Mahler Mania, Rebooted

Started by Greta, May 01, 2007, 08:06:38 PM

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relm1

I have recently fallen in love with Mahler 4.  So beautiful.  At times it feels like a ballet.  I will confess it gets dwarfed somewhat by its siblings but what are your favorite recordings of this work?  It is a very fine work and I hear echos of it in his late symphonies.  It is the BRIDGE between young and old Mahler and shouldn't be dismissed because of its relatively modest scale.

vers la flamme

Quote from: relm1 on March 27, 2023, 04:34:12 PMI have recently fallen in love with Mahler 4.  So beautiful.  At times it feels like a ballet.  I will confess it gets dwarfed somewhat by its siblings but what are your favorite recordings of this work?  It is a very fine work and I hear echos of it in his late symphonies. 

The 4th was the work that hooked me on Mahler and is still my favorite Mahler symphony. A few of the recordings I love are the Bernstein/New York with Reri Grist, the Szell/Cleveland with Judith Raskin, and the Maazel/Vienna with Kathleen Battle.


brewski

Quote from: relm1 on March 27, 2023, 04:34:12 PMI have recently fallen in love with Mahler 4.  So beautiful.  At times it feels like a ballet.  I will confess it gets dwarfed somewhat by its siblings but what are your favorite recordings of this work?  It is a very fine work and I hear echos of it in his late symphonies.  It is the BRIDGE between young and old Mahler and shouldn't be dismissed because of its relatively modest scale.

The Fourth is so lovely. Sometimes it seems the most "pastoral" of all—still with high contrasts and drama, but not as much as some of the others. The Adagio is one of my favorite of all of his slow movements, which is saying something, considering the Andante of the Sixth, the finale of No. 3, and of course, the end of the Ninth.

I like all three of the recordings @vers la flamme mentioned, with perhaps a slight nod to the Clevelanders.

A favorite live performance: a few years ago at Carnegie Hall, with Rattle, Berlin, and Magdalena Kožená as the soloist in the finale. It was interesting enough to write about:

http://www.musicweb-international.com/SandH/2006/Jan-Jun06/bpo2601.htm

-Bruce
"I set down a beautiful chord on paper—and suddenly it rusts."
—Alfred Schnittke (1934-1998)

Mapman

Quote from: vers la flamme on March 27, 2023, 04:38:42 PMThe 4th was the work that hooked me on Mahler and is still my favorite Mahler symphony. A few of the recordings I love are the Bernstein/New York with Reri Grist, the Szell/Cleveland with Judith Raskin, and the Maazel/Vienna with Kathleen Battle.



I also like the Bernstein and Szell.

aukhawk

Along with the classic recordings mentioned above I would add Kletzki/Philharmonia, available in various EMI incarnations:


Mahler 4, Paul Ketzki

I agree about the slow movement by the way - absolutely Mahler's best.

Among recent recordings, I am usually a big fan of the work of Roth/Les Siecles, but I find this is one of their least successful recordings.  Vanska/Minnesota is pretty good.
I would though especially mention and recommend the SWR video stream from early 2019 of Mahler's 4th conducted by Currentzis which is a very fine performance and fascinating to watch.  (I'm aware Currentzis seems to be persona non grata in some circles.)
Mahler 4 Currentzis/SWRSO
This is a complete concert and the Symphony starts around 36 minutes in. 
Can also be found on YouTube I think, but this SWR stream is likely to have better sound.

foxandpeng

Thumbs up for Mahler 4, maybe with Osmo Vanska?
"A quiet secluded life in the country, with the possibility of being useful to people ... then work which one hopes may be of some use; then rest, nature, books, music, love for one's neighbour — such is my idea of happiness"

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Papy Oli

Quote from: relm1 on March 27, 2023, 04:34:12 PMI have recently fallen in love with Mahler 4.  So beautiful.  At times it feels like a ballet.  I will confess it gets dwarfed somewhat by its siblings but what are your favorite recordings of this work?  It is a very fine work and I hear echos of it in his late symphonies.  It is the BRIDGE between young and old Mahler and shouldn't be dismissed because of its relatively modest scale.

I am very fond of this one (Reiner / Della Casa):



Welser-Most / Lott  is odder as it feels much slower than normal but still works (from memory) :

Olivier

LKB

Bernstein/Grist was my imprint for M4, and l still enjoy the recording.

Over the last 40 years I've also reacted positively to Haitink/Ameling, Reiner/DC and ( rather surprisingly ) von Karajan/Mathis.

I need to hear Tennstedt's again, l believe Lucia Popp was his soprano.
Mit Flügeln, die ich mir errungen...

vers la flamme

I too love the Reiner/Chicago/Della Casa recording, which was the first Mahler 4th I ever heard.

Roasted Swan

Quote from: Papy Oli on March 28, 2023, 08:25:57 AMI am very fond of this one (Reiner / Della Casa):



Welser-Most / Lott  is odder as it feels much slower than normal but still works (from memory) :



Wasn't the Welser-Most literally his first recording made as a young conductor?  And wasn't it this that prompted the LPO to appoint him to a fairly short and ill-fated principal conductorship?  To be fair he has gone onto far better and greater things so really a case of being just too soon for him in that leadership role.

lordlance

Need recommendations for Symphonies No. 1, 2, 5, 6 and 9 that are intense, vigorous, helter-skelter, go for broke and in good sound (available on Spotify too.)
If you are interested in listening to orchestrations of solo/chamber music, you might be interested in this thread.
Also looking for recommendations on neglected conductors thread.

relm1

#5231
Quote from: lordlance on April 17, 2023, 04:00:59 AMNeed recommendations for Symphonies No. 1, 2, 5, 6 and 9 that are intense, vigorous, helter-skelter, go for broke and in good sound (available on Spotify too.)

No. 1, Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bernstein and Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Nézet-Séguin
No. 2, New York, Bernstein but I prefer his 1960's recording for it's more vigor and fire.
No. 5, I love Zubin Mehta's LA Phil
No. 6, Bernstein (1960's preferred but either 60's or 80's are great) - one has more vigor and intensity, the other more grandeur and gravitas. 
No. 9, I love the Bernstein/Concertgebouw on DG since it sounds like you don't mind heavy handed.  von Karajan (1982) is great too.

DavidW

Quote from: lordlance on April 17, 2023, 04:00:59 AMNeed recommendations for Symphonies No. 1, 2, 5, 6 and 9 that are intense, vigorous, helter-skelter, go for broke and in good sound (available on Spotify too.)

1. Solti
2. Mehta
5. Bernstein (DG)
6. Sanderling
9. Chailly

lordlance

Any thoughts on the Petrenko BPO Sixth? I'm curious how he does this stuff with BPO as generally speaking he's better suited to Romantic music than Rattle.

If you are interested in listening to orchestrations of solo/chamber music, you might be interested in this thread.
Also looking for recommendations on neglected conductors thread.

Lisztianwagner

Quote from: lordlance on April 17, 2023, 07:18:33 AMAny thoughts on the Petrenko BPO Sixth? I'm curious how he does this stuff with BPO as generally speaking he's better suited to Romantic music than Rattle.
I listened to Petrenko's Mahler 6 just once on spotify, but it sounded very fine to me; the orchestra had great intensity and energy, but also lyricism, and in particular, percussion was incredibly thunderous (well, no great suprise as it is the Berliner Philharmoniker, which also showed a clear, detailed sound). He reversed the order of the Scherzo (placed third) and the Andante moderato (placed second), but that wasn't a problem to enjoy the recording.
"Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire." - Gustav Mahler

Cato

Quote from: lordlance on April 17, 2023, 04:00:59 AMNeed recommendations for Symphonies No. 1, 2, 5, 6 and 9 that are intense, vigorous, helter-skelter, go for broke and in good sound (available on Spotify too.)


1 - Pierre Boulez DGG, Rafael Kubelik DGG

2 - Eugene Ormandy RCA, Rafael Kubelik DGG

5 - Leopold Ludwig EVEREST, Pierre Boulez DGG

6 - Rafael Kubelik DGG, Leonard Bernstein COLUMBIA/SONY, Pierre Boulez DGG

9 - Leopold Ludwig EVEREST, George Szell Various Labels, 1968, Herbert Von Karajan DGG

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- Brian Aherne introducing Rosalind Russell in  My Sister Eileen (1942)

DavidW

Quote from: DavidW on April 17, 2023, 06:28:13 AM1. Solti
2. Mehta
5. Bernstein (DG)
6. Sanderling
9. Chailly

Oh wait got to change that 9th, how could I forget the most intense 9th is Ancerl!

JBS

For the Sixth, I'd suggest Haitink/Chicago (on CSO Resound)

Hollywood Beach Broadwalk

lordlance

Any thoughts on the recent Bychkov Mahler discs? Are these high voltage performances or more "stately"?
If you are interested in listening to orchestrations of solo/chamber music, you might be interested in this thread.
Also looking for recommendations on neglected conductors thread.

LKB

I would respectfully suggest that folks recommending von Karajan for the Ninth might want to specify the live 1982 recording, since the earlier studio analogue effort is still available.

Otherwise, imho anyone looking for intensity etc. need go no further than Bernstein.
Mit Flügeln, die ich mir errungen...