Mahler Mania, Rebooted

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

The 7th has always been my favorite, too, though I have probably not managed to listen to the entire finale often, if I had the choice to walk away (i.e. at home). You can do the Seventh dark and you can do it semi-dark, and maybe you can even do an optimistic Seventh.

The most impressive Seventh I ever heard was in 1990 or 1991 at the Concertgebouw, Bernard Haitink visiting with the London Philharmonic (Haitink had only been away from the RCO a couple of years). It was pitch black, from the first timpani roll a couple bars in. The Scherzo was menacing, scary and the climax at the end of the cello-horn tune in the second Nachtmusik was hysterical.

One of the things I like about the Seventh is it is a very hard piece to reduce to cheap program talk. "When Mahler was writing this he was feeling X." You see this a lot, also on this thread, people who seem to have direct access to Mahler's thoughts and feelings and being able to put them in a few words, whereas Mahler himself needed hundreds of pages of music for it.

I am pleased to see we're in agreement here, Herman. That Haitink performance sounds very enticing... I wonder whether it was broadcast at the time, because then I am sure to have listened to it, too. Your final observation is highly interesting - I had never thought of the 7th in this way, but you are right, there isn't a 'big confession' going on in this piece and it defies easy analysis along emotional lines. As for the Finale, it depends on the performance whether it comes off as a half satirical send-up with really majestic and magical episodes or as just so much puzzling noise.

[jlaurson]

I am pleased to see we're in agreement here, Herman. That Haitink performance sounds very enticing... I wonder whether it was broadcast at the time, because then I am sure to have listened to it, too. Your final observation is highly interesting - I had never thought of the 7th in this way, but you are right, there isn't a 'big confession' going on in this piece and it defies easy analysis along emotional lines. As for the Finale, it depends on the performance whether it comes off as a half satirical send-up with really majestic and magical episodes or as just so much puzzling noise.

In the YNS-BRSO performance in Leipzig (still available online??), the finale was zero-satirical, and it worked in amazing ways! Just WOW.

[eyeresist]

I have not yet taken to the 3rd, except for the first movement and the bim-bams. For the rest, I don't think it's his strongest or best developed material. I have the impression of him trying to outdo his 2nd, but falling short.

[springrite]

Currently, these are my personal Mahler symphony favorites (in approximate order).  It could and likely will change in the next hour or day!! 

Absolutely NO CHANGING in the middle of listening to a work!


Mine at the moment:

7
9
1
6
3
4
2
5
8

[The new erato]

4-6-2-9-3-5......-8

Probably not my final words on the subject

[eyeresist]

Putting it roughly:  7, 2, 6, 4, 5, 10, 9, 1, 3, DLVDE, 8

[The new erato]

Guess I nees to relsitem to the 7th - been a long time. And including the DLVDE would put it high on my list as well.

[Florestan]

I nees to relsitem

Is this Bokmal or Nynorsk? 

[The new erato]

Is this Bokmal or Nynorsk? 

It's the local dialect crappola.

[karlhenning]

Strictly speaking, this query ought to be in the Recordings area, I suppose . . . what is folks' experience with this commemmorative set?

[asin]B003BZC2RU[/asin]

[not edward]

There's definitely some good stuff in that set: Kubelik's 1st, Mehta's 2nd, Boulez's 4th, Bernstein's 5th, Chailly's 10th and Das Klagende Lied are all recordings I think very highly of. (And that Quasthoff/von Otter/Abbado collaboration in the Wunderhorn songs sounds extremely tempting.)

[DavidRoss]

I have not yet taken to the 3rd, except for the first movement and the bim-bams. For the rest, I don't think it's his strongest or best developed material. I have the impression of him trying to outdo his 2nd, but falling short.

That one didn't click with me for the longest time, but when it did I fell in love.

Strictly speaking, this query ought to be in the Recordings area, I suppose . . . what is folks' experience with this commemmorative set?

There's definitely some good stuff in that set: Kubelik's 1st, Mehta's 2nd, Boulez's 4th, Bernstein's 5th, Chailly's 10th and Das Klagende Lied are all recordings I think very highly of. (And that Quasthoff/von Otter/Abbado collaboration in the Wunderhorn songs sounds extremely tempting.)

What he said.  And Sinopoli's 7th.  And at $40, a terrific bargain.

[eyeresist]

There's definitely some good stuff in that set: Kubelik's 1st, Mehta's 2nd, Boulez's 4th, Bernstein's 5th, Chailly's 10th and Das Klagende Lied are all recordings I think very highly of.

I've heard most of these and hated them! So won't be buying. Didn't like the EMI set either

[kishnevi]

Strictly speaking, this query ought to be in the Recordings area, I suppose . . . what is folks' experience with this commemmorative set?

[asin]B003BZC2RU[/asin]

I have (naturlich) both the DG and EMI box.  I think overall the DG box is stronger, and what is best in the EMI box--the well known historical recordings of the song cycles--can be easily obtained as separate CDs.   The only real drawback to the box (which also applies to the EMI version) is that you may already have a few of the recordings they chose to use.   

Other highlights of the DG box include Karajan's 9th and Hampson's recording with Bernstein of the song cycles.

[karlhenning]

Sounds perfect for me, though, as I've never been a "Mahler collector" (I've three recordings of the Seventh, none of them the Sinopoli included here).

[eyeresist]

Karl, do you have Tennstedt's 7th? You should.

[kishnevi]

Karl, do you have Tennstedt's 7th? You should.

[asin]B004OGDW4M[/asin]

Which one?  This one contains, besides the "official" cycle, live recordings of 5, 6, and 7.  (I haven't seen performance details, so I won't know the dates on those until I get the set later this month.)

EDIT:  Hopefully the link now works.

[eyeresist]

[asin]B004OGDW4M [/asin]
Which one?  This one contains, besides the "official" cycle, live recordings of 5, 6, and 7.  (I haven't seen performance details, so I won't know the dates on those until I get the set later this month.)

That link didn't work for me.

It looks like EMI have got the rights to the BBC performance for their set. I haven't heard that one, just the one from the complete cycle.
The reviews for the BBC release go on about how Bernstein is the touchstone for this symphony, which is a load of bull. 

[jlaurson]

Sounds perfect for me, though, as I've never been a "Mahler collector" (I've three recordings of the Seventh, none of them the Sinopoli included here).

DG did an excellent job at picking actual- and consensus-favorites for this box... the only limitation perhaps being that they insisted on having a different conductor for each symphony -- when here or there one conductor might arguably have offered a "best solution" not just in one but two cases. (I'd like to think Sarge, one of our biggest Mahler-addicts of temperate and sound disposition, will more or less agree with this assessment.)
The only serious draw-back of this box is that Mahler collector's have all, or almost all, the performances therein. You may still not find every performance to your liking (either now or later, after you've been more thoroughly been infected with Mahleria), but that'll be due to subjective preferences, not any objective flaws with any of these recordings. In short: this box really does sound like an excellent pick for you.

[kishnevi]

That link didn't work for me.

Sorry for that.  Link is now fixed (see below)