Mahler Mania, Rebooted

[greg]

I've never heard Abbado or Barenboim, but Tilson Thomas I found disappointing (though that was only one listen, a few years ago). I would consider Gielen the best, with Solti as a close second.

[jlaurson]

Staatskapelle Berlin with Barenboim[/font]

My favorite first movement, that interpretation. Awesome...


G. Mahler
Symphony No.7
Barenboim, Staatskapelle
Warner

[springrite]

The 7th is fast becoming my favorite Mahler to listen to at the moment. THe Gielen sounds interesting, especially since my only LIVE experience with the work, and the one performance that changed my feeling towards the work, was Gielen, guest conducting the LA Phil. Maybe I should get that one eventually. At the moment, the Boulez and the Tennstedt LIVE would do.

[jlaurson]

Side Notes: Mahler on Vinyl
http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2010/11/side-notes-mahler-on-vinyl.html

MTT on 22 LPs.

[DavidW]

Why do you say that MTT is the first American Mahler cycle as if Bernstein's first cycle never existed?

Anyway you should have talked more about those bad ass liner notes!

[kishnevi]

Why do you say that MTT is the first American Mahler cycle as if Bernstein's first cycle never existed?

Anyway you should have talked more about those bad ass liner notes!

The Bernstein cycle was not an all-American cycle.  The 8th was recorded in England in the LSO and various British choruses, while DLvdE was recorded in Tel Aviv with the Israel Philharmonic.

Meanwhile on another front,  Rattle's at it again.  Received an EMI email yesterday announcing this

Gustav Mahler's epic Symphony No. 2 'Resurrection' with Simon Rattle and the Berliner Philharmoniker, the Rundfunkchor Berlin and star soloists Kate Royal and Magdalena Kožená, recorded in concert at Berlin's Philharmonie in late October 2010, is now digitally available as an iTunes exclusive digital pre-release. The physical CD will follow in March
2011.

[Scarpia]

Side Notes: Mahler on Vinyl
http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2010/11/side-notes-mahler-on-vinyl.html

MTT on 22 LPs.

I'm holding out for the 8-track tape edition. 

[DavidW]

The Bernstein cycle was not an all-American cycle.  The 8th was recorded in England in the LSO and various British choruses, while DLvdE was recorded in Tel Aviv with the Israel Philharmonic.

Well dlvde is not a symphony, but I forgot about the 8th.  Anyway I don't think I've ever seen the MTT cycle sold that way since there are several American recordings for each symphony, it's not exactly ground breaking to be the first completely American cycle, while the Bernstein cycle is of historical interest.  MTT doesn't really have any historical significance.  Alright what Jens has said is technically true but misleading.

[Scarpia]

Well dlvde is not a symphony, but I forgot about the 8th.  Anyway I don't think I've ever seen the MTT cycle sold that way since there are several American recordings for each symphony, it's not exactly ground breaking to be the first American cycle.  It doesn't really have any historical significance.  Alright what Jens has said is technically true but misleading.

I believe Mahler had originally designated DSVDE as symphony No 9, but changed the title due to superstition over composers supposedly dying after their 9th symphony.   After that he composed his 10th symphony, which he called Number 9, and died.  It's like those "final destination" horror movies where you can't escape death.

[DavidW]

I've heard that before, but it hard to celebrate myth and fact with all of these hammer blows of fate and the 9th since there is an element of truth to them.  What really matters is that when you consider different Mahler symphony box sets, dldve is clearly considered optional.  It is included in some and left out in others.

[DavidW]

I'm sorry, I'm just taking exception to one sentence because I'm cranky today due to lack of sleep.  It is a good article Jens, you managed to explain the whole lp resurgence thing without being offensive to either part (pro and anti vinyl).

[Scarpia]

Well, if people would be honest with themselves, we have the basis for a whole new field.  CDs of lp playback.  I certainly recognize that LPs have their own unique sound which is pleasant in a way.  But I find it crazy to claim this is because something is "lost" in the transfer to CD.  When I transfer one of my LPs to digital audio and listen to it on my CD player that "LP sound" is still there, which would indicate that if there is anything missing from the CD it is because the LP adds something to the pristine signal. 

In any case, for people who like LPs, a CD or SACD of playback of an LP would be heaven.  That nice sound, and no worries about a bit of dust on the stylus.

And, actually in the early days of CD I got a "musicfest" CD from DG which I can swear was made from playback of an LP.  All I can say is they had a much better turntable than I did.

[DavidRoss]

Over the weekend I picked up a Chicago Symphony broadcast concert of Mahler's Seventh Symphony conducted by Pierre Boulez.

But the Boulez touch!!!  The work had a Kammermusik clarity which I had never experienced before: every instrument was heard, especially in the Second Movement: even the contrabasses were distinctive, and one knew exactly that everything they had to "say" was very important.  (Toledobass Allan will be glad to read that!)

And because of this clarity, one could detect links to a Schoenbergian/Webernian future, again especially in the second movement.

If you can find this performance available anywhere on the Internet, I will guarantee that you will not regret spending the time listening to it, no matter how often you have heard the Seventh, or if you think (like Bruno Walter) that it is somehow "weak."  If the latter is your opinion, I suspect you will change it, after hearing this.

You got what's great about Boulez in Mahler (and most everything else).  The performance was broadcast via Great Performances on PBS and is on their website here: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/episodes/chicago-symphony-orchestra-pierre-boulez-conducts-mahler%E2%80%99s-7th/watch-the-full-concert/1038/

[kishnevi]

I've heard that before, but it hard to celebrate myth and fact with all of these hammer blows of fate and the 9th since there is an element of truth to them.  What really matters is that when you consider different Mahler symphony box sets, dldve is clearly considered optional.  It is included in some and left out in others.

DLvdE is included in the Bernstein I box issued last year. 

[Sergeant Rock]

The Bernstein cycle was not an all-American cycle.

True, but the first recorded Mahler cycle was a "wholly" American one: Abravanel's with the Utah Symphony. I think most if not all his soloists were American too. Maybe Jens doesn't consider Abravanel to be an American since he wasn't born in the USA. But he was a U.S. citizen by the time he recorded the cycle.

Sarge

[DavidW]

Sarge, I was going to mention Abravanel but I just didn't know if it was complete.  His recordings had enough merit to make the cut for Duggan's survey but not enough to completely remain in print.

[jlaurson]

Why do you say that MTT is the first American Mahler cycle as if Bernstein's first cycle never existed?

London. That's why. I see kishnevi already explained. And Sarge answered his own Abravanel question. And Das Lied von der Erde is most certainly one of the Symphonies.

[DavidRoss]

[Das Lied von der Erde is most certainly one of the Symphonies.

Die Beste!

[Jared]

Die Beste!

^^^ David!   This is where you hang out these days... I hope you are keeping well... 

I have been playing 'Das Lied' quite a bit this summer, and would certainly equate it with a Symphony in it's breadth of scope..

anyway, I have mainly been enjoying the original:

[DavidRoss]

Hey, Jared--welcome to GMG!