Symphony No 8

"Zinman's Mahler never peaks too soon, never shows all its emotional cards too early, that that confidence to keep something in reserve as long as possible pays dividends in the second part...Both solo and choral singing are consistently good...but it's the measured, musical nous of Zinman's conducting that really deserves the spotlight." The Guardian, 22nd April 2010 ****

"the intensity and beauty of the string sound in the long orchestral introduction to Part II is vintage Mahler in Zinman's loving, but never self-indulgent, hands... it's clear he remains one of the world's most inquiring senior maestros, looking for fresh perspectives. In his Mahler cycle, he has certainly found those." Sunday Times, 25th April 2010

Having completed several cycles, among them the complete Beethoven symphonies (with over 1 million copies sold internationally), the orchestral works of Richard Strauss and Schumann, in 2007 David Zinman embarked on this recording of Mahler's complete symphonies with Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich. This is the eighth release, with each issue being released in numerical order, and the cycle will be completed later in 2010. The initial release is in SACD format, once stocks run out this will be replaced by the standard CD version (catalogue number 88697672942) The New York born David Zinman has recorded these works twice before, and feels that the time he has spent with them has allowed his understanding of them to broaden: "Mahler has been with me for over 40 years. I have much more insight into his work now than I used to have. You should not only follow your ego in interpreting him. It's about discovering what exactly is written in the score. We all grow in our knowledge, as a human being, and I am sure I will still discover new things until my death."