The Symphony No. 8 in E-flat major by Gustav Mahler is one of the largest-scale choral works in the classical concert repertoire. Because it requires huge instrumental and vocal forces it is frequently called the "Symphony of a Thousand", although the work is normally presented with far fewer than a thousand performers and the composer did not sanction that name. The work was composed in a single inspired burst, at Maiernigg in southern Austria in the summer of 1906. The last of Mahler's works that was premiered in his lifetime, the symphony was a critical and popular success when he conducted the Munich Philharmonic in its first performance, in Munich, on 12 September 1910.
Librettist | Anonymous; Johann Wolfgang von Goethe |
Date of composition | 1907 (1906-1907) in Maiernigg, Austria |
Premiered | 1910, September 12th in Munich, Germany by Gustav Mahler |
Type | Symphony |
Tonality | E-flat Major |
Approx. duration | 70 minutes |
Instruments |
Orchestra
Children's chorus Voice (Soprano) - Magna Peccatrix (a sinful woman) Voice (Soprano) - Una poenitentium (a penitent formerly known as Gretchen) Voice (Soprano) - Mater Gloriosa (the Virgin Mary) Voice (Alto) - Mulier Samaritana (a Samaritan woman) Voice (Alto) - Maria Aegyptiaca (Mary of Egypt) Voice (Tenor) - Doctor Marianus Voice (Baritone) - Pater Ecstaticus Voice (Bass) - Pater Profundus 2x Chorus/Choir |
In listings |
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Famous Works
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Autotranslations beta |
Gustav Mahler: Symphonie n°8 en mi bémol majeur "Symphony of a Thousand" Gustav Mahler: Sinfonia n. 8 in mi bemolle maggiore "Symphony of a Thousand" Gustav Mahler: Sinfonie Nr. 8 Es-dur "Symphony of a Thousand" |