Vote for your Favourite Mahler Cycle!

[Jay F]

I voted for Bernstein on CBS, Tennstedt, and Abbado.

Mahler has been my favorite composer since I first heard his 6th Symphony in 1988 (Bernstein CBS, w/M8). I think it's the most wonderful piece of music that's ever existed, and I feel almost the same way about the M2, M3, and M7. And I don't not like any of them, though I don't play Das Lied very often (Bertini's is the only version I really like).

I have both Bernstein cycles, plus those by Tennstedt, Abbado, Inbal, Chailly; a mix of Solti on CD and LP, everything possible by Karajan, Levine, Barenboim, and Judd. I have some by MTT, Klemperer, Cortese, Mitropoulos, Sinopoli, Maazel, Haitink, Giulini, Mehta, Mengelberg. I have had everything by Rattle, Walter, Boulez, but I gave most of them away to friends who would otherwise have been Mahlerless (does this make me a good friend or a bad?). I sold all of Gergiev that I bought.

At one time, I thought all I really needed was the Bernstein CBS set of CDs with the blue spines. Then they came out in a remastered version, which wasn't much of an improvement, sonically. Then that was replaced by the latest box set, which was remastered in (to?) DSD in preparation for eventual SACD release, which only happened in Japan. I like the sonic improvement, and now think this is the best first set to buy, but I have come to appreciate Tennstedt and Abbado in my Mahler-loving dotage.

I always thought Abbado's first M3 and M7 were the only ones as good as Bernstein's (whose DG M7 is as good as the Sony), and I still like these performances. Now I like to listen to all the rest. I think I shall have to check out Abbado's Lucerne DVDs.

I like Solti better on LP than on CD, and for the life of me, I have never found a CD copy of his M8 that I wanted to listen to. (Of course, listening to any M8 besides Bernstein's on CBS reminds me that I could be listening to Bernstein's CBS M8, so I usually just switch to it.)

[DavidRoss]

Noted. Now I just have to overcome my extreme aversion to Abbado, and listen...

Still holding a grudge for the shabby way he treated Mullova, eh?

[Mirror Image]

Still holding a grudge for the shabby way he treated Mullova, eh?

I'm not familiar with this story. What happened between Mullova and Abbado?

[ibanezmonster]

I would have liked to have had a Third from Karajan (his Sixth is among my favorites, his Ninth my absolute favorite).

Sarge

Me, too. I could easily imagine him having one of the best 3rds available.

[eyeresist]

Cycle I voted for: Tennstedt

Other cycles I own: Bernstein Sony, Bertini, Rattle

Individual CDs I have, feeling no need to purchase further: Bernstein DG 1&5, Solti 8, Kubelik 1, Abbado 9, Gergiev 6

Cycle I NEED to hear: Svetlanov

[kishnevi]

Individual CDs I have, feeling no need to purchase further: Bernstein DG 1&5, Solti 8, Kubelik 1, Abbado 9, Gergiev 6

Do at least get the Abbado/BPO 7 and the Bernstein DG 2, both of which are for me the best recordings of those two symphonies I've heard.   And also the Zinman 9, for one of the best recordings of that work. 

Not of course that I've heard anything close to all the possibilities--but  in my ears those are as close to perfection as is probably possible for human hands to produce.

[eyeresist]

Sorry, I suspect I would HATE Bernstein's 2nd.

[kishnevi]

Sorry, I suspect I would HATE Bernstein's 2nd.

Fair enough, although I stand by my opinion that a neurotic Jewish conductor is probably a good choice to conduct symphonies written by a neurotic Jewish conductor

But do give the Abbado/BPO 7 a listen if you can--it's better than most others I have heard, including the Abbado/CSO.

And if you're not too keen on Lenny, you might like the Zinman 9, which replaces the "farewell--I'm so emo about Death" approach with a "hello--Death is a sublime entrance into Heaven" approach.  (I'm vastly simplifying there, of course.)

[eyeresist]

Thanks, Jeffrey.

[Renfield]

Yes, me too, Karajan is definitely my favourite conductor, he was able to extract beautiful sounds from every orchestra he played with; both his No.6 & No.9 are excellent, but his Fifth is great as well.

Ilaria

For what it's worth, I recall from the Osborne biography that he was considering doing the 8th. However, I don't miss Karajan's non-recorded Mahler. I think, as often, that he cherry-picked the most appropriate works (for his style) to tackle first.

It's a sad thing his 4th doesn't get more credit, though - despite being the first one he did, there's an elegiac kind of understatement about it that, I guess, can be called 'unfamiliarity with the idiom', but it's beautiful on the ear nonetheless.



Anyway, on-topic: of the above, I've not heard Rattle's 1st, 3rd, 6th and Vienna 9th, so I can't qualify as having heard the 'cycle'; ditto for Gergiev's 9th, Boulez' 1st and 7th, Haitink's cycle sans the 3rd, and Tilson Thomas' 1-5, 7, 8 and Das Lied.

I have also not heard any of the Zinman yet, after hearing him in the 4th live and resolving to buy the full cycle when it's finished (and not having had the cash to do it up to this point), nor Wit/Halasz, Segerstam, Inbal or that early Abravanel.


The rest I own, as well as Bernstein's middle cycle (on DVD), and a few 'incompletes' like Kondrashin, and the Audite Kubelik, plus a whole bunch of non-cycle releases, many of which - e.g. Karajan's 9th(s) - are my favourites for individual works.

However, you're asking about cycles. First choice is very easy: Gielen, hands down. Second place definitely goes to a Bernstein. After some thought, I'll pick the DG for the slight edge its 1st and 5th give it over the CBS, but it's a hard choice.

No. 3? Ugh. If I had heard all of Boulez' cycle and could include it, it would be a contender. Svetlanov is definitely a contender. Maazel is almost a contender - he spoiled things in the 2nd (for me - put the gun down, Sarge! ). Zinman would surely be a contender based on that live 4th, but this is hypothetical. Kubelik deserves to be a contender... However, despite his already significant popularity in the poll, I think I'll give third place to Chailly. Him and Bertini manage to pull off a whole cycle without a (significant) hitch, and Chailly's 'dark majesty' approach, married to exceptional orchestral playing, gives him the edge.

Ask me tomorrow, though, and I might say Svetlanov; or Kubelik, or even Sinopoli, despite him being just a little bit too dry.


First and second place are pretty secure, however: Gielen, and either CD Bernstein.


(Honourable mention goes to Tennstedt and Abbado, both of whom have produced sublime Mahler - see: Tennstedt's live Chicago 1st, LPO 2nd, 6th and 8th / much of Abbado's Lucerne 'nearly-cycle' - but whose cycles do not contend for my top 3.)


Edit: Bolded first mention of each cycle for ease of reference.

[Jay F]

(Honourable mention goes to Tennstedt and Abbado, both of whom have produced sublime Mahler - see: Tennstedt's live Chicago 1st, LPO 2nd, 6th and 8th / much of Abbado's Lucerne 'nearly-cycle' - but whose cycles do not contend for my top 3.)

Can you play DVDs on a regular stereo and CD player, i.e., without having to look at the picture?

[Renfield]

Can you play DVDs on a regular stereo and CD player, i.e., without having to look at the picture?

You can certainly not look at the picture while playing them the traditional way - maybe even turn off the TV/monitor!

[Clever Hans]

Can you play DVDs on a regular stereo and CD player, i.e., without having to look at the picture?

Not exactly, but it isn't hard to rip the audio for iTunes and the like, and then you can burn cd. There are tutorials on the internet. For example, on Mac, HandBrake + MPEG Streamclip. On Windows, there are many programs which can do this.

[Sergeant Rock]

Maazel is almost a contender - he spoiled things in the 2nd (for me - put the gun down, Sarge!

   ...don't worry. Even though it's one of my favorite M2s I understand why it's a hard sell.

First choice is very easy: Gielen, hands down.

Gielen would be a contender for me but "he spoiled things in the" Fourth (for me).

Sarge

[Renfield]

Gielen would be a contender for me but "he spoiled things in the" Fourth (for me).

Sarge

How so?

Truth be told, I do remember the 4th as being the least impressive one in the cycle; but not at the level of spoiling things.


Re: Maazel, I also found his 6th rather auto-pilot, but the 2nd just disagrees with me, uncommonly enough. Which is a pity, since his 4th is basically perfect, and the 5th, 7th and 9th are very impressive, in their own way.

[eyeresist]

For what it's worth, I recall from the Osborne biography that he was considering doing the 8th. However, I don't miss Karajan's non-recorded Mahler. I think, as often, that he cherry-picked the most appropriate works (for his style) to tackle first.

I was about to agree with this, when I remember how dearly I would love to hear Karajan in the Resurrection. If the stars had aligned, it could have been a world-beater!

[Renfield]

I was about to agree with this, when I remember how dearly I would love to hear Karajan in the Resurrection. If the stars had aligned, it could have been a world-beater!

Given the consensus on his Das Lied, I don't know if the Resurrection would be Karajan's thing...

Whereas the 'Wagnerly' 8th would've definitely been up his alley.

[Sergeant Rock]

How so?

I heard it years ago, and only once (and I'm in no mood to listen to it again today) so I don't recall everything that turned me off but I do know I hated his soprano, Whittlesey, and her movement was played way too fast (for me). Which is, I suppose, rather like saying, I hate the food at that restaurant, and then complaining that the portions are too small 

Sarge

[Jared]

Tennstedt 11 Solti 6??   

My goodness me... Solti's is unifirmly strong whereas Tennstedt's is very uneven... his 3 is good and 8 superb, but other than that... 

[Brahmsian]

Tennstedt 11 Solti 6??   

My goodness me... Solti's is unifirmly strong whereas Tennstedt's is very uneven... his 3 is good and 8 superb, but other than that... 

Tennstedt is pretty good, all the way around.  I've yet to hear a more compelling 6th than Tennstedt/LPO.