Mahler Mania, Rebooted

[Mirror Image]

What are everyone's favorite performances of the 6th? I've really connected with this symphony over the past month or so. In fact, it's surpassed the 5th as one of my favorites. The 3rd, 6th, and 9th are my favorite Mahler symphonies, although I still have much love for the 2nd, 4th, 5th, and 7th. The 1st and 8th haven't quite grabbed me yet, but I plan a revisit of the 1st and the 8th tomorrow.

[PerfectWagnerite]

I'm sorry to hear about the circumstances that led you to Mahler, but there's always room under the tent for another person.

As for becoming the biggest Mahlerian, though...you still have to read this first (not my photo):

Cute cat.

[Mahlerian]

Cute cat.

Alex Ross's photo, not mine.

[Mirror Image]

Alex Ross's photo, not mine.

What in the world are you doing with Alex Ross' cat?

[Pat B]

James Judd/Florida Philharmonic (okay , it's my Florida bias showing, but the FP has been out of business for years now). Or at least one with the Blumine movement attached.

That one is excellent -- a better choice than Levi, not that Levi is bad -- and no Florida bias here. But I do not find Blumine essential.

I've heard most of the above-mentioned recommendations for 1 and don't think any would be a bad choice. I didn't notice a huge difference between the two Kubeliks.

Can't help on Klagende Lied -- I have the elusive Nagano but not any others.

[Heck148]

What are everyone's favorite performances of the 6th?.....

Solti/CSO from '70. Great performance, so well recorded - unrivaled in its vicious, savage intensity - tho the Andante is played with an almost sweet, lyrical, cantabile style which contrasts well with the surrounding storm and torment. Overall, tho pretty brutal....

[Marc]

What are everyone's favorite performances of the 6th?
[...]

Barbirolli, New Philharmonia.

Skips the repeat in first movement, still... my first choice.

Relentless.
Wuchtig.
Sans pitié.
Shattering.

(Et al.)

[Sergeant Rock]

What are everyone's favorite performances of the 6th?

Of the 29 versions I own, two very different performances are top of my favorites list:

Solti (desert island companion, for the reasons Heck listed plus I love the way he launches the first movement's coda with a slight rhythmic hesitation. Bonus: three hammerblows!)

Szell (for the emotional restraint shown up until the final blast of the fate motif which, considering what's come before, is shocking and shattering in its intensity)

Also like:

Karajan (for the most exquisitely beautiful Andante)

Chailly (for the uniquely grim and stoic, and slow, first movement)

Bernstein/Vienna

Eschenbach/Philadelphia

[Mirror Image]

I don't think I've heard a performance of the 6th that I downright hated.  Bernstein (DG) really impressed me here as did Haitink/Concertgebouw.

[SurprisedByBeauty]

What are everyone's favorite performances of the 6th? I've really connected with this symphony over the past month or so. In fact, it's surpassed the 5th as one of my favorites. The 3rd, 6th, and 9th are my favorite Mahler symphonies, although I still have much love for the 2nd, 4th, 5th, and 7th. The 1st and 8th haven't quite grabbed me yet, but I plan a revisit of the 1st and the 8th tomorrow.

Barbirolli, New Philharmonia.

Skips the repeat in first movement, still... my first choice.
Relentless, Wuchtig, Sans pitié, Shattering.
(Et al.)

Seconded.

l

Solti (desert island companion, for the reasons Heck listed plus I love the way he launches the first movement's coda with a slight rhythmic hesitation. Bonus: three hammerblows!)

Seconded, also... thanks to Sarge I overcame my Solti-hesitancy (I don't like his Mahler or Bruckner, as a rule) and gave this a fair shake: It's terrific.

Here's the obligatory link to the Mahler survey:


http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2016/04/gustav-mahler-symphony-no6-part-1.html

Like Sarge, I think there are (at least) two very different ways to success in the Sixth and I like him I have favorites in both camps. Solti, because the survey hasn't been updated since, would make my Top Choices, easily; Szell not at all, though. Between the two different approaches, though, I'll be the first to admit that I prefer it Rough.



Mahler 6 "Rough" Choices

1. Benjamin Zander, Philharmonia, Telarc

2. Pierre Boulez, WPh, DG

3. John Barbirolli, New Philharmonia, EMI/Warner

4. Dimitri Mitropoulos, WDR SO, EMI [SQ caveat]

5. Michael Gielen, SWR SO BB/F, Hässler

Mahler 6 "Neat" Choices

1. Iván Fischer, Budapest FO, Channel

2. Herbert von Karajan, BPh, DG

3. Michael Tilson Thomas, SFS, SFSMedia


Mahler 6 SACD Choice

Christoph Eschenbach, Philadelphia, Ondine

Iván Fischer, Budapest FO, Channel Classics

P.S. Because everyone seems to do it:

[Mirror Image]

Thanks for the links, Jens. Also, thanks to everyone for the your feedback. It's always fascinating to read about other people's favorite performances, because not one of them will be the same.

[Papy Oli]

Besides the Barbirolli / Fischer / Mitropoulos, 2 other versions have ended in my personal favorites over time :

Thomas Sanderling - Saint Petersbourg Phil. Orch. (pretty much D/L only unfortunately)



and that Haitink CSO Resound version - one of the best ends to Mvt IV for me.

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[Jay F]

Probably because it is my imprint version, Bernstein's CBS recording makes every other recording sound wrong, particularly in the first movement. Nearly everything else seems slow. It's my favorite. Back when I used to listen to CDs, I would sometimes put someone else on (Karajan, Barbirolli, Tennstedt, Abbado, Mitropoulous, Cortese), and change to LB halfway through the first movement. "Hey, I could be listening to Bernstein!", like the V8 commercials.

All of that said, there is no version I don't like. I find myself listening to Sinopoli, Levine, Solti, Abbado I, Abbado II. I can't say why, but I find it easier to listen to other versions nowadays. 

[Mirror Image]

Probably because it is my imprint version, Bernstein's CBS recording makes every other recording sound wrong, particularly in the first movement. Nearly everything else seems slow. It's my favorite. Back when I used to listen to CDs, I would sometimes put someone else on (Karajan, Barbirolli, Tennstedt, Abbado, Mitropoulous, Cortese), and change to LB halfway through the first movement. "Hey, I could be listening to Bernstein!", like the V8 commercials.

All of that said, there is no version I don't like. I find myself listening to Sinopoli, Levine, Solti, Abbado I, Abbado II. I can't say why, but I find it easier to listen to other versions nowadays.

Levine's 6th is a performance I'm highly interested in as I bought the original CD issue on RCA a few nights ago. I've only heard Levine's 5th and I found that particular performance rather good. What do you think of Levine's other Mahler recordings? His 3rd seems to be one of the most highly rated.

[Pat B]

The Budapest and esp. Hamburg & Weimar Versions are legitimately called "Titan"; they both include Blumine. Good options here are Jan Willem de Vriend (Challenge) (Hamburg 1893) and Hermus (Hagen Phil.; oop). Wyn Morris, Hiroshi Wakasugi, Ole Kristian Ruud, Roger Norrington [?], and Antony Hermus also recorded that or the "Weimar" version.

The NDRSO with Hengelbrock recently recorded the 1893 Hamburg version for Sony. Sounds great to me, but I haven't heard the ones you listed.

[Mirror Image]

and that Haitink CSO Resound version - one of the best ends to Mvt IV for me.

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What do you think of Haitink's CSO recordings of Mahler in general, Olivier? I rather like his Concertgebouw and Berliner cycles (so far).

[Madiel]

I had a slight panic when listening to samples of this for second time...

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...when I heard a quite loud cough from the audience. I'm instinctively a bit wary of live recordings.

However, I'm listening to the whole 1st movement at the moment via streaming, and I get the impression I stumbled across the loudest cough in the whole thing. Overall the audience seems pretty quiet.

For those that know it, any comments on how this compares to live recordings generally?

[Mahlerian]

And here's my preferred Sixth:



Also available here:



I don't need to say again which recording I despise beyond all others.

[Jay F]

Levine's 6th is a performance I'm highly interested in as I bought the original CD issue on RCA a few nights ago. I've only heard Levine's 5th and I found that particular performance rather good. What do you think of Levine's other Mahler recordings? His 3rd seems to be one of the most highly rated.

I don't have a lot to say about them, really. I've listened to Levine's 3rd twice since you asked, and very few times prior to this, as is the case for the rest of it. Nothing seems bad about Levine's Mahler. You should try it for yourself, of course. It could hardly cost less. The box set is now available for what you'd have spent on a single CD back in the '80s (look in Amazon Marketplace). I don't think I've listened to all of it more than once all the way through, though (I think at times I have too much Mahler).

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0041LXX2G/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Mirror Image]

I don't have a lot to say about them, really. I've listened to Levine's 3rd twice since you asked, and very few times prior to this, as is the case for the rest of it. Nothing seems bad about Levine's Mahler. You should try it for yourself, of course. It could hardly cost less. The box set is now available for what you'd have spent on a single CD back in the '80s (look in Amazon Marketplace). I don't think I've listened to all of it more than once all the way through, though (I think at times I have too much Mahler).

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0041LXX2G/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thanks for your feedback, Jay. Actually, I bought most of the Levine recordings for blowout prices in their original CD issues on RCA. I suppose the collector inside of me thought that owning the original releases would somehow be better. Anyway, those Sony budget sets are quite convenient and cheap as hell, but I only lack the 1st and 10th now, so I'll keep my eyes out for those (if I can get them for a good price).

I received Levine's 3rd in the mail today, so if I may have to post some thoughts on it once I finish giving it a test drive. Kudos, my friend.