Thousands Of Them

For the latest edition, BBC Music magazine pushed the boat out with an epic production for the free cover disc, Mahler's Symphony No 8 "Symphony of a Thousand". I have already posted way back when about the commercial recording I have of this work so will not go into detail about it here, except to say it is a predominantly choral symphony with vast forces, though the full scale blast effect is used sparingly. This recording was made live at last year's Edinburgh Festival and is performed by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra conducted by Donald Runnicles. They are bolstered by the Edinburgh Festival Chorus and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra Junior Chorus and a battery of soloists; sopranos Erin Wall, Hillevi Martinpelto and Nicole Cabell, mezzo-sopranos Katarina Karneus and Catherine Wyn-Rogers, tenor Simon O'Neill, baritone Anthony Michaels-Moore and bass John Relyea. Some message board posters have gone as far as to say it is the best available recording of this work, even allowing for the difficulties of getting the sound balance right for such large forces which occasionally prove too much. I would certainly agree that it is a very fine performance and would be happy to have it as my only copy if I did not already own another.