Mahler recordings

[Stradi]

What are your favouriteMahler recordings?(symphonies only).My favourite recordings are:<P>Symphony 1 - Boulez/CSO(DG) <P>Symphony 2 - Abbado / CSO (DG)(let me tell you that it is the best played recording you can find, that's for sure!) <P>Symphony 3 - Bernstein/NYP(DG) <P>Symphony 4 - Abbado/WPO(DG) <P>Symphony 5 - Karajan/BPO (DG) <P>Symphony 6 - Barbirolli/NPO(EMI) <P>Symphony 7 - Horenstein/NPO (BBC Legends) <P>Symphony 8 - Abbado/BPO(DG) <P>Symphony 9 - Karajan/BPO (DG) <P>Symphony 10 - Rattle /BPO(EMI)

[BenMurphy6]

here is my mahler cycle:<P>1 - barbirolli / halle orch.<P>2 - slatkin / st. louis<P>3 - horenstein / london<BR> or<BR> salonen / los angeles phil.<P>4 - szell / cleveland<P>5 - barbirolli / new philharmonia<BR> or<BR> zander / philharmonia<P>6 - karajan / berlin<P>7 - abbado / chicago<P>8 - chailly / royal concertgebouw<P>9 - zander / philharmonia<P>10 - rattle / bpo<P>das lied. - walter / ferrier / vienna<p>[ 04-14-2003: Message edited by: BenMurphy6 ]

[Valerie]

hi<P>all of the walter recordings and all of lenny's recordings<P>

[priya978]

Walter and (then?)Lenny.

[TJRDN]

Well at present I own only three,so here goes...<BR>1. Bernstein/NYP<BR>2. Klemperer/Philharmonia Orch.<BR>5. Barbirolli/New Philharmonia Orch.

[thornhill]

Sym No.1 Kubelik/BRSO on DG <BR>Sym No.2 Mehta/VPO on DG<BR>Smy No.3 Horenstein/LSO on Unicorn<BR>Sym No.4 Szell/Cleveland on Sony<BR>Sym No.5 Donhanyi/Cleveland on Decca<BR>Sym No.6 Szell/Cleveland on Sony<BR>Sym No.7 Abbado/CSO on DG<BR>Sym No.8 Don't like the symphony, have yet to find a recording I can stand<BR>Sym No.9 Szell/Cleveland on Cleveland's label<BR>Das Lied Haitink/Concertgebouw on Philips<BR>Wunderhorn Szell/LSO on EMI<BR>Orchestral Songs von Otter/NDR on DG

[BenMurphy6]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR> Sym No.5 Donhanyi/Cleveland on Decca<BR> <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>so someone finally dethroned ol' barbirolli, eh thorny? i haven't heard the dohnanyi, except what i've listened to on amazon. sounded very tight and controlled.

[thornhill]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR> so someone finally dethroned ol' barbirolli, eh thorny? i haven't heard the dohnanyi, except what i've listened to on amazon. sounded very tight and controlled. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>Ben,<P>I still regard Barbirolli's recording highly (no one else does the Scherzo as perfectly as him, and the Adagietto is among the best), but lately I've been having more of a problem with its one major flaw: the Finale. While his broad tempo helps to reveal Mahler's counterpoint, he us unable to maintain the excitement, and robs you of Mahler's best "upbeat" finale.<P>Donhanyi's recording is hard driven and taught, but has the right amount of drama in the right places, and never feels rushed despite its fast tempi (only 65 minutes total - he smartly slows down in some places). The percussion playing is also much better than Barbirolli's - a real treat in the finale's coda. <P>It's definitely a recording worth looking into.

[BenMurphy6]

i tend to vacillate between recordings of mahler 5, and barbirolli's tempi is one reason. his tempi always were a bit "different," especially in his recording of the 6th. although, in barbirolli's m5, there's something electric about the opening, don't you think?<P>if i run into dohnanyi's recording somewhere for cheap, i'll check it out. just what i need: another mahler recording.

[treebeau]

Isn't there a mahler.com for this kind of stuff? <P>Regards,<BR>Tim B.

[BenMurphy6]

yeah, but all of those guys are nuts

[Valerie]

mahler.com???<P>sounds too scary for words

[priya978]

They're just off.

[thornhill]

Ben,<P>the recording frequently pops up in second hand shops and on ebay since it has been repackaged a few times.

[Molman]

1: Kubelik/DG or Horenstein/Unicorn<BR>2: Klemperer/EMI (studio) or Scherchen/VSOO<BR>3: Berstein (either) or Horenstein/Unicorn<BR>4: Kletzki/EMI or Abravanel/Vanguard<BR>5: Bernstein/VPO or Barbirolli/EMI<BR>6: Bernstein/VPO or Sanderling/RS<BR>7: Berstein/NYPO (Sony) or Gielen/Hanssler<BR>8: Never listen to it<BR>9: Klemperer/EMI or Barbiroli/EMI

[Luis]

Hi guys, i was just passing by and i saw a mahler ranking, so i couldn't resist to add my 2 cents. <P>The 1st choice is prefferable in most cases <P>#1: Bernstein, RCO, DG, 1987 or Horenstein, LSO, Unicorn, 1969<BR>#2: Bernstein, NYP, DG, 1987 or Rattle, CBSO, EMI, 1986<BR>#3: Salonen, LAP, Sony, 1997 or Bernstein, NYP, DG, 1987<BR>#4: Maazel, VPO, Sony, 1983 or Levi, Atlanta SO, Telarc, 1998 <- GET THIS!<BR>#5: Chailly, RCO, Decca, 1997 or Barshai, Junge Deutsche Philharmonie, Laurel, 1997<BR>#6: Tennstedt, LPO, EMI, 1983; Sanderling, Saint Petersburg PO, RS, 1995<BR>(I also love Barbirolli, New Philharmonia, EMI, 1967 and Bernstein, VPO, DG, 1988) <BR>#7: Abbado, BPO, DG, 2001 or Tilson Thomas, LSO, RCA, 1997<BR>#8: Chailly, RCO, Decca, 2000 or Sinopoli, Philharmonia, DG, 1990<BR>#9: Abbado, BPO, DG, 1999 or Haitink, RCO, Philips, 1969 (I have yet to find a perfect m9)<BR>#10: Rattle, BPO, EMI, 1999 (Cooke) or Litton, Dallas SO, Delos, 2001 (Carpenter) <- GET THIS<BR>DLVDE: Ludwig, Wunderlich, Klemperer, Philharmonia, EMI, 1964-6 or Baker, King, Haitink, RCO, Phllips, 1975<P>If someone wants to contact me privately, i have an ftp with a considerable ammount of handpicked '1st rate' mahler recordings (About 13 GBs). My mail is etoyoc38@hotmail.com<P>Why people like so much Barbirolli's 5th, Klemperer's 9th or Szell's 6th is a mistery to me. I for myself consider them among the most overrated mahler recordings ever. Not to mention Kaplan's resurrection that fortunately wasn't mentioned yet <P>Cheers!<p>[ 04-24-2003: Message edited by: Luis ]

[Molman]

I agree about Szell's 6th, which I don't like (though his incomplete 10th is by far my favorite of that work). But the Klemperer 9th is a phenomenon. Try and listen to it again, preferably in the latest remastering which opens up the sound quite a bit. Easily my favorite single 9th, and far more involving that the tame Abbado and lame Haitink (whose Mahler is a sleep-inducer for me).

[thornhill]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Why people like so much Barbirolli's 5th, Klemperer's 9th or Szell's 6th is a mistery to me. I for myself consider them among the most overrated mahler recordings ever. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>For this response, I'll proclaim myself the designated advocate of the Szell Mahler 6 (other opinions are obviously welcome).<P>The symphony is quite dramatic and harrowing on its own - it doesn't require Bernstein-esque emotional hijacking. Thus, Szell's straightforward no nonsense approach works perfectly. The tempo of the first movement is problematic for both listeners and conductors. The movement is supposed to be a march, but some conductors take it at a sprinting speed (Lenny, Kubelik and Jarvi) while others set it to a crawl (Barbirolli). Szell's tempo has a feeling of urgency, but he is able to maintain the march. In fact, he views the symphony as one long march to defeat and death or simply a tragic march. Overall in the first movement, he does an excellent job contrasting the grotesque with the beautifully serene without being heavy handed. Smartly, Szell turns the Scherzo into a parody of the first movement (which research is now showing was Mahler's intention). Just when there is a feeling of relief after the long dark first movement by ending in the major key heroically, the march starts right up again. There's no escaping it. The finale is particularly exceptional. Szell again presents with us a tragic (exciting) march. Despite this being a recording for radio (not commercial), the Hammer Blows come off better than many of the latest digital recordings (he does an exceptional job building up the tensions before them). Though there are a few mistakes (movements I, II and IV all came from the same night - no edits!) playing is superb, especially from his brass. Lastly, the recording captures the exciting atmosphere of a live performance, which benefits the finale which is a 30 minute non-stop marathon of music.<P>As for Barbirolli's 5th, I think that its long time success has rested in its emotionalism that never goes too far. The Adagietto is also a text book performance.

[thornhill]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR> Easily my favorite single 9th, and far more involving that the tame Abbado and lame Haitink (whose Mahler is a sleep-inducer for me). <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>I agree that Abbado is too tame (few conductors though really risk getting their hands truly dirty in the 9th's inner movements - Szell though is more than willing - sadly the recording is confined to an expansive commemorative box set).<P>I disagree on Haitink's Mahler - both his 9th and Das Leid are excellent. He displays a perfect understanding of their architecture.

[Molman]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by thornhill:<BR><STRONG>I disagree on Haitink's Mahler - both his 9th and Das Leid are excellent. He displays a perfect understanding of their architecture.</STRONG><HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>Yes, but no understanding of the dark and craggy elements or the music. His versions are so comfortable and "easy". Not my vision of either of these works (well-executed as they are, and Baker is wonderful in the Das Lied).