Mahler recordings

[kwyjibo]

You can't go wrong with MTT's San Francisco Symphony cycle.

[Serenity]

You're right kwyjibo! I recently purchased Mahler's 6th with MTT and the SF symphony. As I read the credits, I was excited to see that it had been performed the weekend after 9/11. I can't wait to sit down and listen to it without interruptions. I'm sure everyone had heightened emotions at the time.

[Catmando]

I've just finally completed listening to my set of Mahler's complete symphonies (EMI Classics Budget Box Set - Klaus Tennstedt w/ London Philharmonic Orchestra).

I am a newbie for Mahler music. It is taking me a little bit of time to get used to his symphonies (this was my 1st full listen to all).

I enjoyed particularly some of the early symphonies (1, 2), and # 5 is probably my favorite at this point. The Adagietto in #5 may actually be the greatest slow movement I've EVER heard of any composer. (And that's on my 1st listen!). I also like #9 and the Adagio to # 10.

I'm sure with more listens I will learn to appreciate his symphonies more and more.

I really like these EMI budget box sets! They're terrific. I also have Beethoven's complete piano sonatas on EMI budget box (Daniel Barenboim). Great bang for your buck!

[Catmando]

I had a great listen last night to Mahler's 2nd Symphony "Resurrection".

I enjoyed it much more this time around, compared to my first listen. Wonderful, wonderful finale.

One thing I am finding with Mahler symphonies, however, is the volume control. I find in the quieter moments, it is barely audible, and I have to turn up the volume big time to listen to what's going on.

I think the next time I listen to one of this symphonies, I'm going to take it to the headphones.

I'd say # 2 is creeping up in my favorites for Mahler symphonies (which will make Shap happy I'm sure).

[Shapley]

I think that's a problem of digital mixing. I don't recall that problem on vinyl, probably because the audio range wasn't as broad. I would guess that it probably reproduces an actual performance better, in the quiet of the concert hall the whisper of the strings followed by the bang of the full orchestra would be impressive indeed! However, at home, with all the background noises and the poor quality of stereophonic reproduction, I think it falls short.

That's why I don't listen to classical music in my vehicle very often. Even in the quietest of autos, the road noise is enough to drown out the subtleties that make great music great.

Headphones would probably be the best bet, but I personally can't stand to wear the things.

V/R
Shapley

[BigJon@Work]

Didn’t they often compress the dynamics during recording for vinyl? Make the soft passages louder and the loud passages softer?

[Shapley]

BigJon,


Yes, that is my understanding. I think there were two reasons for it: The soft passages would be lost in the surface noice inherent in vinyl reproductions, and the audio playback systems were incapable of reproducing extreme variations in sound level.

I remember that one of the first digital recordings of the 1812 Overture carried a warning of "Digital Cannons" and recommended lowering your volume level during playback to be sure you're system could handle it. (I think it was a marketing gimmick, and I also think it was a successful marketing gimmick, since they did sell a lot of those CD's.)

As I said, I'm sure the digital recordings are truer to form when compared to an actual concert performance, but they are really less suited to the average home listening experience.

V/R
Shapley

[BigJon@Work]

Not only were the audio systems incapable of handling the loud stuff, the needle could jump right off the groove if the attack was sharp enough.

[Shapley]

I think I mentioned before that I have a vinyl set of Mahler's nine symphonies (in those days they didn't include the tenth, except that some would include Das Lied van der Erde as Symphony #10). Most of the recordings are very good, but the eighth sounds like it was recorded with a tin can and a string. I assume this was for one of two reasons, either the limitation in suitable recording facilities for an ensemble of the size required to perform the piece (it is called the 'symphony of a thousand', after all), or because it was a much earlier recording, added to the collection to avoid the costs of assembling an ensemble of that size to complete the set.

In either case, it really detracted from the overall quality of the set.

V/R
Shapley

[shostakovich]

Shap is exactly right (I've said that before, but it just doesn't seem right ), and so is BigJon, about the reasons for the restricted dynamic range on records compared to CDs. I got used to that restricted range and prefer it big time. CDs do what they do because they can. There is no consideration of whether or not they should.
Shos

[Shapley]

Shos,

Re:

Shap is exactly right

I'm collecting all of those, you know. I have a growing collection from you that now numbers, well, two.

I agree with you on the audio of vinyl versus CD's, I think I prefer the vinyl in this regard. It makes the mixers job harder, but overall it improves the listening experience in the home. Some televisions have a 'smart sound' feature, that automatically adjusts the volume downward during louder (usually commercial) moments and upward during quieter moments. It's a clever idea, but it's no replacement for good sound engineering, which was a major component of older recordings. I've noticed that with many DVD's the dialogue is nearly lost in the soundtrack music. Sometimes I can play with the different audio sections to get a fairly decent playback (choosing 'enhanced audio', 'Dolby on', 'surround off', etc.), but there are some DVD's I have to watch with subtitles on in order to follow the dialogue. I think it's a case of lazy engineering.

Not that digital's all bad. There just ought to be a median between the two that achieves near-concert level audio with listenability.

V/R
Shapley

[BigJon@Work]

and so is BigJon, about the reasons for the restricted dynamic range on records compared to CDs. I got used to that restricted range and prefer it big time. CDs do what they do because they can. There is no consideration of whether or not they should.

I'm an inbetweener. I love the range of the CD on the soft end of the volume scale, but I agree that the squashing on the top makes a more listenable experience. I was listening to a CD this morning in my car on the way to work and had it turned way up to catch some soft passages. The next song came on an I nearly jumped through the sunroof when the first drum crash started.

[Catmando]

I was listening to a CD this morning in my car on the way to work and had it turned way up to catch some soft passages. The next song came on an I nearly jumped through the sunroof when the first drum crash started.

That's what happened to me last night listening to Mahler's S# 2. Once it hit the start of the finale 5th movement, speaker shards nearly took my eyes out!!!

[Catmando]

Maybe Mahler should be known as the "Heart Attack" symphonic master! Adjust volume at your own risk.

[bignaf]

audio reproduction should stay our of the way as much as possible in classical music. therefore, the more realistic, the better. good qualirt CD's ar emuch better. just find a quiet place/time to listen to pieces with extreme volume fluctuations.

[BigJon@Work]

Like Bolero?

[bignaf]

some people will argue that there's no good time and place to listen to Bolero. but we've done that argument that already. uh.. many times...

[Catmando]

some people will argue that there's no good time and place to listen to Bolero. but we've done that argument that already. uh.. many times...

I'm on a Mahler-a-day symphony cycle right now. Started with # 2 Tuesday night, # 3 last night, and I'm listening to # 4 as we speak.

[bignaf]

heavy schedule! once you get past #3 in one day, you probably can manage all of them.

I'm currently taking my annual break from listening to music. clearing out my head.

[Catmando]

heavy schedule! once you get past #3 in one day, you probably can manage all of them.

Wow, # 3 is a doozy! I think it clocks in at just over 95 minutes.