Canada’s Textura magazine reviews the Thierry Fischer, Utah Symphony, and Mormon Tabernacle Choir recording of Mahler: Symphony No. 8:
“How valuable is this recording? Great indeed, considering how modest in number are those available of the eighth and relatedly how rarely it’s performed. In both cases, the reasons have nothing to do with the work’s artistic merit, which is substantial; it’s simply that performances, whether it be for a live presentation or for a recording, are immense productions and thus costly in the extreme. Put simply, when the opportunity arises to witness the eighth performed live, do whatever it takes to attend, given the rarity of the occasion. … Under Fischer’s direction, the Utah Symphony gives a performance that brings certain aspects of the work into sharp relief. As I listen, for example, to the second part’s “Ewiger Wonnebrand” (Eternal burning brand) section, the distance between the eighth and Schoenberg’s Gurrelieder begins to seem small indeed, and the strings during the choir’s “Dir, der Unberührbaren” (To you, the immaculate) episode not only look back to the fifth’s “Adagietto,” they also anticipate the majestic slow movements in the ninth; don’t be surprised either if certain melodic figures remind you of Mahler’s fourth. While no recording can equal the impact of the Symphony No. 8 performed live, the Utah Symphony certainly captures the intense visceral power and thrilling majesty of Mahler’s creation, so much so that this authoritative interpretation feels like the next best thing to hearing it in person.”