Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde

[Harry Collier]

Klemperer

Haitink

That's enough.

[Steve]

Klemperer

Haitink

That's enough.

Not so fast! The Tennstedt is really a beautiful performance too. I already have Klemperer, and I don't find this to be an unessecary recording. I was only eager to press the next track button upon hearing the wonderful opening. The vocals are considerably better on this disc. I never found the tenor on the Klemperer disc to be as engaging as I'd like.

[BorisG]

I've just actually sampled the Tennstedt, and was rather taken with it. Much adieu, as you indicated, to the fine playing of the LSO, and the solid orchestration as usual from Davis. I purchased nearly immeditately. You mentioned Tennstedt lackluser reputation in the symphonies, which is something that I can lend cadence to, but this realy is a wonderful divergence. Just excellent all around performance. Voices of Norman and Vickers are, as you, say superlative. I'm not one, generally, for impulse buying, but this was really was a surprise. 

Tennstedt/LPO/Baltsa/Konig.

[Lilas Pastia]

Make room for the DG Sinopoli Dresden at the top. It's extraordinarily beautiful and expressive.

[Steve]

Make room for the DG Sinopoli Dresden at the top. It's extraordinarily beautiful and expressive.

Noted. 

[sperlsco]

There have been many good ones mentioned here already, and there are probably 20 performances of this symphony that are very worthwhile.  For my money, though, I don't think that you can beat Haitink/Baker/King/RCOA for a Female/Male pairing.  Others have already mentioned the great singing (and IMO, there is nothing faceless about King), but I'll give a big thumbs up to Haitink's conducting and the playing of the RCOA.  Haitink does much more than stay out of the way here.  He chooses perfect tempos throughout.  Compare the heart-pounding and gasping intensity of his middle section in "Von Der Schonheit" to Klemperer's droopy version.  Haitink's funeral march in "Der Abschied" is amazingly intense (Klemperer is superb here as well).  The tam-tam's are very audible and really add to the feeling.  The final "ewig's" are transcendent.  By the way, the sound is excellent. 

For me, the live Kubelick is in the same performance class.  Janet Baker might sing slightly better here, and I might even choose Kmentt (sp?) over King.  However, I like the sound and the orchestra better in the Haitink version.  A couple of others that I recommend without reservation are Giulini/BPO, Sanderling/Berlin SO, and Oue/Minnesota

The Bernstein/DFD/King is an easy choice in a male/male version.  The VPO is not always my preferred Mahler orchestra, but Lennie really draws a great performance from them.  This has to be one of the great funeral marches in Der Abschied.  I also really like the Rattle/Hampson/Seiffert version.  I must point out that I have a strong positive bias for Hampson, though.   BTW, I like male/male versions of this symphony as much as mixed ones, there just aren't many from which to choose. Oh yeah, the Kletzki/DFD/(can't remember the tenor) is very worthwhile in this category, but the Salonen/Domingo/Skovhus is probably not. 

Some words of warning on some others that have been mentioned.  The Tennstedt has terribly harsh sound for the male songs.  It does feature a superb Der Abschied though.  The Sinopoli is fantastic throughout until you reach the final 30 or so seconds.  Sinopoli inexplicably rushes through the final "ewigs", which destroys the entire transcendent feeling. Klemperer has droopy tempos in the middle songs, but everything else about it makes it a must own recording.  I was glad to see someone mention the Levine.  I have read complaints about its length and about Norman, but it works fine for me (even if not a first choice of mine).  As for the Boulez, I have never liked it.  I don't like the singing or the conducting, and the VPO sound more inspired for Lennie. 

There are many others that I would recommend with generally minor reservations:  Walter/Miller/Haefliger/NYPO, Bertini, Karajan & Bernstein/Sony (both with Ludwig/Kollo), Jochum, Reiner, Ormandy, and perhaps even Inbal, Bychkov, Solti/CSO and Barenboim. 

I haven't updated my list in a couple of years, but I don't think I've purchased any new ones in that time so I am hopefully not missing any in my collection.  This is probably the symphony for which I have the largest number of first and second tier favorite performances.  And, yes I go through tours of this symphony often enough that I revisit all of these recordings on occasion. 

Scott

[Steve]

There have been many good ones mentioned here already, and there are probably 20 performances of this symphony that are very worthwhile.  For my money, though, I don't think that you can beat Haitink/Baker/King/RCOA for a Female/Male pairing.  Others have already mentioned the great singing (and IMO, there is nothing faceless about King), but I'll give a big thumbs up to Haitink's conducting and the playing of the RCOA.  Haitink does much more than stay out of the way here.  He chooses perfect tempos throughout.  Compare the heart-pounding and gasping intensity of his middle section in "Von Der Schonheit" to Klemperer's droopy version.  Haitink's funeral march in "Der Abschied" is amazingly intense (Klemperer is superb here as well).  The tam-tam's are very audible and really add to the feeling.  The final "ewig's" are transcendent.  By the way, the sound is excellent. 

For me, the live Kubelick is in the same performance class.  Janet Baker might sing slightly better here, and I might even choose Kmentt (sp?) over King.  However, I like the sound and the orchestra better in the Haitink version.  A couple of others that I recommend without reservation are Giulini/BPO, Sanderling/Berlin SO, and Oue/Minnesota

The Bernstein/DFD/King is an easy choice in a male/male version.  The VPO is not always my preferred Mahler orchestra, but Lennie really draws a great performance from them.  This has to be one of the great funeral marches in Der Abschied.  I also really like the Rattle/Hampson/Seiffert version.  I must point out that I have a strong positive bias for Hampson, though.   BTW, I like male/male versions of this symphony as much as mixed ones, there just aren't many from which to choose. Oh yeah, the Kletzki/DFD/(can't remember the tenor) is very worthwhile in this category, but the Salonen/Domingo/Skovhus is probably not. 

Some words of warning on some others that have been mentioned.  The Tennstedt has terribly harsh sound for the male songs.  It does feature a superb Der Abschied though.  The Sinopoli is fantastic throughout until you reach the final 30 or so seconds.  Sinopoli inexplicable rushes through the final "ewigs", which destroys the entire transcendent feeling. Klemperer has droopy tempos in the middle songs, but everything else about it makes it a must own recording.  I was glad to see someone mention the Levine.  I have read complaints about its length and about Norman, but it works fine for me (even if not a first choice of mine).  As for the Boulez, I have never liked it.  I don't like the singing or the conducting, and the VPO sound more inspired for Lennie. 

There are many others that I would recommend with generally minor reservations:  Walter/Miller/Haefliger/NYPO, Bertini, Karajan & Bernstein/Sony (both with Ludwig/Kollo), Jochum, Reiner, Ormandy, and perhaps even Inbal, Bychkov, Solti/CSO and Barenboim. 

I haven't updated my list in a  ???couple of years, but I don't think I've purchased any new ones in that time so I am hopefully not missing any in my collection.  This is probably the symphony for which I have the largest number of first and second tier favorite performances.  And, yes I go through tours of this symphony often enough that I revisit all of these recordings on occasion. 

Scott

Thoughful commentary, Scott. I was quite taken with the Tennstedt. I could not detect anything 'harsh' about the voices. Perhaps I should have listened more intently? 

[Harry Collier]

A quick, heretical recommendation for the "chamber" Das Lied conducted by Herreweghe with Blochwitz and Emmert (Harmonia Mundi). Arranged, I think by Schönberg. Surprisingly effective; when you think of it, Mahler rarely revels in the full orchestra in this piece. Somehow, the chamber version is infinitely touching. Well worth hearing (alongside Klemperer et al).

[karlhenning]

A quick, heretical recommendation for the "chamber" Das Lied conducted by Herreweghe with Blochwitz and Emmert (Harmonia Mundi). Arranged, I think by Schönberg.

For some reason I am thinking Webern as the arranger, instead;  but I do not know for certain.

[Don]

For some reason I am thinking Webern as the arranger, instead;  but I do not know for certain.

Schoenberg was the originator of the chamber version, but he never did complete it.  Reiner Riehn, whoever he might be, did complete it in 1983.

[karlhenning]

Thanks, Don!

[Don]

Thanks, Don!

No problem.  All I had to do was find my copy of the Herreweghe chamber version and read the liner notes.

[karlhenning]

Webern conducted Mahler, of course;  I just misconnected them in the case of this arrangement . . . .

[knight66]

Thanks Scott for an interesting overview. I know a number of people get a lot more out of Haitink than I do, I just find him too middle of the road generally and rarely connect with his music making.

The missing tenor with Kletzki is Murray Dickie, he was usually a reliable second stringer and he seems an odd choice for Das Lied, though he does OK, not memorable though.

Mike

[david johnson]

the ones i enjoy -
klemperer
walter/nypo
van beinem/concertgebouw

i did not like bernstein on london

dj

[sperlsco]

Thoughful commentary, Scott. I was quite taken with the Tennstedt. I could not detect anything 'harsh' about the voices. Perhaps I should have listened more intently? 

Just to clarify, it is the recorded SOUND that is harsh, not the voice itself.  IIRC, the female sessions were recorded a year or so earlier than the male sessions.  The female sessions were a late analog recording, whereas the male ones were very early digital.  I have the latest remastering from a few years ago (paired with a nice M5) and it did not improve upon the sound IMO. 


Scott

[BorisG]

Just to clarify, it is the recorded SOUND that is harsh, not the voice itself.  IIRC, the female sessions were recorded a year or so earlier than the male sessions.  The female sessions were a late analog recording, whereas the male ones were very early digital.  I have the latest remastering from a few years ago (paired with a nice M5) and it did not improve upon the sound IMO. 


Scott

I have the 1992 CD, the first issue. Soundwise, the harshest moments for me occur in the first minute of the first movement, in the way of recorded sound and tenor strain. After that, I hear everything settling down quite nicely. I have listened to this CD through two systems loudspeakers, no headphones.

Baltsa was at the December 1982 recording session and Konig at the August 1984. Your analog and digital division is the first I have heard of this. Do you have a reference for this? Everything I have read about this recording says it is only digital.

For the EMI Forte reissue, Arkiv Music notes the M5 as analog and the DLVDE as digital. They use Carr's review from Classics Today. He heard improvement. I have not heard that reissue.

[mjwal]

I'll go with the van Beinum already mentioned - it has the IMO unsurpassed Nan Merriman & Ernst Haefliger (I heard them live under Maazel in the Festival Hall in the early 60s) plus the Concertgebouw, but then so does the Jochum recording (DG), so far unmentioned I think, which is also in stereo. No other interpretations I know combine depth & delicacy like this. It competes with Baker/Kmentt/Kubelik for the most satisfying Lied in my experience. The orchestrally most passionate recording I've heard has to be the first (Vox) Klemperer (the surge up to & climax on " - lebenstrunkne Welt" is unbelievable) - but his alto is weird & the orchestra is miles in the background. My favourite historical recording is Schuricht's, made at a historically significant time & forever marked by a female heckler who yells "Deutschland über alles, Herr Schuricht" during the Abschied. He has the same magnificent alto in Thorborg as Walter 1938 and possible the best tenor interpreter ever, Öhmann. I love Patzak but he is a little overparted in this work - not unusually in concert, of course: I remember Jerusalem, later to sing Siegfried, being drowned out by Gielen's orchestra. Öhmann really delivers the goods.

[Drasko]

The orchestrally most passionate recording I've heard has to be the first (Vox) Klemperer (the surge up to & climax on " - lebenstrunkne Welt" is unbelievable) - but his alto is weird & the orchestra is miles in the background.

Agreed on both counts but his tenor is simply fabulous.

I love Patzak but he is a little overparted in this work

Ha, I thought I was the only one liking Patzak (and the poor guy never even gets the billing on the CD cover)

[sidoze]

[van beinum] competes with Baker/Kmentt/Kubelik for the most satisfying Lied in my experience.

must be a great performance then. is it on cd? i haven't heard much by him but I remember a wicked recording of Brahms' 4