Mahler Mania, Rebooted

[jlaurson]

Does anyone have a line on inexpensive (/less expensive) copies of La Grange's biography volumes?  I would like to make them a part of my summer reading but is $50+ a volume as good as it gets?

It's called a library.

[Orpheus]

What's your opinion on Fedoseyev Mahler recordings?

[Sergeant Rock]

Does anyone have a line on inexpensive (/less expensive) copies of La Grange's biography volumes?  I would like to make them a part of my summer reading but is $50+ a volume as good as it gets?

Amazon.com has slashed the price of volume 4 ($54) and you can find used copies of volume 1 and 2 for around $45 each. Still expensive, I know, but I haven't seen them cheaper.

EDIT: I was referring here to the most recent volume being $100+ at release, but I see all are quite a bit more at full retail. Yowzers!

I own the four books. They've always been expensive. I bought the first volume in 1977. It cost $17.50...which doesn't seem much now but that's approximately $60 in today's money.

Sarge

[Drasko]

Anyone familiar with this one?

[jlaurson]

Amazon.com has slashed the price of volume 4 ($54) and you can find used copies of volume 1 and 2 for around $45 each. Still expensive, I know, but I haven't seen them cheaper.

English speakers/readers beware: No point in getting the old volume 1 (currently covering all of what the new v.1 will be and half of what v.2 is), anyway. Start with 2, then 3, then 4. By the time you've read through them, the all-new, much expanded volume 1 will appear. Translation work on it is nearly finished.

[Sergeant Rock]

English speakers/readers beware: No point in getting the old volume 1 (currently covering all of what the new v.1 will be and half of what v.2 is), anyway. Start with 2, then 3, then 4. By the time you've read through them, the all-new, much expanded volume 1 will appear. Translation work on it is nearly finished.

Good point. I have my hundred Euro stashed away in anticipation 

Sarge

[greg]

English speakers/readers beware: No point in getting the old volume 1 (currently covering all of what the new v.1 will be and half of what v.2 is), anyway. Start with 2, then 3, then 4. By the time you've read through them, the all-new, much expanded volume 1 will appear. Translation work on it is nearly finished.

That's good to know!

It's called a library.

I tried to get my library to order one of these a long time ago... they wouldn't, though. Right now, I live in a different county with a different library system. Maybe I should try again?...

[Renfield]

The library. What an excellent point.

Having grown up in a province of a provincial country (!), I've hardly had access to such a useful resource as a well-stocked public library, so I tend to forget they exist. But nowadays I've access to the library of a Russell Group university, even outside my fields of study!

So I might take my cue from BMW and do some Mahler summer reading myself.

[BMW]

It's called a library.

The library. What an excellent point.

A library, of course!  I have been working at one of those on my school's campus to help pay for my education there (and for four years before that at one near my home)! 
Unfortunately neither the school's library nor the public libraries near my home have these books.

Thanks for the information about the pricing and the bit about the revised first volume --- I will be keeping my eyes open for a bargain and considering whether or not reading these out of order will drive me too crazy. 

[jlaurson]

What about inter-library loan? I mean, which library isn't connected in some greater system anymore, these days? Or which town doesn't have a university/college library that isn't?

A library, of course!  I have been working at one of those on my school's campus to help pay for my education there (and for four years before that at one near my home)! 
Unfortunately neither the school's library nor the public libraries near my home have these books.

Thanks for the information about the pricing and the bit about the revised first volume --- I will be keeping my eyes open for a bargain and considering whether or not reading these out of order will drive me too crazy. 

[greg]

Has anyone heard Ozawa's Mahler?

I know there is a complete set, and it's very rare, but I bet someone has it. It just seems like he would be able to do a good job with Mahler.

[Sergeant Rock]

Has anyone heard Ozawa's Mahler?

I know there is a complete set, and it's very rare...

Rare and expensive. I don't own even a single recording of Ozawa's Mahler. I'm not sure why except I don't recall a joyous critical reception in the pre-internet days. Either that or nothing in the reviews made me think it was special enough to spend money on. I'm slightly more interested today (now that I've got more expendable income and more time to indulge this Mahler addiction). Hurwitz thinks it's a very good cycle, surpassing Haitink, Abbado, Tennstedt and Sinopoli. Since I agree with Hurwitz on Mahler about half the time, I'll continue to reserve final judgment   Ozawa did record a great Gurrelieder, which makes me think his M2, M3 and M8 might be something to hear. I hope someone here has heard the cycle. I'd be interested in their opinion.

Sarge

[Papy Oli]

Ozawa's M2 can be had at £4.45 as an MP3 here :

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001GTU8WO/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1275683395&sr=8-4

Got it a fair while back and i absolutely love it. Very powerful. Definitely in my top tier of M2's.

Edit : It is a live recording. I have personnally found it pretty similar in feel to Mehta's version (in my top tier too  ).

[Sergeant Rock]

Ozawa's M2 can be had at £4.45 as an MP3 here :

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001GTU8WO/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1275683395&sr=8-4

Got it a fair while back and i absolutely love it. Very powerful. Definitely in my top tier of M2's.

While the whole cycle is still expensive, even used, I have noticed tonight, at German Amazon, that certain individual symphonies can be gotten cheaply. Saw an Eighth for 9 Euro, for example. Thanks for pointing out the M2 download.

Sarge

[Papy Oli]

Well, I guess Sarge started talking about Boston; Greg merely about Ozawa... so there is room for Saito Kinen, after all. :-)

I did go for Greg's general approach yes  ... i didn't know there was a complete set at all to be honest...  0:)

[jlaurson]

Has anyone heard Ozawa's Mahler?

I know there is a complete set, and it's very rare, but I bet someone has it. It just seems like he would be able to do a good job with Mahler.

Ozawa's 8th is the best ever.
http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2006/07/alles-vergngliche-ozawas-mahler-eighth.html
http://www.weta.org/fmblog/?p=1375
(http://www.weta.org/fmblog/?p=1382)

The complete cycle is available from Japan for about $150,-

Good things have been said about his Boston 2nd and 5th, I believe... but most of it was apparently lost in the generally muttering about his (allegedly) uninspiring, slightly troubled days of his tenure with the BSO.

No.1 is easily, cheaply available in the West, No.5 is available singly in Europe.

I like his non-Boston (that is: Saito Kinen) 2nd and 9th.  Haven't heard his new M1 with that orchestra yet.

Ozawa's M2 can be had at £4.45 as an MP3 here :
Got it a fair while back and i absolutely love it. Very powerful. Definitely in my top tier of M2's.

It's a good 2nd.... makes my cut of top M2 recordings, too: http://www.weta.org/fmblog/?p=1103
But we're talking Boston here... and this is Saito Kinen. Edit: Well, I guess Sarge started talking about Boston; Greg merely about Ozawa... so there is room for Saito Kinen, after all. :-)

[Sergeant Rock]

Ozawa's 8th is the best ever.

I knew there was one critic who really, really liked Ozawa's Eighth. Should have guessed it was you--but guessing at my age is damned dangerous. Better to keep quiet and not expose mental decline 

Mrs. Rock nixed buying the cheap, used copy I found because the seller lists it as just "Akzeptabel." She's probably right. No sense buying a product with visible defects. In these years of Mahler celebrations I'd think, hope, that both Levine and Ozawa's cycles would be re-issued in Europe. Not holding my breath though 

Sarge

[jlaurson]

I knew there was one critic who really, really liked Ozawa's Eighth. Should have guessed it was you--but guessing at my age is damned dangerous. Better to keep quiet and not expose mental decline 

Mrs. Rock nixed buying the cheap, used copy I found because the seller lists it as just "Akzeptabel." She's probably right. No sense buying a product with visible defects. In these years of Mahler celebrations I'd think, hope, that both Levine and Ozawa's cycles would be re-issued in Europe. Not holding my breath though 

I used to import single-disc copies on the cheap Japanese re-issue on Philips... but they're out of print now, too. 
Arkiv's re-print is a little too expensive, because they're basing it on the two-CD set.


The Levine 'cycle' on RCA isn't complete, though... is it??

[Sergeant Rock]

The Levine 'cycle' on RCA isn't complete, though... is it??

   Hmmmm...I know there is a complete 10th...and 1, 3 , 4 , 5, 6, 7 and 9. Are 2 and 8 missing? I've always assumed he completed the cycle twenty years ago.

Sarge

[greg]

I did go for Greg's general approach yes  ... i didn't know there was a complete set at all to be honest...  0:)

What's funny is that I didn't know, either. I just had the thought, "hmm... I wonder who else would probably make a fine Mahler conductor?" Then, "Ozawa would probably be a good one!"
Then I just looked it up.