Mahler Lied Mahler Lieder Song Cycles

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
These songs reveal Mahler, that frankly autobiographical composer, at his emotionally most personal. For the Songs of a Wayfarer, the earliest cycle (later extensively revised), the poetry--a sorrowful tale of unrequited young love--is Mahler's own. The music is simple, lyrical, and deeply moving, going from inward grief through suicidal anguish to calm resignation. (Two of the themes reappear in the First Symphony.) In Kindertotenlieder, the poet Friedrich Rückert laments the loss of his children, a tragedy he knew from personal experience. Mahler, however, began composing the music before he became a father; two years after he'd completed it, his older daughter died. The cycle contains some of the most harrowing, wrenching songs in the literature. By contrast, the five other Rückert songs radiate a serene happiness that is like a breath of fresh air. The performances on this disc are breathtaking. Quasthoff's voice seems to become more and more beautiful; pure, velvety and warm, it has an endless range of dynamics, nuances and inflections. He draws the listener in from the first moment. Urmana gives the Rückert songs just the right sunny lightness, soaring up in long, sustained, caressing phrases; she keeps the last song, "Um Mitternacht," from becoming bombastic. Although the Kindertotenlieder are really a bereaved father's lament, von Otter makes them totally convincing. Her voice is dark, intense, and luminous. As for the orchestra, Boulez inspires masterful precision and impeccable balance, letting every line stand out. He turns Mahler's incomparable instrumentation into a tapestry of blazing, glittering colors, unleashing both inward and outward tempests. This record will leave you overwhelmed and heartbroken. --Edith Eisler

Mahler Lied Mahler Lieder Song Cycles, Music, Boulez, Mahler, Quasthoff, Von Otter, Vpo, Classical, Classical Composers, Orchestral & Symphonic, Song Collection for Solo Voice with Piano or Orchestra, Song Cycle for Solo Voice with Piano or Orchestra, Vocal

Average customer rating:

A matter of completion

Three of Mahler's Song Cycles, Three Artists, One Conductor

Lovely beyond words!!!

Amazing

Rapturous,diaphanous Mahler Lieder

Mahler Lied Mahler Lieder Song Cycles
Boulez , Mahler , Quasthoff , Von Otter , and Vpo
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0006M4RPG
Release Date: 2005-01-11

Tracks:

Wenn Mein Schatz Hochzeit Macht
Ging Heut Morgen Ubers Feld
Ich Hab Ein Gluhend Messer
Die Zwei Blauen Augen
Blicke Mir Nicht In Die Lieder
Ich Atmet Einen Linden Duft
Liebst Du Um Schonheit
Ich Bin Der Welt Abhanden Gekommen
Um Mitternacht
Nun Will Die Sonn So Hell Aufgehn
Nun Seh Ich Wohl, Warum So Dunkle Flammen
Wenn Dein Mutterlein
Oft Denk Ich, Sie Sind Nur Ausgegangen
In Diesem Wetter, In Diesem Braus

Amazon.com

These songs reveal Mahler, that frankly autobiographical composer, at his emotionally most personal. For the Songs of a Wayfarer, the earliest cycle (later extensively revised), the poetry--a sorrowful tale of unrequited young love--is Mahler's own. The music is simple, lyrical, and deeply moving, going from inward grief through suicidal anguish to calm resignation. (Two of the themes reappear in the First Symphony.) In Kindertotenlieder, the poet Friedrich Rückert laments the loss of his children, a tragedy he knew from personal experience. Mahler, however, began composing the music before he became a father; two years after he'd completed it, his older daughter died. The cycle contains some of the most harrowing, wrenching songs in the literature. By contrast, the five other Rückert songs radiate a serene happiness that is like a breath of fresh air. The performances on this disc are breathtaking. Quasthoff's voice seems to become more and more beautiful; pure, velvety and warm, it has an endless range of dynamics, nuances and inflections. He draws the listener in from the first moment. Urmana gives the Rückert songs just the right sunny lightness, soaring up in long, sustained, caressing phrases; she keeps the last song, "Um Mitternacht," from becoming bombastic. Although the Kindertotenlieder are really a bereaved father's lament, von Otter makes them totally convincing. Her voice is dark, intense, and luminous. As for the orchestra, Boulez inspires masterful precision and impeccable balance, letting every line stand out. He turns Mahler's incomparable instrumentation into a tapestry of blazing, glittering colors, unleashing both inward and outward tempests. This record will leave you overwhelmed and heartbroken. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

A matter of completion.......2005-10-07

I have a personal reason for liking this CD. Anne-Sofie von Otter, when she did her previous CD of Mahler Lieder with John Eliot Gardiner in 1996, omitted the Kindertotenlieder (I assume she had children at the time who have subsequently grown up). Now, besides Quasthoff singing the Songs of a Wayfarer and Violeta Urmana singing the Ruckert-lieder (both beautifully)we have finally got Anne-Sofie singing the Kindertotenlieder and recordings of Anne-Sofie singing the three major Mahlerian Lieder Cycles. All is crisply conducted by Boulez and a special joy!

Three of Mahler's Song Cycles, Three Artists, One Conductor.......2005-06-28

Pierre Boulez, now in his eighties, has become not only a master of orchestral score clarity: Boulez has also become a poet of the Romantic repertoire. The three beloved song cycles of Gustav Mahler here performed are among Mahler's most tender statements and Boulez allows all of the beauty and anguish to flow unfettered under his leadership.

The brilliant Thomas Quasthoff offers one of the most exquisitely sung 'Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen' ever recorded. His voice is lush and rich and seamless and he maintains his high level of musicality while becoming utterly absorbed in the poetry of the lyrics. The result is ravishingly beautiful.

Violeta Urmana follows him singing the 'Ruckert Lieder' with somewhat of a light voice until she reaches the 'Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen' when she settles into not only a lovely vocal bloom but a sense of emotional commitment. She continues this mood through the final 'Um Mitternacht'.

And then the stage belongs to Anne Sofie von Otter for 'Kindertotenlieder'. With Boulez she creates magic out of these mournful songs. This is one of the best performances we're likely to hear for a while.

In the end it is to Boulez' credit that he selected the soloists and placed the order of songs and of course conducts the entire ensemble (the Vienna Philharmonic is the orchestra) with expressive brio. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, June 05

Lovely beyond words!!!.......2005-05-12

At long last...a recording of the Wayfarer Songs that surpasses the classic Fischer-Dieskau from 1968...once thought to be unassailable!!! Why??? Quasthoff's ineffably beautiful voice and performance; Boulez' incredible, mellow, EMOTIONAL conducting; and the Vienna Philharmonic miraculously shadows the two of them with their very special signature sound. Fischer-Dieskau's voice always sounded to me like it was a limited instrument, but his artistry and intelligence always helped him navigate smoothly around its limitations. Quasthoff, on the other hand, has one of the most luscious voices for this repertoire and it is here displayed with a degree of subtlety and musicality that is touching -- heart-breakingly so...

Even more important, this recording features a timpanist than can play in tune. The Bavarian Radio Orchestra, under Rafael Kubelik, in the older recording, includes a timpanist that NEVER gets his lower note in tune with the rest of the orchestra: a serious problem to anyone with a trained musical ear, especially with all the exposed timpani solos in this music.

The Rückert songs and the Kindertotenlieder, as sung by Urmana and von Otter are good performances, but most definitely not on the plane of Quasthoff and the Wayfarer cycle. Too bad the idiots at DGG didn't get the other cycles recorded by Quasthoff, also!!! If that had been the case, this recording would have been an instant classic.

As it is, the Wayfarer Songs, as performed by Thomas Quasthoff on this disc, are worth every penny. For the other two cycles run, don't walk, and get Janet Baker's recordings on EMI/Angel, then pray DGG will record Quasthoff's performances very soon!!!

BUY THIS AND LOVE IT!!!

Amazing.......2005-03-21

Boulez doing Mahler produces disparate results. His recording with the CSO of the 9nth is devoid of feeling, as if he were pushing Mahler past Webern somehow.

But this recording is unbelievable in beauty, tenderness. It is as if Boulez were comfortable simply to take the time to present the music in the most expressive way possible, but with equisite restraint. And the orchestra, one I do not usually like, is right there with him it what seems to me an amazingly passionate performance.

Rapturous,diaphanous Mahler Lieder .......2005-02-02

In his recordings of various artists' song cycles,Boulez,it seems,often has been inspired to producing some of his most profound performances.
His classic recordings of the little performed songs of Ravel, Schoenberg, and Berg still remain the yardstick by which all others are measured.
Now, comes his arrival of three Mahler lieder and the results are something to celebrate.
Indeed, this may prove to be his best Mahler yet.
In the Ruckert Lieder, Boulez coaxes both the Viennal Players and Violeta Urmana into producing sensuous sounds and colors which could come straight out the most transparent Klimt paintings.
It's my personal favorite of the three, but that opinion is already biased, as I have a definite soft spot for this piece.
Thomas Quasthoff is appropriately noble in the Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen and Anne-Sofie von Otter has arguably never been more profund than in the Kindentotenlieder found here.
Boulez proves here that he's far more than 'just' a musical intellect, he also has acute rythmic instinct.
Each singer is perfectly cast, the sound is superb and Boulez's conducting is among his most crystal clear and lucid to date.
Like his other songcycles, this should prove to be a genuine 'classic'.

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