This is a considerable recording of the Eighth and it’s a splendid addition to the Stenz cycle. Indeed, I believe it’s one of the best issues in the series to date…Markus Stenz, in offering us a clear-sighted approach to this mammoth score manages to keep his sense of proportion and objectivity without sacrificing excitement. He really has the measure of this music and he puts it across very well indeed. His soloists…deliver their demanding parts expertly and with ringing conviction. The choirs do very well indeed and the orchestral playing is perhaps the best I’ve heard from the Gürzenich-Orchester…

Stenz…paces the music superbly, elicits superb playing and singing from his forces, and lets Mahler do all the heavy lifting. Done the wrong way, an interpretation like this can veer into the bland, safe, and predictable. But Stenz walks the other side of the line to give us a solid all-around Mahler 8 that will wear well over time.

…as an all-around, go-to performance of the Eighth that will wear well, Stenz is an excellent choice. © 2013 American Record Guide Read complete review on American Record Guide

This is mostly a bright triumphant symphony…Stenz shapes the orchestral playing and choral singing brilliantly, showing he is alert to just about every subtlety in the scoring. The Accende lumen sensibus in the first movement comes across with an ecstatic energy in its celestial sweep. The solo singers come across with both passion and commitment throughout; the various choruses sing with kinetic energy and vivid color; and the orchestra plays with such spirit and accuracy. On the whole, this performance makes other reasonably good efforts sound comparatively timid, almost flaccid.

Notable among the excellent soloists here is Barbara Haveman, who sings with beauty, intelligence, and even a sense of adventure…

Mahler’s Eighth Symphony exists on the fringes of the mainstream repertoire. Markus Stenz is a very fine Mahler conductor, and his Eighth reaffirms his reputation. The first part strides forth speedily and with intensity, sweeping all before it into an affirmative call…The second part opens with particularly effective orchestral scene-painting…Stenz focuses on the instrumental elements of this second part, very clearly delineating sections that bring back themes from the first portion of the work. His soloists are all fine…Brandon Jovanovich is an emotionally strong Doctor Marianus…Stenz manages to keep all six choir ensembles together and quite precise in their entrances and the juxtapositions of their sections—no small achievement. And by the time of the last 10 minutes of the work, with their climb into ethereality and affirmation of the Eternal Feminine, Stenz has produced a sense of anticipation that is brilliantly fulfilled in the wonderful final Chorus Mysticus and concluding instrumental chords. This is a performance that reaches for the stars and attains them. © 2013 Infodad.com Read complete review