I have Bertini CRSO, Bernstein RCOA, Kubelik BRSO Audite, Horenstein, Haitink BPO, Kubelik BRSO DG. Muti amongst others. For interpretation and recording, I tend to veer towards Bertini & Kubelik Audite. What are your thoughts please?
Quote from: MichaelRabin on December 04, 2009, 07:39:36 PMKubelik BRSO Audite,...Kubelik Audite.
Can't help you. That's my reference recording, too. :)
Top pick is Bernstein/Sony later DG is very good but does not surpass original
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ENcWzm%2BnL._SL500_AA240_.jpg)
Next four in order:
Kubelik/Audite
Solti/LSO/Decca Legends
Abbado/CSO/DG
Gielen/Hanssler
For seasoned collectors: Scherchen/Westminster
I am still thinking on this, that's why I haven't responded...
Certainly Kubelik/Audite and Bertini are top pics for me, off the top of my head, as is Kubelik on DG, Tennstedt live with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Bruno Walter live on Testament, Bernstein live-ish on DG, and Kondrashin on Melodiya.
But as I said, I'll think on whom I consider most authoritative among the bunch, great as they all are.
Quote from: Renfield on December 05, 2009, 07:32:56 AMBernstein live-ish on DG,
Last year the Concertgebouw released the original live recording for free as part of their birthday party live concert downloads...it is excellent.
Walter, Boulez, and Kubelik on DG (I need to try the Audite).
Quote from: Brian on December 05, 2009, 08:34:12 AM
Last year the Concertgebouw released the original live recording for free as part of their birthday party live concert downloads...it is excellent.
Aha! I've had that one downloaded for a while, but if it's the original from that effort, I need to move it up in my listening queue.
Quote from: Renfield on December 05, 2009, 08:42:58 AM
Aha! I've had that one downloaded for a while, but if it's the original from that effort, I need to move it up in my listening queue.
Actually, sorry to get your hopes up, but I see the DG recording is from 1987 and I seem to recall the live recording being from 1980. Except I can't actually tell you when the live KCO download is, because it appears to no longer be on my hard drive...
Quote from: Brian on December 05, 2009, 09:06:41 AM
Actually, sorry to get your hopes up, but I see the DG recording is from 1987 and I seem to recall the live recording being from 1980. Except I can't actually tell you when the live KCO download is, because it appears to no longer be on my hard drive...
No worries. Either way, it should be interesting. :)
Steinberg, Pittsburgh!
Quote from: Brian on December 05, 2009, 09:06:41 AM
Actually, sorry to get your hopes up, but I see the DG recording is from 1987 and I seem to recall the live recording being from 1980. Except I can't actually tell you when the live KCO download is, because it appears to no longer be on my hard drive...
You were right first time round. :) Recording date is 9 October, 1987. Let me know if you want this again - can upload easily.
Two choices for me
Walter Col SO
Solti LSO
Sinopoli/RAI on an off-the-air in house recording.
Quote from: Brian on December 05, 2009, 09:06:41 AM
Actually, sorry to get your hopes up, but I see the DG recording is from 1987 and I seem to recall the live recording being from 1980. Except I can't actually tell you when the live KCO download is, because it appears to no longer be on my hard drive...
The live Bernstein RCOA is irritating as he presses the ending quite hard - it doesn't sound exciting and grand as a result. Sound is not that good either.
I like to hear people's thoughts about Gielen on Hannsler please.
Quote from: MichaelRabin on December 06, 2009, 12:36:14 AM
I like to hear people's thoughts about Gielen on Hannsler please.
I remember liking it lots for its suavity and eloquence, but I wouldn't call it definitive.
Especially next to the 2nd and 7th from that cycle.
My faves, among many:
Chailly/Concertgebouw
Haitink/Concertgebouw (on the Christmas Matinees box)
Muti/Philadelphia (too bad he didn't make any other Mahler recordings with this group)
--Bruce
I always remember and have listened to the old Charles Adler M1 countless times, and both accounts from Horenstein. These sound like the pinnacle of M1 performance to my ear.
Also, for modern recordings, Bernstein/RCO/DG and MTT/SFSO are fantastic, especially the Bernstein/RCO, which was the recording that made me love this work.
I usually turn to Bernstein/RCO, Boulez/CSO, Kubelik on DGG, or MTT/SFS--but at the moment I'm listening to Sinopoli with the Philharmonia and loving it!
Three that I play(ed) rather regularly:
Rattle/CBSO
Kubelik/Bayerische Runfunk (DG)
Fischer/Hungarian State Orchestra (Hungaroton)
De Waart/Minnesota Orchestra (Virgin)
Considering the 'whole' Mahler:
Rattle: uneven (the first is one of his best).
Kubelik (as far as I 'have' him) very convincing in the lyrical symphonies no.'s 1 & 4.
Fischer (I purchased this no. 1 and the 2nd with the Budapest Festival): very good.
De Waart: perhaps lesser known as a Mahler conducter worldwide, but I saw and heard most of his live integral for Dutch TV in the eighties & nineties, and I think he's quite convincing on the whole.
I'm loving this performance by Philharmonia Orchestra and Sinopoli (1990) Got it from the library. I think I like it even better than Tennstedt and LPO. :)
Quote from: Brahmsian on April 21, 2010, 03:55:43 PM
I'm loving this performance by Philharmonia Orchestra and Sinopoli (1990) Got it from the library. I think I like it even better than Tennstedt and LPO.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51X7QEZGYXL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
For SinopoliI was never really too impressed with his 1st, but his 5th is a real statement......goes in my top 5 list of best 5ths ever. Recommend this 2CD set for cheap and have both
For BernsteinNot sure why people pick the later slower DG version of Mahler 1st, the NYPO 1st is one of the best in the great NYPO set, contrasts are played up more and Bernstein seems less restrained, a freer spirit at work.
Even though I prefer the NYPO 1st I will readily admit the DG 1st & 5th are the best of the DG set
Quote from: DarkAngel on April 21, 2010, 04:29:32 PM
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51X7QEZGYXL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
For Sinopoli
I was never really too impressed with his 1st, but his 5th is a real statement......goes in my top 5 list of best 5ths ever. Recommend this 2CD set for cheap and have both
This is the exact set I got from the library. I'll have a listen to that 5th as soon as I get the opportunity!
Kubelik for me. But I just ordered the Mitropoulos LIVE after doing my paulb impression and listening to some clips which sounded exciting. I am looking forward to it.
Kubelik for me as well. Actually, the entire set is amazingly consistent, though obviously there's better single recordings out there for many of the symphonies.
I quite like Nanut :)
My top two are the Bertini EMI live and Kubelik Audite live. Criteria are for the music as well as sound. These two conductors have a "non-interventionist" approach - just let the music flow.
Bernstein RCOA live is too wild with tempo fluctuations and I don't like the way LB presses the tempo ahead at the very end and the sound seems constricted too.
I use this expression myself:non-interventionist, but I think it is really a misconception and that, just letting the music flow...another expression I use as shorthand....is equally inaccurate. To do what Kubelik does takes so much skill, it is not about just letting it happen.
I put forward Kubelik's DG studio version. That is not because I think it better than the live one, I don't know the live one.
A long time ago I used to enjoy Muti, but it is so long since I heard it, I may change my mind. But the Gergiev is I think better than some here suggest. It has a lot going for it.
Mike
There is a recording by Steinberg with Pittsburgh that appeared on Capitol FDS, briefly available as an EMI/Angel CD. I'd venture to say it is my favorite performance, although the audio engineering was a problem. It is a mid-50's mono recording.
Quote from: knight on April 25, 2010, 03:11:03 AM
I use this expression myself:non-interventionist, but I think it is really a misconception and that, just letting the music flow...another expression I use as shorthand....is equally inaccurate. To do what Kubelik does takes so much skill, it is not about just letting it happen.
I put forward Kubelik's DG studio version. That is not because I think it better than the live one, I don't know the live one.
A long time ago I used to enjoy Muti, but it is so long since I heard it, I may change my mind. But the Gergiev is I think better than some here suggest. It has a lot going for it.
Mike
Mike - Kubelik is a genius to let the music flow. The vibrato on the DG version is a bit wide for my liking and you will see great rewards in investing in the Audite live version. It's only GBP5.11 on MDT, with the Audite catalogue. Also, on MusicWeb - Tony Duggan's review is on this link below:-
http://www.musicweb-international.com/Mahler/Mahler1.htm
I heard the Muti years ago too and the sound is a bit too resonant for Mahler 1. A bit bombastic in terms of interpretation for me too. The Gergiev - I have not heard at all and cannot comment.
Very interesting - Mahler #1 is not my favourite of his works and I listen to it relatively seldom compared with the Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, but of course it is essential for grasping the later symphonies. I don't know all the recordings mentioned so my comments will be limited to those I do (some I avoid - Solti, for instance, always seems to me to be about flash and I just don't bother with him any more, perhaps wrongly as far as this work is concerned). For me, the main contenders are Ancerl, Kubelik - the latter both on DG and, very interestingly, with the VPO in 1954, which presents the symphony as without a doubt the work of a depressive character (I recently acquired this on a super-bargain 4-CD compilation by Membran, which I bought because I wanted to hear Kubelik's Bartok and Schoenberg for Mercury in the 50s) - and the hallucinatory Mitropoulos with the NYPO, which I would be tempted to put first if the sound were better (This is an EU no-name issue which fails to make clear whether this is the the 1950 recording or the later live one - it's very vivid and pungent if it is the former). I would love to hear the Adler, whose recordings of #3 are profound and lucid if non-virtuoso in the execution. The only other recording I have is Bernstein's on DG - superbly played, well recorded, rather too cinemascopy for my taste, as I recall.
How about Suitner?
QuoteWho nails Mahler 1?
Kubelik/BRSO on Audite. Accept no substitutes! ;)
Walter and Bernstein (Sony/Col.) are the ones I play. I have the Rattle recording that includes Blumine, though I haven't seen it in years. It's under a pile of other discs I never play. I really should go look for it.
Quote
My faves, among many:
Chailly/Concertgebouw
Haitink/Concertgebouw (on the Christmas Matinees box)
Muti/Philadelphia (too bad he didn't make any other Mahler recordings with this group)
--Bruce
I bet the Haitink on that box is great. Haitink has become one of my favorite conductors. Unfortunately, the box is long OOP, right?
My current favorite is an extraordinarily beautiful (IMO) live performance by Kondrashin (1981, live, with the NDR Symphony Orchestra). Sadly, Kondrashin died the night after that performance.
Quote from: Verena on May 09, 2010, 08:22:13 AM
My current favorite is an extraordinarily beautiful (IMO) live performance by Kondrashin (1981, live, with the NDR Symphony Orchestra). Sadly, Kondrashin died the night after that performance.
Thank you for reminding me of that one.
It is indeed very special, least of all because Kondrashin stepped in for someone else, and died in his hotel room that night, as you said. It's a much more intimate reading than his Melodiya recording, which is also very good - albeit driven a bit too hard at times, IMO.
QuoteThank you for reminding me of that one.
It is indeed very special, least of all because Kondrashin stepped in for someone else, and died in his hotel room that night, as you said. It's a much more intimate reading than his Melodiya recording, which is also very good - albeit driven a bit too hard at times, IMO.
Do you - or anyone else - happen to know his other Mahler Melodiya recordings? I've been eying the set for quite some time now. Thanks.
Quote from: Verena on May 14, 2010, 09:56:57 AM
Do you - or anyone else - happen to know his other Mahler Melodiya recordings? I've been eying the set for quite some time now. Thanks.
Are you referring to the set that excludes Syms. 2 and 8?
QuoteAre you referring to the set that excludes Syms. 2 and 8?
Yes, exactly
Quote from: Verena on May 09, 2010, 08:18:52 AM
I bet the Haitink on that box is great. Haitink has become one of my favorite conductors. Unfortunately, the box is long OOP, right?
Yes, I believe that is correct. I do see copies now and then on eBay; if you are signed up for eBay (free) you can set up an "eBay alert" that will let you know when one comes up for sale.
But that said, look what I found, a 4-DVD set of (apparently) the same concerts. You'll have to order in Dutch!
http://www.huisvolmuziek.nl/Scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=151976
--Bruce
QuoteYes, I believe that is correct. I do see copies now and then on eBay; if you are signed up for eBay (free) you can set up an "eBay alert" that will let you know when one comes up for sale.
But that said, look what I found, a 4-DVD set of (apparently) the same concerts. You'll have to order in Dutch!
http://www.huisvolmuziek.nl/Scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=151976
--Bruce
Bruce, thanks so much! Will order these..
Quote from: Verena on May 14, 2010, 09:56:57 AM
Do you - or anyone else - happen to know his other Mahler Melodiya recordings? I've been eying the set for quite some time now. Thanks.
In this forum, I know Jens (jlaurson) owns the set, and I do. What do you want to know?
Sarge
Quote
In this forum, I know Jens (jlaurson) owns the set, and I do. What do you want to know?
Sarge
Hi Sarge,
Basically, how you'd rate the set with regard to interpretation; whether the sound is OK; and what are the highlights of the set - I guess I'd like to pick and choose rather than buy the whole thing, since it's quite expensive
Thanks
Quote from: Verena on May 14, 2010, 09:56:57 AM
Do you - or anyone else - happen to know his other Mahler Melodiya recordings? I've been eying the set for quite some time now. Thanks.
Yes, I own all of them except the 3rd. :)
Off the top of my head, the 1st is, as I said above, very exciting and excitable, even if it might lack that last ounce of poeticism; especially compared to the NDR version. The 4th I hardly remember. The 5th is strongly argued, but not quite as good as the 1st; but the 6th is, I recall, quite interesting overall, perhaps because of its more traditional form.
In fact, I'm not sure if the 6th might not be close to what Gergiev did with it, unless I'm confusing different versions.
(I'll make a mental note to listen to the Kondrashin before long and correct this, if needed.)
What is definitely close to Gergiev's in attitude, however, and the comfortable apex of the cycle, is the 7th. A very strong reading, very sinewy and propulsive, but still finding time to colour the Nachtmusik, even if not quite as sumptuously as, say, Bernstein.
With the 9th, as with the 4th, I draw a blank. But I'm very hard to satisfy there, so maybe you might want to rely on
Sarge and
Jens' judgement. Indeed, you might want to rely on their sound and measured judgement anyway! ;)
But all in all, I consider Kondrashin's one of the better Mahler compilations (not being a complete cycle) out there, and certainly among the most interesting series of Mahler recordings from a single conductor. Not a pressingly urgent recommendation bar the 7th, especially now that Gergiev's Mahler is around - cue Jens: ::) - but worth hearing.
Edit: The sound is generally quite rough. The 1st and 7th are probably the best-recorded, although perhaps my estimate of them as performances colours my assessment of their sonic qualities. But it's not horrible, even in the 5th which fares less well.
Quote from: Verena on May 14, 2010, 01:48:47 PM
Hi Sarge,
Basically, how you'd rate the set with regard to interpretation; whether the sound is OK; and what are the highlights of the set - I guess I'd like to pick and choose rather than buy the whole thing, since it's quite expensive
Thanks
Dean Martin has been my inspiration this evening...I've had one too many Ballatine's on the Rocks ;D I'll reply more fully this weekend after I've sobered up. But I'll say for now, in general, I was disappointed by Kondrashin's Mahler. You have to understand, though, that I own more than twenty versions of each symphony, so at this point, I'm interested in interpretations, performances, that are highly individual, even "wrong." Kondrashin didn't deliver. However, another Russian has: Svetlanov. But his cycle is even more expensive and, I think, not available as single CDs. More later.
Sarge
QuoteBut all in all, I consider Kondrashin's one of the better Mahler compilations (not being a complete cycle) out there, and certainly among the most interesting series of Mahler recordings from a single conductor. Not a pressingly urgent recommendation bar the 7th, especially now that Gergiev's Mahler is around - cue Jens: ::) - but worth hearing.
Thanks a lot, Renfield, for your advice! Actually, I've never heard any Mahler by Gergiev so far. Probably it's time to change this unacceptable situation ::)
QuoteDean Martin has been my inspiration this evening...I've had one too many Ballatine's on the Rocks ;D I'll reply more fully this weekend after I've sobered up. But I'll say for now, in general, I was disappointed by Kondrashin's Mahler. You have to understand, though, that I own more than twenty versions of each symphony, so at this point, I'm interested in interpretations, performances, that are highly individual, even "wrong." Kondrashin didn't deliver. However, another Russian has: Svetlanov. But his cycle is even more expensive and, I think, not available as single CDs. More later.
Thanks, Sarge! Indeed, now you've made me curious about the Svetlanov. If it's very expensive, I guess I have to wait till I can invest in that cycle .. :'( But then, only a couple of months to go until Christmas ::)
Quote from: Verena on May 14, 2010, 04:35:25 PM
Thanks, Sarge! Indeed, now you've made me curious about the Svetlanov. If it's very expensive, I guess I have to wait till I can invest in that cycle .. :'( But then, only a couple of months to go until Christmas ::)
I don't know where you live, what source is cheapest for you. Amazon.com is really expensive (around $150 if I remember correctly). JPC (Germany) is the most reasonable I've seen (if you are in Europe) at about half the Amazon price. But don't push a buy button until I've commented further ;)
Sarge
QuoteI don't know where you live, what source is cheapest for you. Amazon.com is really expensive (around $150 if I remember correctly). JPC (Germany) is the most reasonable I've seen (if you are in Europe) at about half the Amazon price. But don't push a buy button until I've commented further ;)
Sarge
Oh indeed, the JPC is really rather cheap. That'd be my cheapest option (I live in Germany).
Quote from: Verena on May 14, 2010, 04:31:49 PM
Thanks a lot, Renfield, for your advice! Actually, I've never heard any Mahler by Gergiev so far. Probably it's time to change this unacceptable situation ::)
You're very welcome. Gergiev's Mahler is very divisive, both
across listeners and
within: there's people like our very own Jens Laurson who dismiss it, or like a lot of the British press are very muted in their occasional praise.
Whereas others, for instance at least one reviewer in the International Record Review, and indeed (without presuming to claim comparable authority) myself, think his structurally driven approach has great merit.
But even given this, I really didn't like his 1st, especially in comparison to Kondrashin. Whereas I believe Mike (
knight) enjoyed it!
So, like with Kondrashin, as illustrated by the different assessment from
Sarge's point of view, I'd advise sampling to see if 'interesting' translates to 'desirable' in your particular case; the 6th, 7th and 8th are arguably the strongest so far. :)
QuoteSo, like with Kondrashin, as illustrated by the different assessment from Sarge's point of view, I'd advise sampling to see if 'interesting' translates to 'desirable' in your particular case; the 6th, 7th and 8th are arguably the strongest so far. :)
Thanks! This is very helpful. I guess I'll sample the 6th in particular. I haven't quite warmed to the 7th and 8th symphonies in general; though at some stage, I'll give them another try.
Quote from: Renfield on May 15, 2010, 04:02:23 AM
You're very welcome. Gergiev's Mahler is very divisive, both across listeners and within: there's people like our very own Jens Laurson who dismiss it, or like a lot of the British press are very muted in their occasional praise.
Whereas others, for instance at least one reviewer in the International Record Review, and indeed (without presuming to claim comparable authority) myself, think his structurally driven approach has great merit.
But even given this, I really didn't like his 1st, especially in comparison to Kondrashin. Whereas I believe Mike (knight) enjoyed it!
So, like with Kondrashin, as illustrated by the different assessment from Sarge's point of view, I'd advise sampling to see if 'interesting' translates to 'desirable' in your particular case; the 6th, 7th and 8th are arguably the strongest so far. :)
Put me in the generally pro-Gergiev camp. So far, the only one I don't like is the most recent, the Fourth (the Fifth and Ninth are in the wings. Did he do DLvdE?) I'd say the Second and Eighth are good but not great; the Adagio from 10 (which is packaged with the Second) is great; the Third and Sixth are excellent; the Seventh very good but not as good as others (Abbado/Berlin remains my standard here). I like the First, because it was the first recording of that symphony that made me realize how good the First was. Up to that point, all the recordings I had heard left me a little cold, and wondering if the fault was Mahler's. Since then, I've come across a couple of recordings (Haitink's latest on CSO Resound, and Bernstein's first recording, for instance) that I prefer to Gergiev, but the recording remains a keeper for me.
Perhaps this will help you if I say that Gergiev seems best in those passages of Mahler which are closest to Shostakovich.
QuotePut me in the generally pro-Gergiev camp. So far, the only one I don't like is the most recent, the Fourth (the Fifth and Ninth are in the wings. Did he do DLvdE?) I'd say the Second and Eighth are good but not great; the Adagio from 10 (which is packaged with the Second) is great; the Third and Sixth are excellent; the Seventh very good but not as good as others (Abbado/Berlin remains my standard here). I like the First, because it was the first recording of that symphony that made me realize how good the First was. Up to that point, all the recordings I had heard left me a little cold, and wondering if the fault was Mahler's. Since then, I've come across a couple of recordings (Haitink's latest on CSO Resound, and Bernstein's first recording, for instance) that I prefer to Gergiev, but the recording remains a keeper for me.
Perhaps this will help you if I say that Gergiev seems best in those passages of Mahler which are closest to Shostakovich.
Very helpful review! Thanks, Kishnevi! I'm actually also looking for a great Adagio (10th symphony). So I might try Gergiev here.
Interesting that you mention the latest Haitink Mahler 1. I'm a great fan of Haitink's Mahler (and Bruckner). Do you by any chance also know other Haitink recordings of the first Mahler symphony? (I would be interested to know which recording of that symphony people prefer)
Quote from: Verena on May 16, 2010, 12:58:40 AM
Very helpful review! Thanks, Kishnevi! I'm actually also looking for a great Adagio (10th symphony). So I might try Gergiev here.
Interesting that you mention the latest Haitink Mahler 1. I'm a great fan of Haitink's Mahler (and Bruckner). Do you by any chance also know other Haitink recordings of the first Mahler symphony? (I would be interested to know which recording of that symphony people prefer)
Re Haitink, I believe the critical consensus favours his unavailable recording with (IIRC) the BPO, in the 1st. I've not heard any of his recordings of the piece, but am familiar with his first Concertgebouw 3rd, and his recent Chicago 6th, and like both.
(I've also heard his Chicago 3rd, which was sonically quite impressive, but lost my interest after a second listen.)
kishnevi,
I actually haven't bought that 4th yet. I think hearing Zinman and the Zurich Tonhalle deliver a pretty shatteringly grim performance of the piece in last year's Edinburgh International Festival has coloured my view of the symphony a little too much to return to (possibly) more strident readings, for the time being... Though I am looking forward to his 5th; especially given what Barshai did with it.
Regarding the 1st, though, I had the impression of an unduly helter-skelter reading from Gergiev. Like you say, Bernstein's late recording is better, as are others of a more restrained ilk. Not to mention Kondrashin's, if one wants drive.
But that said, I might revisit it, and see if my opinion remains the same.
Interesting, though, your comment on Mahler-through-Shostakovich. I suppose Gergiev's 7th, and a 'traditionally Russian' Shostakovich 5th might not be all that far apart, in conception... Maybe also the 3rd (that I did like, from Gergiev), and the Shost. 7th.
QuoteRe Haitink, I believe the critical consensus favours his unavailable recording with (IIRC) the BPO, in the 1st. I've not heard any of his recordings of the piece, but am familiar with his first Concertgebouw 3rd, and his recent Chicago 6th, and like both.
(I've also heard his Chicago 3rd, which was sonically quite impressive, but lost my interest after a second listen.)
Thanks! I think the recording you are referring to is available, at least as a download:
http://www.qobuz.com/telechargement-album-mp3/Mahler-Symphonies-Nos.1-2-/Classique/Philharmonique-de-Berlin/Philips/default/fiche_produit/id_produit-0002894756222.html
Quote from: Verena on May 16, 2010, 04:51:05 AM
Thanks! I think the recording you are referring to is available, at least as a download:
http://www.qobuz.com/telechargement-album-mp3/Mahler-Symphonies-Nos.1-2-/Classique/Philharmonique-de-Berlin/Philips/default/fiche_produit/id_produit-0002894756222.html
Oh! That's unexpected. :D
A bit cheaper on Amazon UK as a download, Renfield :
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mahler-Symphonies-Nos-1-2/dp/B001N202V6/ref=dm_cd_album_lnk?ie=UTF8&qid=1274016921&sr=8-37 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mahler-Symphonies-Nos-1-2/dp/B001N202V6/ref=dm_cd_album_lnk?ie=UTF8&qid=1274016921&sr=8-37)
Quote from: papy on May 16, 2010, 05:36:52 AM
A bit cheaper on Amazon UK as a download, Renfield :
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mahler-Symphonies-Nos-1-2/dp/B001N202V6/ref=dm_cd_album_lnk?ie=UTF8&qid=1274016921&sr=8-37 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mahler-Symphonies-Nos-1-2/dp/B001N202V6/ref=dm_cd_album_lnk?ie=UTF8&qid=1274016921&sr=8-37)
Cheers; I'll keep it in mind. Sadly, I can't quite afford an expansion of my collection into the bought digital realm, at the moment!
Can you recommend a cd of Mahler's Symphony No. 1 D Major - I've just seen a DVD Gustavo Dudamel was the conductor at the opening of the new hall in Los Angeles.
Thanks for any suggestions. :)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51EJV0XJ2GL._SL500_AA300_.jpg) (http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ENcWzm%2BnL._SL500_AA300_.jpg) (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/B00000FCKW/ref=dp_image_0?ie=UTF8&n=5174&s=music)
Can't go wrong with these, $5 each at Amazon USA
Thanks and the price is right. :)
Quote from: suzyq on August 05, 2010, 04:56:08 PM
Thanks and the price is right. :)
Be careful, these can be gateways that may lure you into buying the complete sets ;)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51RTQu785dL._SL500_AA300_.jpg) (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/B00004SA86/ref=dp_image_0?ie=UTF8&n=5174&s=music) (http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31F5DD8JHYL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Quote from: DarkAngel on August 05, 2010, 05:18:17 PM
Be careful, these can be gateways that may lure you into buying the complete sets ;)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51RTQu785dL._SL500_AA300_.jpg) (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/B00004SA86/ref=dp_image_0?ie=UTF8&n=5174&s=music) (http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31F5DD8JHYL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
As it should!
Another vote for Kubelik (though I've only heard the DG studio one; so I can't comment on the merits of the oop 1954 recording or the Audite live issue).
Quote from: edward on August 05, 2010, 06:27:53 PM
Kubelik ... Audite live issue
Totally spectacular first note to last, sounds like it was recorded yesterday. I'm in love with it. I have Lenny/DG too but I don't listen to it. But take my advice with a grain of salt; those are my only Mahler discs, at all.
I very much like Zubin Mehta's account here (http://www.amazon.com/Symphony-Major-Titan-Gustav-Mahler/dp/B00000DRYD/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1281063255&sr=8-5) - and it's availabe for only $1.90 with little to no risk of addiction ;D
One more vote for Kubelik!
Though if you liked Dudamel - and his is a very idiosyncratic, yet very compelling interpretation, I find - the recording of the LAPO opening night performance is available as a download at the DG webstore (http://www.deutschegrammophon.com/cat/single?PRODUCT_NR=4778612).
QuoteCan you recommend a cd of Mahler's Symphony No. 1 D Major - I've just seen a DVD Gustavo Dudamel was the conductor at the opening of the new hall in Los Angeles.
Not a CD, but a great interpretation if you don't mind dated sound - and available for free legal (at least in my country) download as an LP transfer is Bruno Walter's first interpretation of this work:
http://themusicparlour.blogspot.com/2010/06/bruno-walter-new-york-mahler-1st-cbs_12.html
It was once available on CD, but is OOP now. Due to its age, it is certainly not the only "one" recording one should own as a Mahlerite, but it nicely complements more recent interpretations. There is a somewhat later recording by Walter which is also very beautiful, but again, not in modern sound.
Quote from: Verena on August 05, 2010, 07:37:09 PM
Not a CD, but a great interpretation if you don't mind dated sound - and available for free legal (at least in my country) download as an LP transfer is Bruno Walter's first interpretation of this work:
http://themusicparlour.blogspot.com/2010/06/bruno-walter-new-york-mahler-1st-cbs_12.html
It was once available on CD, but is OOP now. Due to its age, it is certainly not the only "one" recording one should own as a Mahlerite, but it nicely complements more recent interpretations. There is a somewhat later recording by Walter which is also very beautiful, but again, not in modern sound.
Thanks very much for this. I've been wanting to hear Walter's 1954 New York recording for some time. I have Walter's live 1947 Concertgebouw recording on Tahra, performance is fantastic but the broadcast sound is somewhat limited, and I have his stereo Columbia recording, again very good performance and in good sound but this time is orchestra somewhat limited in numbers. I'm curious where this one falls interpretatively, it's oft mentioned that Walter slowed down and mellowed in his last years, but even though the live one is more exciting and some Mengelbergian feel in the orchestra is evident, tempos in this instance are pretty much identical in 47 and 60.
Quote from: Drasko on August 06, 2010, 02:17:28 AM
I have Walter's live 1947 Concertgebouw recording on Tahra, performance is fantastic but the broadcast sound is somewhat limited,
I love that recording! :) Probably my favourite Mahler-I at the moment. And to my standards the recording is pretty good, for its age of course. But then I also listen to pre-war recordings.
Q
Quote from: Que on August 06, 2010, 02:22:23 AM
Probably my favourite Mahler-I at the moment. And to my standards the recording is pretty good, for its age of course.
I agree, on both counts.
Is anyone familiar with Mitropoulos' several live recordings from New York? I have, and like very much his Minneapolis recording, but am unfamiliar with any of the later. How many are there - 1951 on Dynamic, 1955 on Archipel, 1960 on M&A ... and which is best played/recorded?
QuoteThanks very much for this. I've been wanting to hear Walter's 1954 New York recording for some time. I have Walter's live 1947 Concertgebouw recording on Tahra, performance is fantastic but the broadcast sound is somewhat limited, and I have his stereo Columbia recording, again very good performance and in good sound but this time is orchestra somewhat limited in numbers. I'm curious where this one falls interpretatively, it's oft mentioned that Walter slowed down and mellowed in his last years, but even though the live one is more exciting and some Mengelbergian feel in the orchestra is evident, tempos in this instance are pretty much identical in 47 and 60.
You're welcome. I did not know about the Tahra recording, but there are at least two further recordings of Mahler 1 by Walter. One is available on Orfeo. There is also a Walter Mahler 1 available on Testament (LPO, Royal Albert Hall - 6 November 1947). I sometimes feel tempted to buy one of those two recordings.
Drasko, I have one Mitropoulos #1 with the NYPO, but it's one of those Eurotrash CDs you find at French markets where I live in the summer, and includes Borodin #2 as well. I just put on the last movement to remind myself - it's wild and the sound is vivid if a bit crude, typical of those Mahler performances he did in the later 50s with the NYPO, I would say: I have #3 (on CD, mangled by cuts and sung in English, unfortunately), #5 and #9 (LP). His #5 is still my favourite, I love #9 too. But I can't tell you if it's '55 or 60 - it sounds more like the latter to my ears.
Quote from: mjwal on August 12, 2010, 09:31:42 AM
Drasko, I have one Mitropoulos #1 with the NYPO, but it's one of those Eurotrash CDs you find at French markets where I live in the summer, and includes Borodin #2 as well. I just put on the last movement to remind myself - it's wild and the sound is vivid if a bit crude, typical of those Mahler performances he did in the later 50s with the NYPO, I would say: I have #3 (on CD, mangled by cuts and sung in English, unfortunately), #5 and #9 (LP). His #5 is still my favourite, I love #9 too. But I can't tell you if it's '55 or 60 - it sounds more like the latter to my ears.
Of Mitropoulos' Mahler I have Minneapolis 1st, Köln 3rd on Tahra (uncut, sung in German in decent sound, relatively uneventful performance) and Köln 6th on EMI Great Conductors. I was asking about his later 1sts because I noticed there are few around:
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41H4P5XESRL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
1960, New York (M&A oop)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/415XR011PFL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
1951, New York (Dynamic)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61jsywL0mkL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
1955, New York (Archipel)
I couldn't find absolutely no info on this one. On another newsgroup somebody posted that Bruno Walter's live 1954 New York recording (not the studio one mentioned few posts above) used to be misattributed and released on LP as alleged 1955 Mitropoulos recording. So the one above on Archipel could be just that.
Quote from: Drasko on August 12, 2010, 10:19:21 AM
I was asking about his later 1sts because I noticed there are few around:
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41H4P5XESRL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
1960, New York (M&A oop)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/415XR011PFL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
1951, New York (Dynamic)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61jsywL0mkL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
1955, New York (Archipel)
I couldn't find absolutely no info on this one. On another newsgroup somebody posted that Bruno Walter's live 1954 New York recording (not the studio one mentioned few posts above) used to be misattributed and released on LP as alleged 1955 Mitropoulos recording. So the one above on Archipel could be just that.
The Bruno Walter 1954 NYP was issued as CD in the CBS/Sony Masterworks Heritage series. (http://www.scena.org/lsm/sm4-1/images/MalherWalter.jpg)
I also have the Archipel 1955 Mitropoulos. The notes indicate "New York Philarmonic Orchestra - Live recording: New York June 15, 1955". I am not certain this is the correct date because the "closing concert" of the NYP 1955 season was on 17 April. But it could be an off-season performance.
Perhaps someone can confirm if this June 1955 concert did happen (maybe a reference in The New York Times ?) and if this is a plausible date for the recording. I will try to take some time to compare it with the 1954 Bruno Walter and with the other Mitropoulos' Mahler 1sts. At least to recognize his hand in the conducting. If others in the Forum are willing to do the same listening exercise we may then compare our impressions.
Quote from: ccar on August 12, 2010, 11:34:46 AM
Perhaps someone can confirm if this June 1955 concert did happen (maybe a reference in The New York Times ?) and if this is a plausible date for the recording.
I posted question about this on r.m.c.r and the first reply was the following:
QuoteAccording to the Philharmonic repertoire listing in Howard Shanet's
"Philharmonic -- A History of New York's Orchestra" (Doubleday, 1975),
there was no Philharmonic performance of anything on June 15, 1955.
And Mahler's First Symphony wasn't played by the Philharmonic in
either the 1954-5 or 1955-6 seasons.
So the date seems to be definitely fake.
Quote from: Drasko on August 12, 2010, 12:31:53 PM
So the date seems to be definitely fake.
Thanks Drasko.
With the NYP records information and a recent
rmcr post from Steve Reveyoso (who worked with Eric Ryding - BW's biographer - in the BW discography) I believe we may conclude the Archipel "Mitropoulos 1955" recording is indeed miscredited. The source of the Mahler 1st "Mitropoulos NYP 1955" (and a "Bruno Walter NYP 1950") is probably Bruno Walter's 24th Jan 1954 NYP broadcast, just the day before the Columbia "official" recording.
To keep it straight I now tried to relist my BW and DM
Mahler First recordings accordingly:
Dimitri Mitropoulos : 1940 – Minneapolis SO – Columbia / 1951 – NYP – live / 1960 – NYP – live
Bruno Walter : 1939 – NBC – live / 1947 – CGO – live / 1947 – LPO – live / 1950 – BSO – live / 1954 – NYP – live / 1954 – NYP – Columbia /1961- CSO - Columbia
Yes, I believe we may (as far as conclusions without hearing the actual recording go - in my case). Beside the info given by Don Tait and Steve Reveyoso, the timings of that alleged Mitropoulos '55 recording (as given by amazon download service) are much more in line with Walter's than other Mitropoulos' recordings of the piece, especially in 1st movement (as I already posted on rmcr).
You have a typo there in Walter listings - 1954 not 56 for NYP recordings.
I think we've done some fine detective work on this one 8)
Thanks for the typo correction Drasko - I just edited the post with the right dates.
I have no way of listening to a "certified" recording of the BW 1954 broadcast. But I did some comparative listening. The Archipel "Mitropoulos NYP 1955" = Bruno Walter NYP 1954 broadcast and the Bruno Walter NYP 1954 studio recording obviously have different sound conditions and some differences in tempo and dynamics. But the A/B listening does suggest the same orchestra, similar instrument solos and interpretation details.
It is much more difficult to compare the "Mitropoulos NYP 1955" with the other BW or DM recordings because there are various orchestras and years of difference between them. But when we try to compare Dimitri Mitropoulos with the 1930-1950's Bruno Walter not only the global timings tend to be different (particularly in the longer DM 1st and 4th movements) but, for me, Mitropoulos has more freedom in the phrasing, colors and dynamics, creating his usual unexpected "expressive moments". Curiously, in the last Bruno Walter recording (CSO stereo 1961) the timings are much closer to Mitropoulos than in his earlier versions.
For those who care to compare them, here are the timings of these recordings (each movement - without spacing intervals or applause):
Bruno Walter NYP 1954 broadcast - 11:50 / 6:00 / 11:06 / 17:53 ("Mitropoulos NYP 1955" )
Bruno Walter NBC 1939 – 11:54 / 6:09 / 11:16 / 18:03
Bruno Walter CGO 1947 - 12:12 / 6:04 / 11:23 / 18:48
Bruno Walter LPO 1947 – 11:28 / 5:51 / 10:36 / 17:21
Bruno Walter BSO 1950 – 12:01 / 6:13 / 11:17 / 18:39
Bruno Walter NYP 1954 studio – 12:30 / 6:20 / 11:15 / 18:14
Bruno Walter CSO 1961 studio – 13:17 / 6:48 / 11:18 / 20:19
Mitropoulos MSO 1940 studio – 13:30 / 6:11 / 10:24 / 17:17
Mitropoulos NYP 1951 – 14:12 / 6:18 / 11:08 / 19:22
Mitropoulos NYP 1960 – 14:14 / 6:25 / 10:41 / 19:48
Quote from: Moldyoldie on May 09, 2010, 06:59:32 AM
Kubelik/BRSO on Audite. Accept no substitutes! ;)
I've only heard the Deutsche Grammophon LP, is this a different performance or was it licensed?
My favorite Mahler Symphony No. 1's are
Horenstein, London Symphony Orchestra a Unicorn recording reissued on an Advent process CR/70 chromium dioxide prerecorded cassette back in the 1970's. Killer performance with excellent sound in the audiophile cassette version. This one sounds the most Jewish to me, it was my favotire until I got the Leonard Slatkin LP in 1980.
Leonard Slatkin. Saint Louis Symphony OrchestraA Telarc 50kHz Soundstream LP, gorgeous smooth beautiful sound and my very favorite performance of all time.
Benjamin Zander, Philharmonia OrchestraA Telarc DSD recorded SACD, fantastic realistic sound and an excellent performance.
QuoteI've only heard the Deutsche Grammophon LP, is this a different performance or was it licensed?
The DG is a different recording (studio). The audite is live.
Quote from: Verena on August 25, 2010, 02:09:13 PM
The DG is a different recording (studio). The audite is live.
Thanks very much! :) How are they different? I didn't like the performance or the sound of the Deutsche Grammophon LP. How does it compare with my favorites: Horenstein, Slatkin and Zander?
QuoteHorenstein, London Symphony Orchestra
a Unicorn recording reissued on an Advent process CR/70 chromium dioxide prerecorded cassette back in the 1970's. Killer performance with excellent sound in the audiophile cassette version. This one sounds the most Jewish to me, it was my favotire until I got the Leonard Slatkin LP in 1980.
Now you made me curious. I have the Horenstein and - along with many others - consider it among the very best recordings. If Slatkin is even better, it must be great indeed. BTW, I think the Slatkin is from 1981 (I just checked the discography at http://gustavmahler.net.free.fr/symph1.html , since I might buy this recording)
QuoteThanks very much! :) How are they different? I didn't like the performance or the sound of the Deutsche Grammophon LP. How does it compare with my favorites: Horenstein, Slatkin and Zander?
Sorry, I can't help you here. I don't remember much about the audite recording other than I was not as overwhelmed as I should according to the raves the recording has received. Hope others can say something about the differences.
The Audite is better because of better sound and playing. The wide vibrato on the woodwinds and brass is a bit painful to listen to on the DG - whilst the Audite has the interpretation more settled over the years and the felicities of the version is so much superior. My favourite versions are the Kubelik Audite & Gary Bertini EMI - which are both live.
Quote from: MichaelRabin on August 26, 2010, 03:19:51 PM
The Audite is better because of better sound and playing. The wide vibrato on the woodwinds and brass is a bit painful to listen to on the DG - whilst the Audite has the interpretation more settled over the years and the felicities of the version is so much superior. My favourite versions are the Kubelik Audite & Gary Bertini EMI - which are both live.
Thanks I've added it to my audition list. :)
There are many great Mahler 1 recordings. I would say my favorites (right now) are these:
(http://www.iclassics.com/images/local/300/1549E.jpg) (http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ATV_sXgjCwg/SNUUhkeHi8I/AAAAAAAAAEE/b3k9X8akzG0/s1600/mahler%2Bsinfonia%2Bno.1%2BBoulez.jpg)
(http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00000FCKW.01_SL75_.jpg)
(http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2007/Jan07/Mahler_Bertini_3402382.jpg)
Maazel with Wiener was the first disc I ever purchased, and it still remains my favorite recording of this work.
Quote from: Teresa on August 25, 2010, 02:13:25 PM
Thanks very much! :) How are they different? I didn't like the performance or the sound of the Deutsche Grammophon LP. How does it compare with my favorites: Horenstein, Slatkin and Zander?
If you didn't like the DG Kubelik (why you don't like it is a little beyond me, admittedly), I wouldn't pin too high hopes on liking the Audite. It's the same, just better... not anything radically different. While some of the Audite recordings are essentially the same as the DG, recorded just a few days apart, live in concert, rather than under 'studio' conditions in the Munich Herkulessaal, others are from a few years later... this one comers in about 12 years after the DG recording; the 5th another six years later (and there, I find the swift no-nonsense DG version
much preferable to the flabby Audite performance; otherwise it's usually about equal with the sound always better (a lot, sometimes a little) on Audite than DG.
(http://www.weta.org/fmblog/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Gustav_Mahler_1.png)
(http://www.weta.org/fmblog/?p=1000)
QuoteIn Symphony No.1, the "Titan", the choice for a first recording is fairly uncontroversial and surprisingly easy: Rafael Kubelik's unfussy, energetic style suits this early symphony—in some ways very far from the modern sound world of later Mahler—extremely well while at the same time inoculating it against excess. Kubelik was the first conductor to mount a complete Mahler cycle (with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra) and his studio recording of the 9 + Adagio, the first such to be conceived and finished as a cycle, still holds up well. His first is available separately on DG Originals, and rightly so. If there is anything to be objected to, it's that he skips the first repeat of the Scherzo and that the sound is a tad shallow, minimally brittle. I have heard (very few) people complain about woodwind vibrato... it's a complaint I don't quite follow or share.
This would be the first choice, too, were it not for a later recording of the same conductor and orchestra. A one-off broadcast recording of the Bavarian Radio from November 2nd 1979 on Audite finds Kubelik in very similar mood and his band in better form yet. The third movement is impossibly intimate and, even with all ritardandos and accelerandos, guided by a gentle, unintrusive pulse. It is, for all practical purposes, a mistake-free performance—not always the case in these unpatched Kubelik live performances. But most importantly, the sound is deeper, richer and altogether better than one might imagine from a live recording. Audience noise—a little rustle between the second and third movement—is negligible. Because DG's inclusion of the Songs of a Wayfarer with Fischer-Dieskau makes for an enticing filler, the choice between the two recordings isn't easy. Their inclusion may not, on its own, justify having both recordings, but should make those feel better who don't have the Audite recording.
New M-1 recordings that are very good include M.Honeck in Pittsburgh...
http://www.weta.org/fmblog/?p=2139
(http://www.weta.org/fmblog/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/mahler2010_2011.png) (http://www.weta.org/fmblog/?p=2139)
The first Mahler LP I purchased was Bruno Walter's 1st on Columbia's Odyssey budget label, back in '69. Thanks to Verena's link I may have a chance to hear that one again and see how it holds up. 8)
Per the link I don't think it's the same recording. The linked one is on Philips.
Has anybody heard Boult's 1st? It might just suit his temperament.
QuoteThe first Mahler LP I purchased was Bruno Walter's 1st on Columbia's Odyssey budget label, back in '69. Thanks to Verena's link I may have a chance to hear that one again and see how it holds up. 8)
Per the link I don't think it's the same recording. The linked one is on Philips.
No, it's a somewhat earlier recording; I like both actually, though the sound is probably better on the Columbia version
Quote from: ccar on August 25, 2010, 01:13:52 PM
Thanks for the typo correction Drasko - I just edited the post with the right dates.
I have no way of listening to a "certified" recording of the BW 1954 broadcast. But I did some comparative listening. The Archipel "Mitropoulos NYP 1955" = Bruno Walter NYP 1954 broadcast and the Bruno Walter NYP 1954 studio recording obviously have different sound conditions and some differences in tempo and dynamics. But the A/B listening does suggest the same orchestra, similar instrument solos and interpretation details.
It is much more difficult to compare the "Mitropoulos NYP 1955" with the other BW or DM recordings because there are various orchestras and years of difference between them. But when we try to compare Dimitri Mitropoulos with the 1930-1950's Bruno Walter not only the global timings tend to be different (particularly in the longer DM 1st and 4th movements) but, for me, Mitropoulos has more freedom in the phrasing, colors and dynamics, creating his usual unexpected "expressive moments". Curiously, in the last Bruno Walter recording (CSO stereo 1961) the timings are much closer to Mitropoulos than in his earlier versions.
For those who care to compare them, here are the timings of these recordings (each movement - without spacing intervals or applause):
Bruno Walter NYP 1954 broadcast - 11:50 / 6:00 / 11:06 / 17:53 ("Mitropoulos NYP 1955" )
Bruno Walter NBC 1939 – 11:54 / 6:09 / 11:16 / 18:03
Bruno Walter CGO 1947 - 12:12 / 6:04 / 11:23 / 18:48
Bruno Walter LPO 1947 – 11:28 / 5:51 / 10:36 / 17:21
Bruno Walter BSO 1950 – 12:01 / 6:13 / 11:17 / 18:39
Bruno Walter NYP 1954 studio – 12:30 / 6:20 / 11:15 / 18:14
Bruno Walter CSO 1961 studio – 13:17 / 6:48 / 11:18 / 20:19
Mitropoulos MSO 1940 studio – 13:30 / 6:11 / 10:24 / 17:17
Mitropoulos NYP 1951 – 14:12 / 6:18 / 11:08 / 19:22
Mitropoulos NYP 1960 – 14:14 / 6:25 / 10:41 / 19:48
A recently "discovered" live Mahler 1 with Mitropoulos and the NYP on January 12, 1941 (2 months after the WP recording by him on November 4, 1940) has the following timings:
12:38/06:10/11:10/18:16.
Regarding audience's reaction towards Mahler's compositions at least before the end of WWII, let's not underestimate the earthshaking ovations of the audience shouting "bravo" again and again on this 1941 concert, and the fact that the commercial M1 with Mitropoulos was repressed on 78s a lot of times due to the high demand despite Columbia's very negative behavior for this recording - Mitropoulos happily withdrew his compensation so as to made this possible within Columbia's budget.
This live one has to be issued somewhere. Thrilling is the least I can say. A real milestone of Mahler's recordings.
Another vote for Kubelik/BRSO/DG from me. I love the characterful woodwind playing throughout and Kubelik's rustic treatment of the third movement, flexible in tempo and full of vivid orchestral detail, is just wonderful.
My other Mahler 1s, in a vaguely fave-to-not-fave order.
Chailly/RCO/Decca
Bertini/WDR/EMI (My most recent and most recently played M1. It may slip down the list in time.)
Bernstein/NYPO/Sony
Bernstein/RCO/DG (Everybody raved about this one when it came out. I'm still waiting to be blown away by it.)
Solti/CSO/Decca (I must hear his LSO recording. I'm sure it's better than this.)
Mehta/IPO/Decca
Ozawa/BSO/DG (To be fair to Ozawa, I only bought this because it was going cheap and it includes the discarded Blumine movement which I didn't have. I haven't really paid enough attention to this recording and it may be a lot better than I remember from the rather half-arsed listen I've given it so far.)
Haitink/RCO/Philips (His first recording of this symphony isn't much cop at all.)
Edit: Just remembered I've got Kegel's Dresden recording (Berlin Classics) which I picked up for peanuts on a trip to Berlin, but it's so long since I played it, I can't comment on it.
What's this... Mahler's First has a thread of its own which has lain dormant for over a decade???
And l get to ( hopefully ) bump it back to life! 8)
Since my history with M1 would make for lengthy reading ( and even lengthier posting ), I'll simply list two favorite recordings:
Tennstedt with the CSO
https://youtu.be/qgGuSn1bujw
Bernstein with the VPO
Mahler - Symphonies Nos. 1, 2 & 3 ~ Leonard Bernstein, Sheila Armstrong, Janet Baker, Christa Ludwig, Wiener Philharmoniker, London Symphony Orchestra https://a.co/d/0aVZUV8
I agree with ultralinear that this piece is so good and so fun that it's hard to record a dud. (There are basically only two types of dud: "the conductor imposed a bunch of weird ideas," and "it's not exciting enough.")
some favorites:
Kubelik/Audite
Bernstein/Sony
both Bruno Walters
Ozawa/Boston/DG for best with Blumine (and he has an interesting idea about the final coda, refusing to let it speed up and somehow mining this for excitement)
Ivan Fischer/Budapest (the opposite of Ozawa, in that for the final 30 seconds he doubles the tempo to show just how fast his orchestra can play)
Alsop/Baltimore/Naxos is a surprisingly fine live recording, an example of how good today's standard for live Mahler is
Honeck/Pittsburgh has a lot of excellent detail but is a little bit too slow/stiff in the finale for me.
Honeck's 1st movement is peerless. A real dawning sense of 'the start of ... everything'. I agree the rest doesn't quite match up to this 1st movement though.
The recent 'period' recording by Roth/Les Siecles is very nearly a match for Honeck in the opening, and is equally good in the rest. The period sonorities are not really noticeable. Includes Blumine though I would program it out - insignificant music not worthy of the rest of the symphony. A clear favourite recording for me. Horrible cover art !
Would you say the Kubelik/Audite is worth getting if his DG studio is my favorite?
I only got my first "Blumine" only a few weeks ago, the Ozawa and the Hengelbrock (who uses the older version with titles, not Blumine grafted onto the revised later version) and I agree that the excision of the piece was no great loss.
For me a problem of many more recent recordings is that they do not sound sufficiently grotesque in the 3rd movement (Bernstein/DG is a huge "fail" in that respect, the whole thing sounds equally beautiful in all movements). Lack of energy in the finale is a more general feature that is rather common (but Mahler is to blame to a certain extent).
Both Kubelíks are sort of "best in class" type deals.
I'm quite partial to Eschenbach in this symphony, but then I think he's the best living Mahler conductor overall.