I enjoy reading your detailed, subjective responses to Mahler. It's great witnessing someone discovering Mahler for the first time. This post, on the Third, was superb, Greta, and expresses closely what I feel about the music.
Thanks for the compliment, Sarge. Deeply appreciated. I'm trying to improve on writing about music, so this means a lot! I usually just write as the music is playing, so it's pretty much stream-of-consciousness rambling. I find I have to hear a work by Mahler at least 5 times to really be able to speak coherently about it!
About the M5 Adagietto:
...So you might not appreciate Lenny here. His reading takes 11:13. Me, I can listen to it played at any tempo but my desert island Adagietto is Herman Scherchen's at 13:07. I prefer it played, not as a simple interlude, quickly done away with, but as a major Mahlerian statement of world-weariness and loss.
Well, I looked at the timings on the 5ths I have so far, and listened to several Adagiettos - and guess what, I do too. Eschenbach comes in at a surprising 12:19. He didn't seem quite as slow as Karajan, but he has almost half a minute on him. Eschenbach does it so beautifully and earnestly, the sense of time is somehow suspended.
Here's a line-up of timings of what I have plus the info from Sarge:
13:07 Scherchen/?
12:19 Eschenbach/Houston
11:53 Karajan/Berlin
11:13 Bernstein/?
11:06 Levi/Atlanta
10:37 Haitink/RCO
10:06 Bertini/Cologne
9:51 Solti/CSO
9:32 Rattle/CBSO
I hadn't gotten through Rattle's M5 yet, but I had to put it on and see how he managed to get out in almost 9 1/2 min. It's lovely actually, played with a lot of earnest feeling, but it's more dramatic and romantic, a bit like a Hollywood film score, it doesn't "hover" at all. He does make his case, milking the recap for all its worth. Though the CBSO doesn't sound as good here as on some of their other recordings.
On the faster side, Bertini works the best for me, I haven't even heard the rest of his M5 yet, but he sees to all the details and it's also incredibly sincere. I like the way he points up the lyrical melodic line.
Though it's in any form a transcendant piece, Haitink worked less well for me, being so cool and pristine. Also Solti had to win me over, as the most romantic, but his forces play like soloists and he's searching and passionate.
I still do prefer mine slow, and would love to hear the Scherchen. Eschenbach and Karajan are about tied for my favs, not just for the Adagietto but favorite M5 all around. Their Adagiettos are really quite similar in interpretation, with Eschenbach less on the loud dynamic and a bit more gossamer.
Since I raved about his M5, here's the links -
http://rapidshare.com/files/27930208/Mahler_Sym_5_Houston_SO_Eschenbach.zip.001http://rapidshare.com/files/27935524/Mahler_Sym_5_Houston_SO_Eschenbach.zip.002http://rapidshare.com/files/27937035/Mahler_Sym_5_Houston_SO_Eschenbach.zip.003Timings:
Trauermarsch 13:32
Sturmisch 26:38
Scherzo 19:44
Adagietto 12:19
Finale 15:16
This isn't a radio broadcast but a private label live recording so the quality is excellent, well mixed with a large dynamic range. I had heard great things about this recording but thought it had disappeared into the netherworld, it's not available anymore.
It was recorded Dec. 7, 1992 from the Musikverein in Vienna when Eschenbach took Houston on a successful European tour. This is a wonderful document of their partnership, it's too bad he didn't record more Mahler while here. His (also live) Houston M1 on Koch made
this recommended recordings list.
He's indeed a very fine Mahlerian and this M5 shows that. His phrases are carefully crafted with so much attention to detail, he has a clear idea of where he's going and leaves room to get there.
The playing is very fine, sensitive and precise, I'd say possibly the best Houston ever sounded, the connection with their conductor evident. The sections are properly balanced and each very clear, an attribute that has suffered since he left. He could have stayed here these last ten years and never had the Philly interlude, and, that would have likely been better for everyone all around.
His
Sturmisch bewegt, really shines, ultra lyrical and romantic, but never maudlin, tossing and tumbling you with the crest of each musical wave. Propulsively builds to a blazing climax and then slowly brings it down.
The Scherzo is light and frisky with the fugal elements and echoes played up nicely. Only one minor criticism for this M5, and that's the fact that his intensity flags somewhat in the chamber music sections following the mandolin solos.
But at the heart is his Adagietto, a tender prayer enveloped in a soft haze, clearly he has a deep connection to Mahler's music. For me, his Mahler tells a story. After seeing the "A Wayfarer's Journey" PBS special I wonder if Eschenbach might've been thinking here back to his difficult childhood (orphaned in WWII) and love for his foster mother, I think those experiences perhaps color his Mahler, for the better.
In any case, he has some powerful things to say, if he ever finds the right partner to dance with again. I would love to hear his Philly 6th, now that I'm trying to move on to that symphony, it's looking like a must-purchase now.
I did actually listen to the 6th all the way through again last night, the live Mackerras with the BBC Phil (which was included in a BBC Music magazine I believe). Like you'd expect from Mackerras, it's very good music-making, sparkling, vivacious, wonderfully weird and spiky where needed, the BBCPO is superb. Features an Andante-Scherzo (not my fav but his works, a particularly fine Scherzo) and 3
very impressive hammerblows - he takes 29:24 for the Finale, and places them at 12:24, 16:44, and 26:43 respectively. I really like where he puts the 3rd, you're waiting and expecting it right on the big major chord after the gong, but he waits until after the wandering violin melody and BAM, puts it on that big minor chord crash. Fantastic.
I'm really looking forward to getting into the 6th, I think it's going to be the hardest for me so far. The 6th and 7th are both wild!
Okay, /end on the Mahler gush for today. It's crazy, I think I'm at 80% Mahler and 20% everyone else this week for listening. Hopefully this is just a temporary phase.
But there's so much Mahler, I'm having a blast...
