Mahler Mania, Rebooted

[Leo K.]

Tony Duggan 1954-2012

In Memoriam

Sadly, Tony Duggan has passed on. His reviews were what I turned to when I first started to collect Mahler recordings.

Rest in peace.

[mc ukrneal]

Tony Duggan 1954-2012

In Memoriam

Sadly, Tony Duggan has passed on. His reviews were what I turned to when I first started to collect Mahler recordings.

Rest in peace.

I was just at the musicweb site too. So sad. He was so young.

[DavidW]

That is sad to hear, his Mahler survey really helped me out.

[eyeresist]

.[ASIN]B000009KFB[/ASIN]

I wonder how many people have the above, Hampson recording of Berio's orchestration of the Lieder und Gesange? I got it because I want to hear orchestral versions of the early songs, and I liked the recording of 'Ablosung im Sommer' by Keenlyside and Rattle. Sadly, while that arrangement sounds idiomatic, being based on Mahler's use of the song in the 3rd mvt of the 3rd symphony, the other arrangements don't sound right to me. They sound more like Strauss (Johann II or Richard), generic late romantic stuff, and I especially dislike the overstuffed tuttis (especially the start of 'Scheiden und Meiden').

The samples of the six arrangements by Harold Byrns sound much better .... Shame he didn't do more.



EDIT: The Wayfarer songs and other early songs done with piano on the Hampson disc are great. I think Lutz is much more comfortable in the accompaniment than is Parsons on the Janet Baker disc (the only other complete collection of the early songs to my knowledge). 

I also want to mention I'm getting much pleasure from the disc of Siegfried Lorenz singing the three song cycles that are not the Wunderhorn cycle (surely there is an easier way to refer to them?). Overall, I think "lovely" would be the right word here. (Oddly, the weakest performances are in the four appended Wunderhorn songs, all of a military nature, which I don't think suits Lorenz's voice.)
Very much recommended.

[Scion7]

Hey, that's a shame about Tony!   I was just going thru his Mahler articles in-depth a few months ago.

" British writer and Mahler specialist Tony Duggan has died. He suffered a massive stroke Wednesday night and passed away Thursday without ever regaining consciousness. He was 58. "

[eyeresist]

I've been listening to the songs a LOT - these two discs, to be specific:

[ASIN]B00432QNQ6[/ASIN] [ASIN]B00000JIRT[/ASIN]

I think I prefer baritones for these works*, and these recordings are of high quality and very satisfying.  I'm particularly happy to discover the Siegfried Lorenz CD, which I bought, despite its complete obscurity, after carefully comparing MP3 samples on Amazon. Check it out.



(*But I still prefer a "mixed" DLvdE.)

[bhodges]

Just found out the February LA Phil LIVE broadcast of the Mahler Eighth (from Caracas, Venezuela), with Gustavo Dudamel leading over 1,400 performers, will be shown in the UK in April. I saw the concert and thought it well worth seeing - if nothing else, for the sheer number of people onstage. Soloists vary from OK to good - didn't think any of them were stellar, but it didn't matter.

Screenings at the following cinemas and dates:

Apollo Picadilly Circus, April 16, 2012, at 6:30 pm
Vue Westfield, London, April 16, 2012, at 7:30 pm
Showcase CDL Bristol, April 19, 2012, at 7:30 pm
Showcase CDL Derby, April 19, 2012, at 7:30 pm
Showcase CDL Leicester, April 19, 2012, at 7:30 pm
Bluewater, April 19, 2012, at 7:30 pm
Reading, April 19, 2012, at 7:30 pm

Tickets and more info here.

--Bruce

[Lisztianwagner]

I bought the Chailly box set some weeks ago, it's my third Mahler Symphonies Cycle; I've listened to almost the whole set, except symphonies No.9 and 10. I was rather impressed till now, this box set is certainly gorgeous, thrilling and wonderfully played, absolutely brilliant. So far, my favourite recordings of this cycle are symphonies No.1, No.5 and No.7; instead I was quite disappointed by the 6th, which was enjoyable but with a too slow rythm, not as powerful and haunting as I expected for Mahler's work; I think both the Bernstein and the Solti are much better. Similar speech for the 8th, slow rythm at the beginning which made the piece lack some strenght and expressive power, although the rest of the symphony was intense and passionate enough.

[not edward]

Agreed on the 5th and 7th in Chailly. I probably prefer Leipzig/Neumann in the 5th and Staatskapelle Berlin/Barenboim in the 7th, but it's only by a hair at most.

Meanwhile, I finally heard the semi-legendary Bruno Maderna recording of the 9th. Been a long, long time since any recording of anything has completely floored me like this. Wow.

[kishnevi]

Agreed on the 5th and 7th in Chailly. I probably prefer Leipzig/Neumann in the 5th and Staatskapelle Berlin/Barenboim in the 7th, but it's only by a hair at most.

Meanwhile, I finally heard the semi-legendary Bruno Maderna recording of the 9th. Been a long, long time since any recording of anything has completely floored me like this. Wow.

I'm always a sucker for another 9th, so how could I not get this one after reading your comment?  Ordering it in another tab of my browser as I  post this....

[Leo K.]

I'm always a sucker for another 9th, so how could I not get this one after reading your comment?  Ordering it in another tab of my browser as I  post this....

I assume this is the BBC Legends disk? Oh yes, I agree, a magnificant interpretation!

[kishnevi]

I assume this is the BBC Legends disk? Oh yes, I agree, a magnificant interpretation!

Yes, it is (I posted it in the Purchases Today thread).  And I found a copy of Scherchen's First with the Royal Philharmonic coupled with his 10th-Adagio with the Vienna State Opera Orch.  in the used CD bin for $4.99.  Played it this afternoon.  Both sounded fabulous, although they're in mono, of course.  (The CD I have was issued by DG under the rubric of Westminster: The Legacy--or at least the copyright holder is named as DG.  Apparently there are other issues floating around with other couplings for each of these performances, so that's why I'm being specific.)

[Brian]

This disc recently came to me from my grandfather's collection. But I've never heard Mahler's Fourth Symphony (!) and am wondering if it's a good place to begin.

[asin]B00000E3HM[/asin]

[Lisztianwagner]

This disc recently came to me from my grandfather's collection. But I've never heard Mahler's Fourth Symphony (!) and am wondering if it's a good place to begin.

[asin]B00000E3HM[/asin]

Every Mahler's symphony is a good place to begin, and if Karajan is the conductor you can't get wrong!

[eyeresist]

Without having actually heard this recording, I would say your experience will depend on how you feel about Karajan.


I watched my recently bought DVD of Bernstein conducting the Lieder. Despite my misgivings about Bernstein, it was overall excellent, and I think I will have to get the Bernstein/Hampson CD.
As one who rarely reads the lyrics while listening to vocal music, it was interesting to watch with the subtitles on: I have increased respect for Mahler's Gesellen lyrics, particularly the first two songs (plus of course I've gained more knowledge of the Wunderhorn tradition, which obviously influenced him).
The Ruckert songs compare well with the Lorenz/Suitner recording, and I prefer Bernstein here because he leans into the ending of Leibst du um Schonheit much more, whereas Suitner is comparatively abrupt. I do, however, prefer these songs done in numerical order, because I think it makes the most dramatic sense.
I was slightly disappointed by the Kindertotenlieder though, which seemed somehow superficial, and a bit rushed. I'm not sure if this video performance is the same as the one on CD, which I recall as being pulled about a bit much.
The Wunderhorn was a mixed bag. The Israel PO doesn't have as good a sound as the Wiener Phil. I'm not a fan of "mixed" Wunderhorns, and think it's rather simple minded to insist that the songs with "he" and "she" parts be duets. In this performance, the unnecessaryness of this arrangement is magnified by the fact that Lucia Popp sings solo several songs which are from the male viewpoint. Groenroos starts pretty badly but improves as the set proceeds, as indeed does the performance as a whole. He is especially enjoyable in the more comic numbers. Unfortunately he labours beneath a truly awful haircut.

[ASIN]B000QCQ71I[/ASIN]

[Karl Henning]

Mel Gibson: Mahler gives you wings . . . .

[eyeresist]

What?

[Karl Henning]

In Conspiracy Theory, his character (Jerry, I think the name is) has a line, "Love gives you wings."

And Lenny looks like he's tryin' to fly, there.

[eyeresist]

In Conspiracy Theory, his character (Jerry, I think the name is) has a line, "Love gives you wings."

And Lenny looks like he's tryin' to fly, there.

Yes, he looks like he should be miniaturised and stuck on the front of a Rolls Royce!

"Love gives you wings" only reminded me of the animated ad for "smart drink" Red Bull. Slogan: "Red Bull gives you wings". I think this might be Australia only.

[Karl Henning]

Oh, mebbe here, too; it's just one of those commercial artifacts I filter out, visually.