the apotheosis of German culture. I think he was wrong. The piece is universal - as indeed Mahler intended and described when talking about planets revolving around the sun. Some performances of it reduce me to tears ( for all the right reasons !) And isn't this Mahler's most Wagnerian piece? Blicket auf?

Best Wishes,

Tevot

[Oliver]

Yes, you are right....I think the problem for me has been that it is a work that should be performed occasionally and only experienced live. My recorded performances do not do it justice.

[Cockney Sparrow]

I have tried to find the details for an anniversary performance (BBC 50th (1989??) of Mahler's 8th - Colin Davis (another master of this piece) BBCSO of course, RAH. Unfortunately the programme is in storage and inaccessible.

Julia Varady gave an amazing performance for Davis - by some means she dominated the sound of full orchestra and chorus in the tutti passages. Davis on the podium intervened in my sight line to her - when he moved forward, I heard more (It was immediate, in the moment, I'm not convincing myself). Presumably an acoustic "phenomen". But wonderful.

In the interval in the bar, it was "Well, did you hear Julia Varady" from groups left, right and centre. My friend suggested I look behind me - the nearest female voice I had heard to this effect was .... Dame Eva Turner. Never to be forgotten. I have heard a lot of Mahler 8 performances in the UK.............

......I think this is a bit early for the concert I recall ......

I've started the Stephen Johnson book on Mahler's 8th and 1910. Which led me to thinking about this concert.
Aha! Here are the details:

Sir Colin Davis, BBC Symphony Orchestra - 50th Anniversary Concert
30 Nov 1980 Royal Albert Hall, London
Julia Varady, Yvonne Kenny, Alison Hargan, Elizabeth Connell, Sarah Walker, Peter Lindroos, John Shirley-Quirk, Norman Bailey,
Southend Boys Choir, BBC Symphony Chorus, London Symphony Chorus, Philharmonia Chorus.

Star cast of soloists, it was a pretty perfect performance and occasion, shame I hadn't recalled the other artists and could only think of the extraordinary Varady (IIRC the only other time I saw her live was as Desdemona at Covent Garden)..

My skills at internet searching have improved - and this website has yielded the details of the concert I recalled:

https://www.philharmoniachorus.co.uk/event/mahler-symphony-no8-15

[Composer-Phil]

Hello,

I noticed, in the above thread, that I'm not the only one to know of the LSO's April 1985 Mahler 8 with Colin Davis. I was played a cassette of the ending by my teacher, and - as you can imagine - I was an instant convert!

I was wondering whether anyone knew of a source for hearing this performance again? I've tried the LSO archivist, to no avail. No sign on YouTube or other, similar platforms...

I'd be grateful for any leads.

Thanks,

Phil

[french frank]

Hello,

I noticed, in the above thread, that I'm not the only one to know of the LSO's April 1985 Mahler 8 with Colin Davis. I was played a cassette of the ending by my teacher, and - as you can imagine - I was an instant convert!

I was wondering whether anyone knew of a source for hearing this performance again? I've tried the LSO archivist, to no avail. No sign on YouTube or other, similar platforms...

Hello Phil, This was a bit of an old thread and many contributors have since departed. I owe an email to the person who first mentioned it here, so I can write and ask if he has any ideas. A commercial cassette from 1985 may be a bit needle-in-haystackish, but worth mentioning here to see if anyone else has any ideas.

[Composer-Phil]

Hello Phil, This was a bit of an old thread and many contributors have since departed. I owe an email to the person who first mentioned it here, so I can write and ask if he has any ideas. A commercial cassette from 1985 may be a bit needle-in-haystackish, but worth mentioning here to see if anyone else has any ideas.

Hello, that would be very kind. I agree that it's unlikely, but I'm forever hopeful!

Thanks for your help,

Phil

[french frank]

Hello, that would be very kind. I agree that it's unlikely, but I'm forever hopeful!

Thanks for your help,

Phil

Sorry this is a dead end but ferneyhoughgeliebte writes:

"That Mahler #8 is the most memorable concert that I never attended! I had hoped to go, having been to other concerts in that series (which had a single programme for all the events, which is how I could supply chapter & verse on dates, etc) but [ … ] I spent the day at the seaside - I reasoned that there'd be plenty of other Mahler #8s, preferably led by conductors with greater empathy with Mahler's music than Colin Davis. (Things didn't exactly pan out as I'd hoped, and I'm still to hear the work in the flesh & blood.) We arrived back in London just as the Second Movement started: it was broadcast (probably the source of Composer Phil's teacher's recording) but the reception on my car radio was appalling, so we gave up trying to listen. I wasn't able to make a recording, alas."

[french frank]

And ferney supplies this link to the BBC broadcast with all the details. There seems to be no evidence of a commercial recording, so - we search for someone with an off-air recording from 1985.

[Petrushka]

And ferney supplies this link to the BBC broadcast with all the details. There seems to be no evidence of a commercial recording, so - we search for someone with an off-air recording from 1985.

I didn't have my first video recorder until later on in 1985 so it proved impossible for me to record the broadcast to cassette while seated in the hall! There's always a good chance that someone will have a recording of it stashed away somewhere. The BBC will certainly have it but despite a promise to make its recorded archive publicly available there seems little evidence of any movement in this direction.

[french frank]

The BBC will certainly have it but despite a promise to make its recorded archive publicly available there seems little evidence of any movement in this direction.

Yes, last I remember Roly Keating was appointed in 2008 to speed up the process of getting the archive publicly available. He left in 2012. Huggers who he was supposed to be 'working with' to develop a strategy left in 2011.

There may have been later news but I haven't heard anything about public availability, or the possibility of getting a recording.

Apparently it exists but: "The BBC Archive is not directly accessible by the public."

[Petrushka]

Yes, last I remember Roly Keating was appointed in 2008 to speed up the process of getting the archive publicly available. He left in 2012. Huggers who he was supposed to be 'working with' to develop a strategy left in 2011.

There may have been later news but I haven't heard anything about public availability, or the possibility of getting a recording.

Apparently it exists but: "The BBC Archive is not directly accessible by the public."

I seem to remember something about it more recently than that, perhaps a couple or three years ago, which was reported on the Forum at the time but can't find anything. There was some commitment to public availability of the BBC archive because it is 'owned by the public', I think the phrase was.