Mahler Mania, Rebooted

[relm1]

As an aside, tonight i will be in chorus for piano rehearsals of the Mahler 8 with Daniel Harding. I think he has only conducted it twice before. His first performance was live streamed and I felt quite encouraged, as he allowed the music to breathe without it becoming sluggush. I am looking forward to it. Orchestral rehearsals are on Sat/Sun, with the performance closing the Edinburgh Festival on Sunday evening.

Mike

What's it like to play that work with such a massive orchestra on stage in front of you and with such thunderous volumes?  I imagine you can't hear the chorus, only the immediate members near you.  I play bass trombone and on large loud works, I can see the strings giving it their all but only hear myself and the instrument next to me, plus percussion if we are at fff or above.  All other instruments get drowned out.  Of course in the concert hall where the audience is, the various tone will blend.

[Mahlerian]

As an aside, tonight i will be in chorus for piano rehearsals of the Mahler 8 with Daniel Harding. I think he has only conducted it twice before. His first performance was live streamed and I felt quite encouraged, as he allowed the music to breathe without it becoming sluggush. I am looking forward to it. Orchestral rehearsals are on Sat/Sun, with the performance closing the Edinburgh Festival on Sunday evening.

Mike

Best of luck to all of you!

I'm going to be attending a performance of the Third this evening.  Looking forward to it.

[knight66]

What's it like to play that work with such a massive orchestra on stage in front of you and with such thunderous volumes?  I imagine you can't hear the chorus, only the immediate members near you.  I play bass trombone and on large loud works, I can see the strings giving it their all but only hear myself and the instrument next to me, plus percussion if we are at fff or above.  All other instruments get drowned out.  Of course in the concert hall where the audience is, the various tone will blend.

Years ago in Milan I was singing in a Berlioz Requiem for Gary Bertini. I was right behind the timps. There were 10 or 11 sets of them and when they got going it was like a curtain of sound blotting everything out and making the air crackle. It made me shake with the astonishing energy in the air which felt the air was moving.

One trumpet can cover an entire chorus if the player is determined. In the Mahler you generally hear quite a lot, as much of it is filligre. Also, what is probably difficult to detect, a lot of phrasing pulls one line of the chorus out of the textures while the others merge volume in support. Usually the writing is such that we can hear the soprano soloists and the tenor.

Last week I could not hear the harp or the cellos in the Ravel, even when I could see them.

There are areas in the Mahler where we are going hell for leather and the conductor has so much to control that we have to listen for one another and keep absolutely in synch with the other sections. It is written in two choirs, but even with the size of choir we have, probably 150 plus kids, we patch other parts. I am mainly 1st bass 1st choir and patch the second choir bases and second tenors, plus my choir second tenors.....it all gets quite complicatedto follow at speed.

Tonight is our special time with the conductor, the piano rehearsal where all kinds of detail is nourished: then from tomorrow we have to balance up to be heard, so many subtleties have to be junked.

This week we did the Dvorak Requiem with Jakub Hrusa. He is the first for a very long time who controlled his orchestra to permit us to sing to the markings in the score, it was quite an experience. It was also very taxing to sing so much pp and ppp on the voice, but so very quietly. He is working increasingly in the US, I urge you to watch out for him, he is special.

Mike

[knight66]

Best of luck to all of you!

I'm going to be attending a performance of the Third this evening.  Looking forward to it.

Thanks.....is that Nelsons' Mahler? If so, then I am especially jealous. I used to travel to Birmingham, (England), when he was there to catch as much of his work as I could.

Mike

[Mahlerian]

Thanks.....is that Nelsons' Mahler? If so, then I am especially jealous. I used to travel to Birmingham, (England), when he was there to catch as much of his work as I could.

Mike

Yes; Andris Nelsons conducting, with Susan Graham as the mezzo soloist.  I've been hearing the BSO play Mahler at Tanglewood for years now, and it's always been a great experience.

[knight66]

Yes; Andris Nelsons conducting, with Susan Graham as the mezzo soloist.  I've been hearing the BSO play Mahler at Tanglewood for years now, and it's always been a great experience.

I am sure it will be terrific. I did one tour of the summer venues of the US orchestras, but unfortunately not Tanglewood.

Mike

[Mahlerian]

I am sure it will be terrific. I did one tour of the summer venues of the US orchestras, but unfortunately not Tanglewood.

Mike

The concert was wonderful.  The Koussevitzky Shed was only about half full, but there were lots of people on the lawn as well, which was enough to make the traffic a huge mess when driving out.

Write-up will be forthcoming.

[Ainsi la nuit]

Last Thursday I heard my first ever live Mahler 8th - it was a magnificent experience, something I will treasure for the rest of my life. It is a truly stunning work. Hannu Lintu conducted the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, with an army of choirs and soloists. Amazing!

What a great start for the season, during which the orchestra will play all of the symphonies except Das Lied von der Erde and the performance edition of the 10th (they will only do the Adagio). I already have tickets for the 1st, the 3rd, the 4th and the 6th. The rest will follow in the spring...

[Alek Hidell]

The concert was wonderful.  The Koussevitzky Shed was only about half full, but there were lots of people on the lawn as well, which was enough to make the traffic a huge mess when driving out.

Write-up will be forthcoming.

I'm positively green with envy - the Third is my favorite Mahler symphony. I've never heard any Mahler performed in concert - IIRC my local orchestra performed the First a year or two ago, but I wasn't able to attend.

Looking forward to the review!

[bhodges]

Last Thursday I heard my first ever live Mahler 8th - it was a magnificent experience, something I will treasure for the rest of my life. It is a truly stunning work. Hannu Lintu conducted the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, with an army of choirs and soloists. Amazing!

What a great start for the season, during which the orchestra will play all of the symphonies except Das Lied von der Erde and the performance edition of the 10th (they will only do the Adagio). I already have tickets for the 1st, the 3rd, the 4th and the 6th. The rest will follow in the spring...

How great. The Eighth live is quite an experience, and it sounds like you got a good one!

And if this is an example, you have a fun year ahead. 😁

--Bruce

[JBS]

Played this DVD tonight.
[asin]B071V61TRG[/asin]
The Chorus Mysticus was a tad too quick for my taste, but all around a very good performance. Much better than his earlier DVD with the Gewandhaus.
Apparently it can be viewed on YouTube.

[TheGSMoeller]

Entire performance of Teodor Currentzis and SWR Symphonieorchester performing Mahler's 3rd on YouTube from a concert last month...

Edit: I also notice several microphones, perhaps a recording was made for a future release?

https://www.youtube.com/v/xyAkS-9wRPc

[SurprisedByBeauty]

Entire performance of Teodor Currentzis and SWR Symphonieorchester performing Mahler's 3rd on YouTube from a concert last month...

Edit: I also notice several microphones, perhaps a recording was made for a future release?

https://www.youtube.com/v/xyAkS-9wRPc

The SWR is a Radio orchestra - its performances are always taped for broadcast.

[Karl Henning]

Mania, is right!  0:)

A concert-goer rustled a bag of gum during a Mahler symphony. A 'violent attack' ensued.

[SurprisedByBeauty]

A radio interview (sound quality is sketchy, alas) about Mahler's 8th, aimed at the casual listener / Mahler-novice.



Church and Culture – November 24, 2018 – Hour 2 – Deal Hudson and Jens F. Laurson introduce Mahler's 8th Symphony, 'The Symphony of a Thousand'

https://avemariaradio.net/audio-archive/church-and-culture-november-24-2018-hour-2/?fbclid=IwAR2n3nEUqHf6y9wmR_Jc1fXbcF05_eBe2r7YBctpwCAGSTbVX0dm2AcTGP0

[André]

Listened to the Currentzis version this afternoon - once only. Paul (Springrite) did it twice, back to back.

Some specifics first: issued on a single disc of nearly 85 minutes. Great job, Sony ! The first movement repeat is observed, and the order of the middle movements is scherzo/andante. 2 hammerblows of the 'standard' kind - no custom built special machine à la Zander.

The orchestra is a large one, with a string complement of 18/18/17/16/11 - the orchestra members are listed in the booklet, so I would assume that all are playing. The winds and brass numbers are slightly augmented: an extra flute, oboe, bassoon and horn are listed. Currentzis employs 4 harps. The score demands 2, « reinforced in IV ». All told, 111 musicians plus the conductor.

The engineering sounds superlative, with the huge forces cleanly caught in a recording of great amplitude and nice spatial depth. More kudos to the Sony team.

I listened to this interpretation with great interest and satisfaction. There is quite a bit of tempo adjustments in the first movement, but it sounds natural  most of the time. The only exception which bothered me a bit was toward the end when the music seems to agonize and suddenly lurches forward with powerful fff brass pronouncements. It's much too fast and some power is lost due to the rushed tempo. Compare with Barbirolli, who is much more imposing and menacing, allowing the low brass to fill the soundstage with terrific lung power.

That being said, it is the only miscalculation I could reproach. You can't really blame Currentzis for not being Barbirolli. The scherzo is expertly played, alternating grimacing energy and playfulness. The andante is perfectly paced and finds a perfect balance between yearning and sadness, passion and repose. Especially noteworthy is the orchestra's transparency even in the most thickly orchestrated passages. I usually find that the sound saturates and loses definition in that movement's episodes of heavy breathing. Not so here. This is masterful conducting. I found the sound of the cowbells slightly disappointing: not distant enough and not bell-like, with a hint of the tinny and metallic.

The finale is where Currentzis may seem a wee bit controversial, as one might expect storms of sound and fury but find instead perfectly controlled (fast) tempi, and normal balances (no spotlighting from the engineers or italicizing from the conductor). Personally I found it gripping and very satisfying in its refusal to overplay this orchestral leviathan. As I mentioned the hammerblows are not heart-stopping and show-stealing moments. Momentum is strictly maintained. I really like the way Currentzis keeps the strings whizzing like a demented swarm of bees, spending all energy before running out of gas at the end. Wonderful concluding brass chorale. The final chords do not sound apoplectic so much as a last gasp from the dying beast.

I can understand that one may feel the performance too controlled, at risk of sounding micromanaged and lacking a bit in spontaneity. But I 'clicked' with the conductor's agenda and stayed aboard for the whole journey. I can only admire the level of excellence on display here. My favourite 6ths remain Barbirolli and Zander, with Farberman and Currentzis not far behind.

[André]

Listened to Macal's version of the 7th symphony today. A good interpretation, very well executed and recorded. I found Macal's view too horizontal for this to work for me. He is more concerned with the narrative and symphonic development than the incidentals, the weird colours and rythms, the fireworks display of the 7th. I may be wrong, but I like to think of the 7th as Mahler's cubist symphony. Not like Picasso (too blocky) but more like Juan Gris with his detail-packed, colourful canvases.

At this point I have not really elected a favourite version of the 7th. I don't listen to it all that often, maybe once every second year. Not enough to remember everything from the other versions when I listen to one. So I'm always going back to square one, unable to pinpoint a favourite.

What version do GMGers recommend ?

[JBS]

For me you asking the easiest question in Mahler discography.
Abbado/BPO

It's all the other symphonies that I have no clear favorite for. (Well, the Ninth I have several favorites.)

I am btw just started with that Sanderling BerlinSO trio, DLvdE first up to bat.

[SurprisedByBeauty]

For me you asking the easiest question in Mahler discography.
Abbado/BPO

It's all the other symphonies that I have no clear favorite for. (Well, the Ninth I have several favorites.)

I am btw just started with that Sanderling BerlinSO trio, DLvdE first up to bat.

I can second that. There's no perfect M7, but the inner movements - the Nachtmusiken, especially, of that recording alone make it so outstanding: https://ionarts.blogspot.com/2013/08/gustav-mahler-symphony-no7-part-2.html

Favorite first movement CD: Barenboim, favorite finale CD: Boulez (in concert: Nezet-Seguin), favorite inner movements live: Roberto Abbado.

[André]

Thanks, so that makes 2 votes for Abbado. I have his Berlin 9th, a wonderful performance. Will definitely keep an eye open. Speaking of the 9th, I will hear NS perform it next week.

I should sample the Boulez too. Not my favourite Mahler conductor, but he might be just the ticket for that 'abstract' POV I find so interesting.