Past Purchases (CLOSED)

[eyeresist]

Gentlemen (Sarge, Renfield, PerfectWagnerite) thank you for this enlightening anti-Solti Mahler symphonies cycle debate!  However I should inform you that it's a done deal on this end.  The Bertini set has been ordered from amazon.co.uk marketplace last night!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooooooo...........!!!!!!


Bertini was my first set, and it certainly sounds great, but I think the Tennstedt would have been a better introduction.

[Papy Oli]

  So which cycle are you looking to buy papy  ? 

  marvin   

Chailly is the next in queue, Marvin...  although i still need to get more familiar with some sections of my current cycles 0:)

Good start point with the Bertini btw...but beware, it won't stop there 

[marvinbrown]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooooooo...........!!!!!!


Bertini was my first set, and it certainly sounds great, but I think the Tennstedt would have been a better introduction.

  I think I am beyond introduction here eyeresist.  I am quite familiar with Mahler's symhonies I have the Solti CSO cycle.  My intention was to get a 2nd cycle that was quite different from Solti's interpretation.

  marvin

[PerfectWagnerite]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooooooo...........!!!!!!


Bertini was my first set, and it certainly sounds great, but I think the Tennstedt would have been a better introduction.

You mean other than the fact that other than the first symphony the entire Tennstedt cycle is recorded in some of the most constricted sonics you will ever hear? The sound picture is much more consistent, relaxed, and warmer in the Bertini set. Tennstedt might have milked the scores a bit more than Bertini but I can't get excited over the playing of the London Philharmonic, which is serviceable but certainly makes a rough go of some of the finer moments like large sections of the 7th and 9th symphonies.

[Renfield]

A fine choice in a reasonably priced set that is consistently well-played, even if none of the individual performances are barn-burners.  You could do much worse, and for openers I think I might recommend only the Kubelik more highly as an introductory cycle.  Someone mentioned the Chailly set for $30--if you see it for that price, don't hesitate!

A very good point. Kubelik's was the penultimate Mahler cycle I bought, and contrary to the most recent one (Chailly's, more about it below), I've only dipped into it selectively, to see how he treats a few key moments, rather than go through entire works beyond the 1st*.

But Kubelik's integral Mahler still managed to give me a strong impression of a very "clear-lined" affair; and with a genuine Bohemian touch!

*Kubelik's first was the second recording of the piece I acquired, after Walter's.

Chailly is the next in queue, Marvin...  although i still need to get more familiar with some sections of my current cycles 0:)

I bought Chailly's cycle a couple of days ago, and it's had a strangely seductive effect on me. Most unusually for a new Mahler cycle, I almost immediately listened through the 5th, 4th and 9th symphonies in their entirety, and so far I gauge it as a very accomplished, (edit) very meticulous, very straightforward cycle. I'm not suggesting it's shallow (whatever that means): but it certainly is quite level, interpretatively.


That is to say, Chailly does not seem to exaggerate beyond whatever exaggeration playing the notes implies, for better or for worse.

And to be honest, in symphonies like the 4th, where almost everyone seems to have something to say, Chailly's "straightfowardness" is very refreshing; not to mention supported by fantastic orchestral playing from the RCO.

But in the 9th, the lack of nuance beyond tremendous attention to musical (versus expressive) details grated on me, I admit. Therefore, at least as far as I am concerned, Chailly's seems a cycle I will be returning to when looking for Mahler's music.

If that appeals to you, do go for it. It's certainly accomplished: and the 5th was exhilarating, for one! I'm now looking forward to the 6th and 7th.

(And will be updating my impressions if anything occurs to drastically alter my view, of course.)


Edit: I'm somewhat familiar with Chailly's 3rd and 8th as well, having owned them individually before I bought it: emphasis on "somewhat".

[rubio]

These came from mdt today:

 

[M forever]

But Kubelik's integral Mahler still managed to give me a strong impression of a very "clear-lined" affair; and with a genuine Bohemian touch!

What's a "genuine Bohemian touch"?

[eyeresist]

You mean other than the fact that other than the first symphony the entire Tennstedt cycle is recorded in some of the most constricted sonics you will ever hear? The sound picture is much more consistent, relaxed, and warmer in the Bertini set. Tennstedt might have milked the scores a bit more than Bertini but I can't get excited over the playing of the London Philharmonic, which is serviceable but certainly makes a rough go of some of the finer moments like large sections of the 7th and 9th symphonies.

Undoubtedly the Bertini has superior sonics, and tonally very warm in comparison with the Tennstedt set. Orchestrally, I think the LPO have received a bit of a rough deal from conventional wisdom, and find them more than adequate to the task. IMO, Bertini tends to sound like an old man in comparison, with Tennstedt (and orchestra) brisker and more alert to expressive opportunities - although paradoxically more "objective" in attitude, which would be my main proviso in recommending this set.

What's a "genuine Bohemian touch"?

Well, Kubelik was born in Bohemia, for whatever that's worth....

[Renfield]

What's a "genuine Bohemian touch"?

I was alluding to the fact that Mahler was himself Bohemian, and more importantly that his music incorporates (or can incorporate, in its interpretation) certain stylistic touches reminiscent of other Bohemians, like Dvořák.

And that Kubelík brings some of them out, subtly, as was his wont (and virtue), from what I've generally heard from him.


Of course, the stylistic comparison is mine and made "by ear". I do not have the scores, nor the musical education to compare them. However, I was still shocked at how close to "the Mahler sound" Dvořák's 8th was, when I first listened to it a few months ago.

Almost like Wagner and Bruckner.

[Lilas Pastia]

The friendly classical department manager at Archambault recommended this, so I thought 'why not?'. One of L'Oiseau Lyre label's new issues.

[Sergeant Rock]

I love Brilliant. This 4 CD box only cost 10 Euro:




Sarge

[Harry]

I love Brilliant. This 4 CD box only cost 10 Euro:




Sarge

And its good, very good!

[Que]

Just ordered at MDT (I always order their special offers only hours before closing time... )




Q

[Kwoon]

I'm here to brag again!  It's my 162nd Rach 3:

Rachmaninoff: piano concertos #1 & #3 (Barry Douglas/Russian State Sym Orch/Svetlanov, RCA Red Seal)

I've only listened to the Rach 3 so far and Douglas' performance is sooooooo boring.

[George]

I'm here to brag again!  It's my 162nd Rach 3:

Rachmaninoff: piano concertos #1 & #3 (Barry Douglas/Russian State Sym Orch/Svetlanov, RCA Red Seal)

I've only listened to the Rach 3 so far and Douglas' performance is sooooooo boring.

Kwoon, when will you start a thread of your favorite recordings? I did one on the old GMG, but now it's lost forever. 

[Lilas Pastia]

Camille SAINT-SAËNS (1835-1921)
Danse Macabre
Alexander BORODIN (1833-1887)
Polovtzi Dance
Mikhail IPPOLITOV-IVANOV (1859-1935)
In the Village
Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893)
Marche Slave
Symphony No. 6 Pathetique – Andante Theme from the First Movement
Antonín DVOŘÁK (1841-1904)
Symphony No. 9 in E minor From the New World
Philadelphia Orchestra/Leopold Stokowski
Recorded 1925
BIDDULPH BID 8307

[DavidRoss]

I'm here to brag again!  It's my 162nd Rach 3:

Rachmaninoff: piano concertos #1 & #3 (Barry Douglas/Russian State Sym Orch/Svetlanov, RCA Red Seal)

I've only listened to the Rach 3 so far and Douglas' performance is sooooooo boring.

Keep trying, Kwoon--eventually you're bound to find one you like.

[Renfield]

I assaulted my favourite record store yesterday, yielding the following spoils:

[Wanderer]

I assaulted my favourite record store yesterday, yielding the following spoils:

I visited Metropolis yesterday and was amused by their ridiculous price rises on new DG discs. Who are they kidding? They managed to stifle my desire for the few impulse buys I otherwise might have made. However, even though I didn't have much time to look around as I usually do for bargains, out-of-print goodies and curiosities, I left with this:
.
Duchable is not going for any poetic approach but emphasizes the transcendental, quicksilver elements in the music, which I found mesmerizing and refreshing.

[Renfield]

I visited Metropolis yesterday and was amused by their ridiculous price rises on new DG discs. Who are they kidding?

Oh yes. I almost put the Horowitz recital back where I found it because of that, and actually spent a few minutes debating whether I should or not.

In the end, I gave in! But I agree, who are they kidding?