Symphony No. 8: Symphony of a Thousand - Paperback

by Gustav Mahler (Author)

Widely regarded as the crowning achievement of his career, Mahler's Symphony No. 8 received overwhelming recognition at its first performance, conducted by the composer in Munich on September 12, 1910.
A massive, complex work that integrates on a truly grand scale the musical ideas, forms, and media that dominated Mahler's creative life, the symphony -- in two great sections -- is scored for orchestra, eight solo voices, double chorus, boys' choir, and organ, with the words for the first section taken from the medieval Latin hymn Veni, Creator Spiritus. The text of the second part is from the final scene of Goethe's Faust.
Students, performers, and all lovers of Mahler's monumental orchestral works will welcome the addition of this fine, conveniently sized edition to their library of great scores.

Author Biography

Austrian composer and conductor Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) wrote chiefly symphonies and Lieder. Late Romantic in style, his tempestuous works reflect the anxious mood of Europe at the turn of the 20th century. Because of his Jewish roots, the composer's music was suppressed by the Nazis but has enjoyed a steady revival over the past five decades.