Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra: Mahler & Walter

Editorial Reviews
Album Description
This four-CD set presents unique performances of symphonies and orchestral lieder by Gustav Mahler, with Bruno Walter leading the Vienna Philharmonic. Containing previously unreleased recordings, this collection features the Fourth Symphony and orchestral lieder with Hilde Güden; the Second Symphony ("Resurrection") with Maria Cebotari and Rosette Anday; and Das Lied von der Erde with Kathleen Ferrier and Julius Patzak, a performance captured a day after the completion of the famous Decca recording. As a direct disciple of Mahler, Bruno Walter had a special authority and affinity with the composer's works, particularly Das Lied von der Erde. The accompanying 168-page booklet contains a wealth of period photos, as well as a preface by renowned Mahler biographer Henry-Louis de La Grange, an introduction by Pulitzer Prize-winner Tim Page, and in-depth essays by producer Gottfried Kraus ("Mahler, Walter and Vienna"), former VPO violinist Otto Strasser ("Bruno Walter! and the Vienna Philharmonic"), and Bruno Walter authority Erik Ryding ("Gustav Mahler and Bruno Walter: A Musical Friendship").

Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra: Mahler & Walter, Music, Rosette Anday, Gustav Mahler, Bruno Walter, Wiener Philharmoniker, Hilde Güden, Maria Cebotari, Julius Patzak, Classical, Classical Composers, Orchestral & Symphonic, Romantic Symphony, Song Collection for Solo Voice with Piano or Orchestra, Symphonic, Vocal

Mahler: Symphony No. 2 / Mehta, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Average customer rating:

An attempt at an informed opinon

bad recording

Musically Flawless

No finer Mahler recording

How did Zubin Mehta become Mr. Slick?

Mahler: Symphony No. 2 / Mehta, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Gustav Mahler , Zubin Mehta , Ileana Cotrubas , Christa Ludwig , and Wiener Philharmoniker
Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Mahler: Symphony No. 4

ASIN: B00004TEUZ
Release Date: 2000-06-13

Tracks:

Symphony No. 2 In C Minor - 'Resurrection': I. Allegro maestoso - Mit durchaus ernstem und feierlichen Ausdruck
Symphony No. 2 In C Minor - 'Resurrection': II. Andante moderato - Sehr gemachlich
Symphony No. 2 In C Minor - 'Resurrection': III. In ruhig fliesender Bewegung
Symphony No. 2 In C Minor - 'Resurrection': IV. Urlicht - Sehr feierlich, aber schlicht
Symphony No. 2 In C Minor - 'Resurrection': V. Im Tempo des Scherrzo - Wild herausfahrend
Symphony No. 2 In C Minor - 'Resurrection': Maestoso. Sehr zuruckhaltend -
Symphony No. 2 In C Minor - 'Resurrection': Sehr langsam und gedehnt
Symphony No. 2 In C Minor - 'Resurrection': Aufersteh'n ja auffersteh'n wirst du : Langsam, Misterioso -
Symphony No. 2 In C Minor - 'Resurrection': O glaube, mein Herz, o glaube : Etwas bewegter

Amazon.com

"Beg to report safe delivery of a strong, healthy last movement to my Second. Father and child doing as well as can be expected." So ran Mahler's jubilant message on completion of his "Resurrection" Symphony, which after several years' painful gestation had come together in his mind with a sudden flash of inspiration. It had begun as a single-movement funeral rite, and gradually taken shape under the influence of Schubert's music, but the choral conclusion of Beethoven's Ninth was its Grail. Zubin Mehta's 25-year-old recording is a superb addition to the ranks of contending interpretations. It is lighter on its feet than Bernstein's classic version, with all the elements in Mahler's tonal landscape brought out in high relief: by turns lush, austere, grandiose, and intimate. Here is the Vienna Phil at its best, with two incomparable voices on the bridge--Christa Ludwig's steely mezzo and Ileana Cotrubas's soaring soprano. The "Legendary" on the cover is not hype: This is still as good as it gets. --Michael Church

Customer Reviews:

An attempt at an informed opinon.......2007-03-20

Question: What do my favorite symphony and my favorite soprano have in common?
Answer: They are both on this CD!!

Ok, that said even Ileana Cotrubas can't carry this over the Klemperer/Schwazkopf recording. In my opinion (and this is probably because I was introduced to the other recording first), the tempos on this disc are too fast, and take away from the dramatic buildup that I think Klemperer does better. In the third movement the quicker tempo is nice but in the second section of the fifth movement (track six) the "swinging" of the violins for example doesn't have the same effect. Anyway you really can't go wrong with either recording, and if you think I'm a complete ignoramus, thats ok. I can see that this opinion may not be taken too well by some.

bad recording.......2006-11-11

I received the first recording and in the final movement there was a bad skipping. I notified Amazon and they sent me another recording which had the same problem. I received a credit and Amazon said the recording was evidently a bad one and they would check it out. Thanks Billy Ledet

Musically Flawless.......2006-06-03

So how about that? A Mahler second that actually moves! The result is one of the most exciting readings of all time. It's truly legend.

This is one of the two greatest Mahler seconds. Here Mehta, who can often be an oddly questionable interpreter, lightens the music at just the right level, making it brilliantly unique. Instead of allowing the music to sink into itself, like most imitations of Bernstein's classic reccording.

Music has to move, it has to speak, it has to breathe..

Never has Mahler been so logically accessible and tended for. The experience gained from this recording is greatly edifying, if not spiritual.

Technically however, its not perfect: one thing that makes it somewhat lacking. Sometimes the orchestra is not really synchronized. Precision is sometimes sacrificed for Mehta's ingenious creativity. However, to me these sort of flaws just make the piece more homely and natural.

The Vienna is of course fantastic in sound. Brilliant, but deep and always resonant.

This is some masterpiece material. A truly excellent CD.

No finer Mahler recording.......2006-01-09

I have heard the Mahler Symphony #2 many time in performance and on recordings. In my opinion, none equals this fantastic effort by Mehta. It is a revelation from beginning to end. My first experience with the piece was hearing Bruno Walter conduct the New York Philharmonic in a captivating performance long ago. That introduction to this apotheosis of Romantic music pales by comparison. There is a very good reason why this recording has never been out of print. It is simply the best.

How did Zubin Mehta become Mr. Slick?.......2005-10-01

(I don't believe in doublng up on the same review, but I am posting this one twice--for Metha's Mahler Fifth and Mahler Second--for the purpose of comparison.)

How did Zubin Mehta move from the highly promising conductor of the Mahler Second heard on Decca with the Vienna Phil. to the veteran hack we hear on the Mahler Fifth from New York? As a student Mehta studied in Vienna, and he fully desrved to lead the Philharmonic when he recorded this "Resurrection," at the height of his populairty in L.A. But from the moment he took over the New York Phil., succeeding the controversial Pierre Boulez, he started on a decline into slick, routine, uninvolved conducting that has few highlights to redeem it.

His numerous NY Phil. recordings for CBS are essentially forgotten, and with good reason. Listen to his return engagement condcuting the Mahler Fifth, and what do you hear? Impatient, rushed tempi, blatant phrasing that dumbs down Mahler's musical intent, indifference to emotion and inner meaning, apparent ignorance of Mahler style. None of those defects exist in the excellent and idiomatic reading of the Ressurection. The gaudy brass playing in the Fifth sticks out like a sore thumb, a far remove from the brilliant and musically satisfying brass on the Vienna recording.

The other sad waste of conducting talent must be Lorin Maazel, whose superficiality and apparent boredom are equal to Mehta's. It's too bad the NY Phil. is burdened with Maazel now--no doubt they are headed into a totally forgettable era to mirror the one Mehta reigned over thirty years ago.

Mahler: Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen; Kindertotenlieder; Rückert-Lieder

Average customer rating:

One of the Greatest Mahler Lieder Recitals
On The Kindertotenlieder Performance
Grieving
Wonderful performance
This is 70% conducting, 30% singing

Mahler: Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen; Kindertotenlieder; Rückert-Lieder

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Des Knaben Wunderhorn

ASIN: B000001GET
Release Date: 1991-09-12

Tracks:

Songs Of A Wayfarer: 1. Wenn mein Schatz Hochzeit macht
Songs Of A Wayfarer: 2. Ging heut' morgen ubers Feld
Songs Of A Wayfarer: 3. Ich hab' ein gluhend Messer
Songs Of A Wayfarer: 4. Die zwei blauen Augen
Songs On The Death Of Children: 1. Nun will die Sonn' so hell aufgehn
Songs On The Death Of Children: 2. Nun seh' ich wohl, warum so dunkle Flammen
Songs On The Death Of Children: 3. Wenn dein Mutterlein
Songs On The Death Of Children: 4. Oft denk' ich, sie sind nur ausgegangen
Songs On The Death Of Children: 5. In diesem Wetter, in diesem Braus
5 Lieder nach Gedichten von Friedrich Ruckert: 1. Liebst du um Schonheit
5 Lieder nach Gedichten von Friedrich Ruckert: 3. Blicke mir nicht in die Lieder
5 Lieder nach Gedichten von Friedrich Ruckert: 2. Ich atmet' einen linden Duft
5 Lieder nach Gedichten von Friedrich Ruckert: 4. Um Mitternacht
5 Lieder nach Gedichten von Friedrich Ruckert: 5. Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen

Customer Reviews:

One of the Greatest Mahler Lieder Recitals.......2007-07-07

I've always had an affinity for the alto voice when it comes to Mahler's music. I find that altos are always able to bring this quality of tragedy to their singing that I don't really hear in many baritones. That said, I believe Thomas Hampson is an exception to the rule. I would say that he is much better than Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau for the reason that his singing doesn't quite sound so artificial. The voice has a haunting quality about it, and I don't think Thomas Hampson is an artist who is afraid to let his voice sound hollow for the sake of expressivity. Because of this, there is a sense of loss and abandon that I hear in this recital that I would normally hear in many a great Mahler alto. I still love Christa Ludwig and Dame Janet Baker in these songs, but Thomas Hampson sings Mahler's songs excellently and I would highly recommend this CD for anyone who wishes to hear an alternative to the usual alto cycle. In this CD, we get an exemplary Lieder Eines Fahrenden Gesellen, perhaps the best of them all. The Kindertotenlieder are sung with a haunting beauty that is further accentuated by Hampson's intelligence with the text. Listen to his "Wenn dein Mutterlein" and you will know what I mean. The Rückertlieder too, are one of the very greatest and you must listen to the last song, Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen, to understand how much tragedy and loss were Mahler's two greatest companions during his tragic life. Hampson is perhaps the greatest lieder singer alive today (in the baritone department), and how fortunate we are that we can hear this Mahler cycle recorded with one of its greatest exponents. Add to that Bernstein's natural feeling for Mahler's music and the fantastic playing of the Vienna Philharmonic and you have a recording which will stand the test of time as a classic.

On The Kindertotenlieder Performance.......2007-02-23

First, let me say that I can not yet review the recording, I have only now ordered it. I can tell you about the performance, however. I had the good fortune of attending this live performance at the Musikverein in Vienna. I was also privileged to have been given one of Maestro Berstein's personal seats in the front row. This was in 1991, however, I have never forgotten the emotion that filled the room during and after this work was performed. It goes without saying that there was an enthusiastic standing ovation which wasn't surprising in view of the great love the orchestra and the people of Vienna felt for Bernstein. The fact there was hardly a dry eye in the audience gave testimony to the quality of the performance of the orchestra, Thomas Hampson and Maestro Bernstein. I might even suggest that Leonard Bernstein himself appeared to have been equally moved. I looked for this specific recording for 15+ years off and on. I am eagerly anticipating at least a partial reprise of what was a performance that I will remember the rest of my life.

Grieving.......2007-01-09

This was a very beautiful piece reccommended to me by a family member after the death of my son. It's rare and was good to find it so easily.

Wonderful performance.......2006-12-30

I became a Mahler fan a couple of years ago when I bought a recording of his first and ninth symphonies. Earlier this year I purchased Bernstein's complete symphony cycle on DVD, and was further drawn into the wonderful music of Mahler. In my quest for recordings of every piece Mahler ever wrote, I encountered this CD and didn't hesitate. I'd heard Thomas Hampson sing Bernstein's Arias and Barcaroles, and I had already experienced Bernstein's excellent conducting (and composition). It came as no surprise that this recording was such a wonderful one. I really enjoyed the Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, and it was doubly delightful to again hear Mahler's symphonies incorporating the same sprightly melodies. The Kindertotenlieder are perhaps not extraordinary, but are by no means lacking. I think that a soprano sometimes might better express these songs, but here Hampson does an ample job.

Overall, I give this recording five stars. Five for the conductor, five for the composer, and four and a half for the singer. RECOMMENDED!

This is 70% conducting, 30% singing.......2006-03-22

Mahler's orchestral songs present such a complex and colorful instrumental part--fascinating enough on their own to do without a singer--that it takes a dominant voice to find the right balance. Here the young Thomas Hampson seems at times overhwlemed by Bernstein's highly personal interpretation, and his singing is strained by the slow tempos Bernstein has chosen.

Before 1991 Hampson had shown his capacity for Mahler, but on this CD he veers between an excellent, deeply felt Wayfarer cycle to a Kindertotenlieder where he struggles just to keep singing--admittedly, it's singing of a plush, refined kind--without finding the right emotional key. I don't find real depth of feeling or the ability to characterize the poetry, which is extremely important in thise songs. Bernstein's conceptions are beautiful, and that may carry the day for many listeners, but this CD is up against Fischer-Dieskau and Furtwangler, Janet Baker and Barbirolli, Kathleen Ferrioer and Bruno Walter. By those exalted standards it barely holds its own.

Average customer rating:

Reference.
Mahler: Symphony No. 5
This will be brief...
There's a history here....
Epic.

Mahler: Symphony No. 5

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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Berlioz: Te Deum

ASIN: B000001G9F
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Symphonie No. 5 - Part l: 1. Trauermarsch. In Gemessenem Schritt. Streng. Wie ein Kondukt
Symphonie No. 5 - Part l: 2. Sturmisch Bewegt. Mit grosster Vehemenz
Symphonie No. 5 - Part ll: 3. Scherzo. Kraftig, Nicht Zu Schnell
Symphonie No. 5 - Part lll: 4. Adagietto. Sehr langsam
Symphonie No. 5 - Part lll: 5. Rondo-Finale. Allegro - Allegro giocoso. Frisch

Amazon.com essential recording

Mahler's Fifth was one of the pieces Leonard Bernstein owned. This interpretation is broader than the one he recorded with the New York Philharmonic in the early 1960s, but it's little changed in feeling. It is, however, far more polished and a good deal more persuasive. The recording, like all of Bernstein's later Mahler cycle, was made live; here, he and the Vienna Philharmonic give a gripping performance full of telling nuance, intensely expressive yet thoroughly controlled. It's a reading both Dionysiac and "Bachic"--as in J. S. Bach, not Bacchus--one in which the impetuous energy of the score is transmitted to the fullest degree, but not at the expense of the extraordinary (for Mahler) contrapuntal detail. Most remarkable of all, perhaps, is Bernstein's sureness of touch, his ability to realize the many little expressive gestures that no longer merely draw attention to themselves the way they used to, but add up to something miraculous. The Philharmonic players, with him all the way, contribute many wonderful touches, especially the strings. The recording, made not in Vienna but in Frankfurt's Alte Oper, is solid and has remarkable impact. While the bass is a bit diffuse and the sound stage not the clearest, the image is reasonably detailed and well balanced, the atmosphere good. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews:

Reference........2007-06-21

If you're looking for the most ideal and imitated take on Mahler's most famous symphony, it's all here. Bernstein conducts not only with his famous wild and wickedly creative energy but also with some of the most mature music-making thats ever been wielded by the maestro. Sometimes Bernstein goes somewhere and only half the orchestra can keep up. Here, the VPO are incontrovertibly aware, agreeable, and accurate. The first movement is taken very slow and dark, but the colors that both maestro and orchestra provide keep the listener tingling and alert. There are moments (as usual of Bernstein) of awe of perfection. Bernstein's Sony issue was a disaster-a mess of a recording. Here, the man gets everything right and indeed, we have Mahler as it should be.

Mahler: Symphony No. 5.......2007-03-31

Excellant condition, timely service and extremely satisfied with the
product.

This will be brief..........2007-03-19

It seems to me that Bernstein found himself in the shadow of Bruno Walter when it came to Mahler. After hearing recording sessions of particularly important works, Bernstein was prone to ask "Why does he do that?" (Das Lied von der Erde). One need only listen to Walter's NYPO recording as remastered by Sony to hear why. Indeed, the story goes, Columbia asked Bernstein to postpone recording Mahler's First Symphony because Walter had recently recorded it with the Columbia Symphony. Bernstein, astonished, asked how they could ask such a thing. The Walter recording was played for him and he instantly demurred: "Oh my God! That's unbelievable....It's his." And so it seems to have been for all of Mahler. The reason Walter did it that way, can be easily understood by listening to the piano roll of the 1st movement played by Mahler. Walter's musical integrity to what he'd heard Mahler play is evident in his recordings. None of the affectation or histrionics, rather pure musicality. It is the better choice.

There's a history here...........2006-11-01

I confess; I'm most fond of Bernstein's Mahler. I'm independently fond of the Vienna Philharmonic, too.

To my ear, the opening horn of the Trauermarsch is the finest of any I've heard, and the brass overall is brilliant as sunshine when it should be. The sound of the recording is first rate, making a wonderful addition to any audiophile collection.

If you have a problem with Bernstein's concepts, especially of the notion that Mahler can't be too exaggerated, then perhaps you'll take exception. In Mahler's time, his work was considered like a `cheap novel' or perhaps worse.

You will hear, though, that Bernstein is powerfully thoughtful and in control. Think about that in context of the few detractors in reviews here. In the interpretation of a work of such dynamic emotional themes, should it not be that one mind brings into fruition the realization of this art with powerful influence? I think so, and here I find a great example of Bernstein's mastery long before he lost his energies.

There's a history, here, too. The Vienna was, once, Mahler's own orchestra. For a short time Mahler conducted the New York Philharmonic, near the end of his time. In Bernstein, we have the long practiced leader of the New York bringing Mahler back to Vienna. It was more than just a visit, too. We are told that the musicians of the Vienna didn't want to perform Mahler. They and the powers in charge of the ensemble considered Mahler too syrupy, too dramatic and overdone. Bernstein struggled to convince them that Mahler's notes were as sacred as any other. Over time, the Vienna's members finally took the music to heart once again. This recording is among the fruit of Bernstein's labor, not just of the interpretation of the 5th, but of returning Mahler to his former home.

Epic........2006-08-18

Although many listeners and critics that prefer 'mainstream' interpretations to Mahler may criticize Bernstein's approach to this wonderful masterpiece as being 'sluggish' and 'non-emotive', this recording is one of my favorites out of my entire collection. The Trauermarsch is full of the darkness and tenacity that one would expect from such a titled movement, as well as the heartbroken grief in the more lyrical passages. The Sturmisch bewegt is made vivid by Bernstein's poetic intuition for tempos. The Scherzo is grandiose yet light-hearted, not to mention sparkling with the playing of a fantastic principal horn. The Adagietto has received a dichotomy of harsh criticism and glorious praise, namely because of its noticeably slower and more gentle interpretation. However, Bernstein's ability to extract the most profound, most beautiful, and most poetic subleties from this tender yet heartwrenching movement makes it one of the most gorgeous recordings in all of the orchestral repertoire, and I would never make such a statement lightly. The Finale provides a fitting conclusion to this awe-inspiring symphony, bringing both closure and dazzling newfound glory. This recording is truly epic, and although I enjoy listening to other interpretations (i.e. Walter, Solti, Reiner, Karajan, etc.), Leonard Bernstein, with the aid of the incomparable Vienna Philharmonic (the greatest orchestra in the world), presents the listener with a Mahler 5 that is unlike any other.

Average customer rating:

Have enjoyed many repeated listenings
possibly the best single disc Mahler 6th
Among the top Mahler 6 recordings
Sometimes you hate a great conductor
Beautiful, but lacking intensity

Mahler: Symphonie No.6
Pierre Boulez , Gustav Mahler , Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra , and Wiener Philharmoniker
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B000001GOZ
Release Date: 1995-04-11

Tracks:

Symphony No. 6: Allegro energico - ma non troppo
Symphony No. 6: Scherzo - Wuchtig
Symphony No. 6: Andante
Symphony No. 6: Finale - Allegro moderato - Allegro energico

Customer Reviews:

Have enjoyed many repeated listenings.......2007-05-21

I consider Mahler one of the greatest symphonists of all time. In fact, when I happen to be listening to any of his great symphonic works, I place him No. 1 for his combination of melodic skill and his skill as a fantastic orchestrator. The organic nature of the compositions - covering the entire sonic range of orchestral colors - is for me pure genius. I don't know how he did it, but he even makes these complex works sound as though they came easily to him. They didn't of course, but for the listener there's such tremendous inspiration captured with dazzling skill.

This past weekend I have been completely absorbed in the Boulez and Szell performances of this fantastic symphony. Just to weigh in on the order of the 2nd and 3rd movements, after rearranging the order myself while burning copies for my own personal use...I MUCH prefer the Andante before the Scherzo because I consider the Andante's love theme the most moving of all here, though it is not as dramatic, weighty or complex as the first and fourth movements. Since Mahler himself was torn between which should come first - and composers can sometime have blind spots of indecision about their own works, i.e. Bruckner - I feel that the door is open to make my own aesthetic choice after the scholars have had their say. I feel that the *contrast* between the movements of the symphony as a whole are brought out to their greatest effects when the Andante comes first and the driving thrust of the Scherzo returns after it; otherwise you have two movements back to back with a similar driving thrust, and the symphony sounds out of balance with itself. I also prefer this order because I found that I was impatient for the gorgeous Andante movement to arrive and was marking time waiting for the Scherzo to be over with. With the Scherzo as the third movement, it acts as effective lead-in to the fourth, rather than as a follow-up to the first, and I'm more into it even if the movements weren't recorded in that order... it still works. I encourage listeners to play with the order of these two movements and decide for themselves without pressure from anyone. Regardless of Mahler's so-called final decision about these two movements, if he decided on the Scherzo first, I feel he made the "wrong" decision - at least for me.

In any event, I wouldn't want to be without either of the Boulez or Szell versions. Sometimes I will even play both performances of this deeply satisfying symphony back to back. To my ears, the composition is dazzling perfection, and I like Boulez's straightforward approach that makes Mahler sound modern and forward-looking rather than playing Mahler as an early 20th Century relic who looks to the glories of the past. While Mahler was writing about his own past in sound, and dealing with the entire range of human existence, I feel that his message is for TODAY and that he'd want to be viewed in that light. That's Boulez's genius here. And because Boulez is not forcing a Mahler aesthetic on anyone, the listener gets to grow naturally into a deeper appreciation of Mahler's symphony with repeated listenings. The highlight for me in this performance is the deeply moving Andante, which Boulez does to perfection; it's much warmer than it may sound at first blush.

possibly the best single disc Mahler 6th.......2006-12-09

First off, let me say that the buisness about andante/scherzo vs. scherzo/andante means very little to me. Perhaps it should, but it just doesn't. Either way, this is still a very finale driven symphony. Boulez follows his first movement with the scherzo, which was the accepted way of doing things for at least three or four decades. These days, the Mahler P.C. Squad has all but outlawed S/A performances, based on what they believe to be definitive information (I'm not so convinced). But doing the Mahler 6th is S/A order, also means that the conductor has to be very judicious about his/her tempo relationships between the first and second movements. Do you start the scherzo at the same tempo as the begining of the entire sympony, or at roughly the same tempo as the end of the first movement (usually far faster)? Wisely, Boulez chooses a tempo that's right down the middle between that of the first movement's opening march (with Boulez, that's a tad slower than normal), and his ending of the first movement (which isn't overly fast either, but still faster than the start). This may seem rather didactic, but I think it gives the impression of Boulez being "correct" over the long haul - something that I don't always get from him. In fact, this is perhaps the most "classical" performance of the sixth that I can think of - sort of like a giant Haydn symphony from his sturm and drang period, but on steroids. Yes, Boulez's two hammerstrokes in the finale are a tad underwhelming. But who cares? - we all know what loud hammmer strokes sound like these days. I could go on, but I'll just wrap up by stating that all four movements are equally strong on this performance, regardless of their inner pecking order (mix and match if you like - make the slow movement the finale and pretends it's the 9th!). Believe me, that's not always the case. Obviously, the Vienna Phil. knows this piece really well - perhaps the one Mahler symphony that they nearly always get right. Here, Boulez is a bit of a non-interventionist, and just let's them play. One could make far dumber moves than that. Along with his somewhat underrated VPO Mahler 3rd, I think that Boulez's sixth is still his best Mahler recording to date. At the very least, it's certainly his most classically structured one.

Among the top Mahler 6 recordings.......2006-01-25

First, let me note that I am very picky about the Mahler 6 and have not heard any recording that deserves a five-star mark.

That said, that means Boulez's recording is among the top. I like Boulez's clean instrumental separation; some consider it antiseptic or stringent, but I prefer to think of it as deromanticized.

And, by the time he gets to the Sixth in the Mahler cycle, Boulez had developed his Mahlerian chops on nuances of tempo, shadings of volume, and all the other filigrees that distinguish good Mahler from bad. (Do be careful with some of Boulez's early Mahler recordings, though.)

For people looking for a good more "traditional" interpretation, I suggest the first Bernstein recording, among others.

Sometimes you hate a great conductor.......2005-09-05

Although I can't deny Boulez's greatness, this performance didn't appeal to me at all. I find the first movement slack and uninvolving, and although the others improve, there is no impression that the Sixth is a tragic symphony. Those who like the cool, analytic virtues of Boulez may praise this CD, but compared to the recent Abbado with the Berlin Phil, this performance was chilly and uncommitted, despite gorgeous orchestral playing.

Beautiful, but lacking intensity.......2005-06-04

Boulez gives a top-notch reading of the Mahler 6th, and it's true that his tempi are near-perfect and the playing of the VPO astonishingly good. The only thing lacking is any real fire. The interpretations seems pretty tepid, and there isn't much excitement in the enormous finale, a movement that demands hieghtened emotions. That's probably why the hammer blows are so "wimpy," as one reviewer said. Had they been the big booms which most conductors favor, they would have been jarringly out of place in Boulez' reading. There's no way they would have been convincing. Essentially, I found this to be a very French rendering of a Germanic score. There are astonishing moments of clarity and beauty--revelatory, in fact. Boulez brings out lines in the music that never were apparent to me before. But still, when all is said and done, the performance intrigued me, but did not get me emotionally involved. I could keep a cool distance to the performance that I never can with Barbirolli, Bernstein or Szell.

Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde / Bernstein, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

Average customer rating:

A geometric intersection between Vienna and China...
the one poem that you will bring with to the tomb
Expressionist Das Lied von der Erde.
A chinese man's review
Too much Bernstein, not enough Mahler

Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde / Bernstein, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde
Mahler Lieder: Des Knaben Wunderhorn
Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde / Bruno Walter
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ASIN: B00001IVQU
Release Date: 1999-09-14

Tracks:

The Song of Earth: 1. Das Trinklied vom Jammer der Erde
The Song of Earth: 2. Der Einsame im Herbst
The Song of Earth: 3. Von der Jugend
The Song of Earth: 4. Von der Schit
The Song of Earth: 5. Der Trunkene im Fr
The Song of Earth: 6. Der Abschied

Amazon.com essential recording

After more than three decades, this remains the Lied of choice if you prefer Mahler's sanctioned baritone alternative in the alto songs. Bernstein's the hero of this intense, powerful reading. The Vienna orchestra, once led by Mahler himself, plays it to the hilt with expressive wind solos, deep, warm strings, and a searing response to Bernstein's (and Mahler's) emotional demands. King copes manfully with the cruelly difficult tenor songs, but Fischer-Dieskau is wonderful in the alto-baritone songs, singing with a great lieder specialist's textual nuance and vocal splendor. I've been imprinted with the versions featuring Ferrier with Walter and Ludwig with Klemperer but would not want to be without this great recording. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

A geometric intersection between Vienna and China..........2007-04-21

Gustav Mahler was a very interesting composer from Vienna who wrote very, very long symphonies in the grand post-Romantic fashion. Although highly influenced by Wagner, Mahler retains a distinctly Viennese character. Active around the same time as Sigmund Freud (also Viennese), who was theorizing on the roots of anxiety; Mahler explored his own neurosis through his music. Each symphony looks for answers in different ways; "Song of Earth" turns to Chinese poetry and philosophy.

I like "Song of the Earth" as a geometric intersection between Vienna and China: Two vastly different cultures. Mahler also adds some exotic flavor in some of the movements which hint at Asian music. It is quite a remarkable piece, maybe better than any of Mahler's other symphonies in that it seems to be more consistent and connected than the other symphonies which can ramble on in parts.

Unlike all other Mahler symphonies, there are parts for the voice throughout; either tenor and alto, or alternately tenor and baritone. This is one of the few recordings of note that feature tenor and baritone and both soloists are quite remarkable as are Leonard Bernstein and the Vienna Phil. Orch. Bernstein was known for rediscovering Mahler and in the 1960s he was the first conductor to record a complete cycle of the Mahler symphonies.

Bernstein's "Song of the Earth" is rich and passionate.

Comparisons: Bruno Walter; O. Klemperer/Wunderlich/C. Ludwig

the one poem that you will bring with to the tomb .......2007-04-17

maybe Das Lied Von Der Erde is the last station mahlerian travellers stay at. i do. i met so many poets at there. they gave me a deeper comfort. they were klemperer, horenstein, herreweghe, giulini, walter, keilberth who showed me the views mahler wanted to take your arms and introduce. but i must say bernstein and dieskau sang and gave the most utmost superb performance. i could not imagine more. i could not go further. it is a rare(barinton sings) and in the bottom all musicians do believe, do feel, do trust as if they were in the garden of eden. they seem to know when to sing, when to lament, when to contemplate. bernstein poured all the heart and mind in to the score. you can notice blazes and glares. more than anything else, dieskau will take you so far away you've never been to. i can smell, feel, and touch it. a poem, a journey, a book you always want to live with.

Expressionist Das Lied von der Erde........2005-11-03

Here we have the most expressionist recording of Das Lied von der Erde I know, and I know about 20 recordings (Klemperer, Giulini, Haitink, Jochum, Rattle, Walter, etc), not too much, but enough to compare it with some other conductors and styles.

First of all it's important to forget the poor Decca recording, with lot of noise and not very well balanced. Anyway, if you can go to what the interpretation is, you will find a jewel of Mahler's music.

Leonard Bernstein is recorded here in his first years playing with the wiener orchestra and the good feeling between both can be felt since the very beginning of the work, from that breathtaking Das Trinklied vom Jammer der Erde that Bernstein understand like a terrible tale, like a touch of attention to the not prepared listeners. The power, the intensity of the orchestra's playing is really outstanding and James King singing is the ideal complement as he is too full of energy and mahlerian style. He's one of the most convincing singers in this complex first song, together with Wunderlich (EMI, with Klemperer), who sings really wonderful too.

The Bariton songs (No.2, 4 & 6) are sung by the greatest Mahler singer of all time, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, who join his outstanding voice with a very natural and mature understanding of the scores, something he really feel like no other, as you can listen in the final Abschied, where you can think he's singing his own farewell, like Ferrier did, but, in my opinion, with a much more technical singing in this recording. The dynamics, the emotions, the tempi... are so great described by Dieskau that it really seems the work was composed for him.

The orchestra playing is not the typical from the late Wiener Philharmoniker we know, much more classical and "distant", as we can watch and listen in the new DVD releases of Mahler & Bernstein (DG). In this `60s recording the Wiener play in a state of hypnotism, following Bernstein baton and his vision of the work, a vision that will not change too much in the next years, and that brings this music full of emotion, power and lyrics, but a lyric from an expressionist point of view, very human and very devastated by the idea of departing, of the farewell. Anyway, Das Lied von der Erde is not a unique song, one feeling; it's a work of six very different pictures, every one a corner of the human soul and existence. Bernstein understand this multiple feelings very well and we can find how charm is his conducting sometimes, how wild others, how sad, how he aspires eternity at the end... The basses from the Wiener, the metals, the strings, woodwinds... give them best in this recording, not so refined like we can listen in the Giulini recording with Berlin (DG), for example, probably the most perfect from the technical point of view. This very little lost of perfection in some passages is because of the very fiery playing of the orchestra and the very deep emotion of the recording, one of the mahlerian monuments of all times.

As I wrote, the recording is not good, and it's curios that this same recording is released in a Deutsche Grammophon box (together with the rest of Mahler's symphonies and songs conducted by Bernstein) with a much more better and clean sound.

A must have, in my opinion with Klemperer (Philharmonia, EMI) and Giulini (Berlin, DG).

A chinese man's review.......2005-10-25

Mahler was inspired by Chinese poems and then here they are Das Lied von der Erde, the Song of the earth. Although my efforts of finding out the original Chinese poems was a failure, I do sense the achievements the Mahler had made to interpret the spirit of those Chinese poetry and the philosophy behind them.

Talking about the performance, this is the best I've ever had.

Too much Bernstein, not enough Mahler.......2005-09-24

I own every Bernstein Mahler recording but place this one pretty far down on the list. The Vienna Phil. plays gorgeously, and the engineers capture everything in super-bright, detailed sonics. I can remember what a blockbuster this produciton was in its day. But Bernstein underlines with heavy ink, barely letting a single bar of the music speak for itself. James King is a bluff tenor soloist, sounding too burly and not sensitive enough to the text. Fischer-Dieskau tries to outdo Bernstein by dramatizing every syllable with leaned-on emphasis but showing no natural lyricism or poetic surrender to Mahler's line.

If you want the baritone version of this masterpiece, there is an excellent reading from Salonen on Sony with Bo Skovhus outsinging F-D by miles. An earlier, less exagerrated reading under Kletzki shows F-D off in better form for his many fans.

Overall, a disappointment from a great Mahlerian.

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An Epic Performance of the Mahler Third
not my favorite, but still near the top
Dry, hollow Mahler Third from Boulez, VPO
All aglitter and aglow
An alternative 'aesthetics only' third, please.

Mahler: Symphonie No. 3

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00008GQTR
Release Date: 2003-03-11

Tracks:

Kraftig. Entschieden
Tempo Di Menuetto. Sehr Massig
Comodo. Scherzando. Ohne Hast

Tracks:

Sehr Langsam. Misterioso. Durchaus
Lustig Im Tempo Und Keck Im Ausdruck
Langsam. Ruhevol. Empfunden

Customer Reviews:

An Epic Performance of the Mahler Third.......2007-06-06

Among the Mahler symphonies the third is perhaps the one fo the most difficult to get a handle on. It is epic in subject and length filled with huge musical statements and vast solo writing as well. Many recordings of this piece are difficult to grapple with as they can seem chaotic or muddied at times. The latest installment in the Pierre Boulez Mahler cycle is the Mahler Third Symphony. This is an epic recording filled with beautiful solo playing and a power of playing that rates it as one of my favorite recordings of any piece of music ever. From the opening bars with it's horn calls you know that this is a symphony like no other. It puts one in mind of epic film scores of the late 50's and early 60's but of course Mahler's genious predates these times by half a century. This recording is a grand musical journey. It is, as Mahler suggested, a world unto itself that uses every technical means that the orchestra can muster. The playing of the Vienna Philharmonic as an ensemble and as soloists take on this task beautifully and are inspired, technically perfect and yet completely in touch with Boulez' vision of Mahler. There is no shameless romanticism here and yet in it's own straightforward way it is more powerful and touching than some other attempts to grapple with this singular musical statement. I think this recording with this conductor and orchestra more than any other captures the essence of Gustav Mahler's world and music. If you love Mahler already or if you are just entering the world of Mahler's music I strongly recommend this recording.

not my favorite, but still near the top.......2006-12-16

Forget words like "neurotic", "angst-ridden", "convulsions". This is still music, not psycho-analysis. The Mahler 3rd happens to be a very long symphony; well over 90 minutes of very concentrated music. Therefore, the flow of any performance is of great importantce here. In short, the middle movements musn't die! Boulez delivers the goods, intact. I find Anne von Otter to be a bit of a mis-cast, but she makes for a refreshing change - far lighter sounding than usual. What's interesting in the short "bim-bam" choral movement (fifth movement), is that Boulez adds a line for the upper brass towards the end of it that I've never heard on any other performance (trumpets and horns in unison). I also can't find any reference to it in any of the printed scores that I've come across. If it's something that Boulez invented on his own, I must say, it does contribute in a fairly positive way. Back in the half-hour long first movement, Riccardo Chailly - among others - captures more of the wide dynamic range and kaleidescopic color of this colossal musical happening. But Boulez hardly puts a foot wrong anyplace, keeping the overall flow a priority. He also has one of the stronger recorded trombone solos on his side as well; played by a trombonist stolen from the London Symphony, no less! This is hardly lightweight or "prozac" music making. In the third movement, Boulez keeps the tempi flowing along during the long cadence points that conclude the two "posthorn" solos (offstage trumpet). Compare this to the MTT/SFSO Mahler third, where Tilson Thomas stetches those cadence points almost to a standstill (it's so boring!). With MTT, you almost can't tell that the horns (onstage) and solo trumpet (offstage) are playing in rhythmic counterpoint to each other. Are you getting the point, folks? . . . flow, people, flow - go with the flow!!

Now, all this flowing would be meaningless if it weren't for one very, VERY important detail. That detail (envelope, please), is the climax of the long brass chorale towards the end of the final movement - the point leading up to, and at, the very last cymbal crash. Here, Boulez gets a lot of strength and lung power from his trombone section - not always one of the great features of the Vienna Phil. (usually it's the horns who steal the show). In fact, Boulez is better at this climactic spot than Chailly is. Conversely, Chailly is pretty much better than anybody in the symphony's concluding series of long chords, accompanied by the two sets of timpani. Overall, I like the Chailly even better, which has the advantage of Decca's richer sound, as well as the Concertgebouw's outstanding woodwinds and thoroughly modern percussion section. But I could also very easily live with the Boulez - by far the best recording of the third that the Vienna Phil. has made to date. This is also available in an SACD/CD hybrid, which would mean a DSD upgrade for you folks with plain, old CD players.

Dry, hollow Mahler Third from Boulez, VPO.......2006-02-16

Discretion would seem to be the password as to what leads, guides this interpretation of Mahler's grand paean to Nature. One relishes the chance to hear the piece with a fresh approach to it, as one can readily expect from Boulez. Under different hands, it can so easily seem to give itself over to much belabored cliche and endless sprawl. The clarity of the playing here, no doubt, is a great asset too, and is fulfilling most of the time, at least on technical grounds.

And yet there is something missing here. This recording is almost too perfect an example of what those in the Bernstein camp might conveniently hold up as an example of a cool, linear, modernistic literal interpretation. This one does not give Mahler's music the kind of edge one might associate today with or get from the emotionalism of a Bernstein, or even of a Walter or Mitropoulos. Scherchen, Rosbaud, Klemperer, even Boulez AND Mitropoulos, up through the early 1970's, found in Mahler its inherent pioneering and risk taking in its progressive tendencies and for most of them, best clarified in a more dry-eyed approach. They were at least during their day not to be denied.

These considerations bring us to this recording. The opening roar of Nature comes across as hieratic enough, but dry and lacking in mystery. Weight is lacking in the march like tread and rumblings from lower registers, and for sake of understatement perhaps, measures of such tread that are marked in six happen in closer to five. The solo trombone then also clips his expressive lines that arise from what comes below.

Spring enters tentatively both times with intonation suffering in especially the strings and also the flute trios. Matters improve with the second entrance of spring with warm playing from the horn section and winds, although the strings at first give evidence of having thawed little. Climaxes both at the end of this section, for the South Storm episode (but with convincing groans from low brass leading into that) and the close of the entire movement are typically understated, but the lyrical, expressive solos between are lovely, the reprise of the opening of the movement, both times it occurs is effective. The winds are allowed to go full out on so well portraying, so to speak, the Rabble, twenty minutes in.

The Wunderhorn warmth that Boulez has found in the first movement carries over well into the Menuet of the second. Textures are very light and clear, and rhythms through at least the first middle section well sprung. On second hearing, however, as Mahler more fully develops the B section, rhythmic activity and contours get a little undercut from within. The letting down to repose from such virtuosity, in both the concertmaster's retransition and reprise of the A section gets undercut. One detects a little an air of sophistication or all knowing attitude toward childlike naivete that has overtaken the atmosphere, in part in everything sounding so very neatly tucked into place.

For the most part, the third movement goes the most convincingly of any so far. A little of a personal stamp is felt even here in some of the Messiaenesque coloring that Boulez gives the reprise of the A section in this movement twice, as though pianissimo clashes in the cymbals should automatically find him an excuse. And yet, he is fully engaging with the Beethoven Fifth parody in also the trio of this scherzo, compensating for a little understatement from the brass by letting the flutes have at it with their harmonically off-kilter descending trills. The posthorn episodes take a moment or two to engage us and to warm the blood, but once there, they are fully convincing. Boulez brings the movement, to characteristically for him and with no lack of mystery, a close that could have come straight out of Messiaen.

The fourth movement, the Nietzsche movement, begins inaudibly. Anne Sofie Von Otter's reading is sensitive, but light toned and lacking in mystery. Contrast for the brighter then also more passionate outpourings of "Aus tiefen Traum" and "Doch alle Lust" is insufficient. Oboe portamenti, the way they are played now and here exaggeratedly so, do not fit into the postmodernist landscape that Boulez offers here. The fifth movement is all a little too matter of fact and detached, with Von Otter, too much in Wunderhorn mode, sounding petulant, almost poutish, as perhaps she more convincingly could be in another Mahler 3. The letting out of the brass at the end of the B section is menacing enough.

The sixth movement, though cool, solemn for most of the reach of it, is very effective. Some hesitations on the string line early on, to give the line more pronounced expression, are mannered, but quiet transitions sound sufficiently mysterious and full of awe, and the peroration to the movement suitably grandiose and noble in feeling.

One who takes to the Boulez approach to Mahler well, as other reviewers do, to give this set five stars, are going to be happy. There is something here as well even for the skeptics. I find, however, that it takes a little more effort with Vienna than other bands, on Mahler, to get the orchestra to do more than sit back and play their parts. The Sixth, from Vienna of seven years earlier, that opened this series, won enthusiasm and sustained interest from numerous people. I have found, the Sixth no full exception, that Boulez's ideas come or arise forth more palpably with the two American orchestras he uses for other installments in this cycle. Among the Vienna installments, in addition to the Sixth for some, the lovely, noble Adagietto from an otherwise disappointing, scrappy Fifth and most of the Das Lied are possible real exceptions.

All aglitter and aglow.......2006-01-19

Midway through the 2nd movement, a comparison came to my mind; one that stayed with me throughout the performance, at least until the final section. I liken this performance to a professional, high-gloss photograph of a Christmas tree - a scene designed and lighted by a superb decorator, willing to take infinite pains in arranging each strand of tinsel just so, each icicle in perfect relationship to each other icicle, and with each ornament positioned in just such a way as to sparkle in the most striking and delightful manner. Of course, Pierre Boulez is the decorator in question and he is expertly abetted by the Vienna Philharmonic, the Women's Chorus of the Vienna Singverein and Anne Sofie von Otter, whose exquisite voice blends perfectly with the orchestra, especially in the fourth movement, set to a text by Nietzsche. If the spell cast by Boulez & co. dissipates a bit in the final movement, perhaps it's because, at that point, the music calls for more sweep and expansiveness, and therefore resists somewhat the obsession with filigree. The engineering and production by DG are top notch, as expected, with one glaring exception for a dreadful edit about 9:30 into the third movement.

An alternative 'aesthetics only' third, please........2005-02-01

James Leonard in the All Music Guide wrote that the Great God Pan of the opening movement (in this recording) is just a bombastic tune for eight trombones, that the Flowers of the Meadow in the Tempo di Menuetto are just arabesques for the woodwinds, and so on.
Well, that's the whole point with the Boulez Mahler cycle in genreal.
We have countless recordings of Mahler, the arch romantic.
But, Boulez, as usual, makes you 're-think' the work.
HIS Mahler 3rd stems from the Mahler who fathered Schoenberg, Berg, Webern and so on.
This is quite a valid a viewpoint and a long overdue one.
The third, minus a raging libido,is now a modern structure of sound.
Boulez refuses to take the (oft taken) narrative route here. He's simply not built that way and never has been.
Boulez, the celibate atheist, cares not for the spritual/sexual angst often found in Mahler.
Instead, he opts for Mahler the revolutionary composer.
It's a narrow vision to be certain, but quite a specific one.
I wouldn't want this as the only recording on my shelf, but it's an essential addition and my collection of thirds would not be well rounded without it.
*One negative here must go to DG for the dreadful cover art. One thing that has been ultra cool with the Boulez Mahler cycle from the beginning has been the tie with early modern art gracing the covers. The link between viusal art and music has been understood throughout this controversial and much debated cycle.
This emphasized the cycle's pronouncement of being steeped in modernism.
To replace this with a by the book, dull b & w photo of Boulez conducting is a disservice to the cycle and it's aesthetical viewpoint.

Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde / Bruno Walter

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IF YOU ALREADY LOVE THESE PIECES...
One the greatest of all time.
The Da Mahler Code
DESERVEDLY A CLASSIC BUT...
My thoughts.....

Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde / Bruno Walter
Gustav Mahler , Bruno Walter , Kathleen Ferrier , Julius Patzak , and Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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Kathleen Ferrier - Mahler ~ Kindertotenlieder & Gluck ~ Greene ~ Handel ~ Mendelssohn ~ Purcell / Baillie, Moore, B. Walter
Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde
Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde / Bernstein, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
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ASIN: B00004XQ8E
Release Date: 2000-11-14

Tracks:

Das Lied Von Der Erde: I. Das Trinklied Vom Jammer Der Erde - Julius Patzak
Das Lied Von Der Erde: II. Der Einsame Im Herbst - Kathleen Ferrier
Das Lied Von Der Erde: III. Von Der Jugend - Julius Patzak
Das Lied Von Der Erde: IV. Von Der Schonheit - Kathleen Ferrier
Das Lied Von Der Erde: V. Der Trunkene Im Fruhling - Julius Patzak
Das Lied Von Der Erde: VI. Der Abschied - Kathleen Ferrier
3 Ruckert-Lieder: Ich Bin Der Welt Abhanden Gekommen - Julius Patzak
3 Ruckert-Lieder: Ich Atmet' Einen Linden Duft - Kathleen Ferrier
3 Ruckert-Lieder: Um Mitternacht - Julius Patzak

Customer Reviews:

IF YOU ALREADY LOVE THESE PIECES..........2007-07-16

...go for this cd. Just my taste talking: after many listenings, I could not get a melody out of this. Nothing made sense. It just wanders, never giving a communicating melody (and I do love some Debussy and Poulenc - and almost every note of Beethoven). Happy sailing!

One the greatest of all time........2006-05-20

There are times when you can't let something pass. I've heard this nonsense about how Bruno Walter "didn't understand Mahler." The fact that Walter knew Mahler well and worked with him gave him far better insight into the composer than those commenting almost a century after the fact. The poetry in this performance is there for those whose who are capable of hearing it. Stating that Ferrier was past her prime seems odd in that she was about 40 when this recording was made and if made in 1951 it would have been two years before her death. She was a true contralto (the voice for which the music was written)with a tonal color that any mezzo-soprano can only approximate. Regarding this not being opera it might do well to remember that Mahler was primarily a conductor of opera. Would this have influenced how he may have wanted this work performed? I think so.

The Da Mahler Code.......2006-01-10

This is probably a minority report, but I could never understand why the Walter/Ferrier recordings of the "Das Lied" are considered to be the best Songs of the Earth. Probably because everyone else says so.

Yes, it's not bad, but certainly not at the top of the list.

The question is why is it so overrated? Our culture loves drama and hates death. Ferrier sang her Farewell in 1951 when she was dying of cancer and she knew it. In the 1947 performance of the same work, she burst into tears in the middle of the Abshied. OK, I understand what's the fuss and drama about, but what does it have to do with the music itself?

The Das Lied is not an opera, a fact that Walter and Ferrier (and also Bernstein amongst others) failed to understand, making this work sound overly dramatic and over-sentimental. It is *poetry*, pure p-o-e-t-r-y, and demands an entirely different approach to the one that many musicians have been taking over the years (yes, forget the misery of Mahler's life, as well. A musician's life is one thing, his output another.)

Bruno Walter himself said that "Kathleen Ferrier's performance in Das Lied remains among the deepest and happiest experiences of my musical life. The lovely timbre of her voice moved me as hardly any other sound has. And she had a soul as well as a voice. That soul knew and resounded the very soul of Mahler's work. I have often thought how much it would have meant to him to hear the profound understanding in her performances."

Contrary to that statement, both Walter and Ferrier did not understand Mahler. (BTW, neither did Bernstein, whose recording of the Das Lied with Fischer-Dieskau is certainly one of the worst Das Lied recordings ever.)

Ferrier probably was someone with a soul indeed, and a great singer, but this work did not suit her. Walter a great conductor, but this Das Lied is a clear case of mystification of the public, something analogous to the Da Vinci code (in this case the Da Mahler Code) and the smile of La Giogonda. There's no mystery. Only preconceived ideas.

I would go for the Boulez/Urmana, Klemperer/Ludwig or Tennstedt/Baltsa recordings, instead. Top of the list (also the Janet Baker and Jochum/Merriman, too.)

DESERVEDLY A CLASSIC BUT..........2006-01-08

Now this recording is out of copyright it is beginning to turn up on several labels (e.g. Naxos). It is, after all, a classic recording. However, it was Decca who recorded it and they therefore are the ones who have access to the originals. So this is probably the best transfer, worth the extra cost over its rivals.

Its status as a classic is well deserved. Walter was a close colleague of the composer, talked through the work with him and conducted the world premiere after Mahler's death. It was a piece he had lived with for more than 40 years by the time this recording was made and his interpretation therefore at least deserves serious respect. Of course, it merits much more than that. Walter loved this music and invested it with all the depth of humanity he brought to everything he conducted. There is appropriate weight and thrust to the opening Trinklied, a logically consistent flow to the meandering melodic lines of the Einsame im Herbst, Schubertian delicacy in Von der Jugend and so on right through to the yearnings and final resigned acceptance of Der Abschied. This, as you might expect from Walter, is a Das Lied viewed from the Mozart, Schubert, Brahms end of the telescope rather than as the forerunner of Schoenberg, Berg, Webern and beyond. To that extent he could be said to smooth out some of the more abrasive orchestration, to soften the impact of the clashing harmonies in the great Funeral March and to try to integrate the often disparate and apparently unrelated contrapuntal melodic lines. For a contrasting point of view, you need to turn to Rattle, Boulez or, interestingly, Horenstein.

One of the chief raisons d'etre for this recording, of course, was the special relationship that had developed between Walter and Kathleen Ferrier. In the unique sound of that voice and in her special artistry, Walter felt he had at last found the perfect vehicle for this piece. And she doesn't disappoint. She gives a near-definitive performance of her three songs and especially of Der Abschied. The last outburst of love and regret for the `liebe Erde' and the ensuing resignation that drifts into an infinity of repeated `ewig...ewigs' over Mahler's achingly unresolved sixths in the harmony, these are heart-rending moments. If there is just the slightest note of reservation in my praise, it is that Ferrier (as her letters show) was rather in awe of Dr. Walter, particularly in this piece which was so much a part of his life. As a result she always seems to be following Walter's lead in this performance, without quite allowing herself the interpretive freedom she shows even in her live New York performance with him. But in her live performance with Barbirolli (on APR) the sympathy - empathy even - between the two close friends leads to greater freedom still, greater risk-taking on both their parts that I find all the more moving, despite the pretty dreadful sound quality.

Julius Patzak is also an integral part of this Vienna performance. The tenor role is a tough one, having to scale the heldentenor heights of the opening movement, the porcelain delicacy of the third and the drunken abandon of the fifth. Patzak doesn't have quite the ideal heft for the Trinklied and occasionally gets submerged in the orchestral swell, but he does bring a wonderfully plangent colouring to his voice in the `Dunkel ist das Leben' refrain. There's a wealth of experience behind the subtle word-painting of Von der Jugend, however, and the Drunkard in Spring is also a perfect blend of singing off the words and the notes.

This recording is deservedly a classic of the gramophone, a great performance which displays roots that reach directly back to the composer himself. However, if you can listen through bad sound quality, I'd urge you to listen to Ferrier's performance with Barbirolli as well.

The three Ruckert Lieder also included on this disc are also wonderfully done - especially Ich bin der Welt anhanden gekommen. Um Mitternacht, too, is mightily imposing. Only Janet Baker (again with Barbirolli) runs them close.

My thoughts............2005-07-13

For a performance more than 50 years old, it sounds really good. Kudos to the engineers; I never knew the early 50s recording can be that good. Kudos too to Bruno Walter, a close friend and great interpreter of Mahler, and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, certainly one of the world's finest orchestras.

Personally, I didn't really like Julius Patzak on the tenor. He sounded to mellow, less dramatic compared to James Kings on a rivalling performance done by Bernstein with the same orchestra (and the same label) 14 years later.

Kathleeen Ferrier, on the other hand, is an absolute winner. There's something really special about her performance that really makes me want to cry, particularily in the "Farewell" movement. She sounded very rich and warm when she was singing in moderate registers, but very sweet and delicate - fragile even as if she know she was going to live no longer - whenever she took the higher notes. By the time she sings "Everywhere the lovely earth blossoms" I was in tears, knowing that this would be one of her glorious moments in her career before dying of cancer. Fischer-Dieskau's performance (with Lenny) was touching in one thing, but Ferrier's performance was an excrutiating experience...

May her performance touch others... for ever... and ever.

Movie Classics ~ Brief Encounter, Amadeus, Death in Venice, 2001, Apocalypse Now, Philadelphia

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Movie Classics ~ Brief Encounter, Amadeus, Death in Venice, 2001, Apocalypse Now, Philadelphia
Gustav Mahler , Giuseppe Verdi , Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , Sergey Rachmaninov , Johann II Strauss , Johann Pachelbel , Carl Orff , Richard Wagner , Umberto Giordano , Léo Delibes , Percy Grainger , Antonin Dvorak , Alfredo Catalani , Maurice Ravel , Giacomo Puccini , Ruggero Leoncavallo , Pietro Mascagni , Jules Massenet , Wiener Philharmoniker , Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields , London Philharmonia Orchestra , Vienna Johann Strauss Orchestra , London Philharmonic Orchestra , Royal Philharmonic Orchestra , Philharmonia Chorus and Orchestra , Rome Opera Orchestra & Chorus , and Chorus and Orchestra du Theatre National de L'opera-Comique
Manufacturer: Angel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Tracks:

Piano Concerto No.2: Allegro moderato (Brief Encounter)
La Forza Destino: Overture (Jean de Florett - Manon de Sources)
Eine Klein Nachtmusik: Allegro (Amadeus)
Symphony No.5: Adagietto (Death In Venice)
The Blue Danube Waltz (2001 - A Space Odyssey)
Piano Concerto No. 21: Andante (Elvira Madigan)
Rhapsody On A Theme Of Paganini: Variation No.18 (Somewhere In Time)
(Ordinary People): Canon
Clarinet Concerto: Adagio (Out Of Africa)
O Fortunea (Carmina Burana): O Fortuna (Glory)
(Die Walkure): Ride Of The Valkyries (Apocalypse Now)

Tracks:

(Andrea Chenier): La Mama Morte (Philadelphia)
(Lakme): Flower Duet (True Romance)
Mock Morris (Howard's End)
Piano Sonata No.18 In D: Adagio (The French Lieutenant's Woman)
Song To The Moon: Rusalka (Driving Miss Daisy)
La Wally (Diva)
The Emperor Waltz (Age Of Innocence)
Piano Trio: Modere (Un Coeur en hiver)
Madama Butterfly: Humming Chorus (Jenniger Eight)
Visti la giubba: l pagliacci (The Untouchable)
Internezzo: Cavaleria rusticana (Raging Bull)
Piano Sonata No.11 In A: Alla Turca (The Wedding Banquet)
Meditation: Thais (Angie)
Radtzky March (Age Of Innocence)

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Mahler: Symphonie No. 5

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde
Mahler: Symphony No. 9
Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 6 "Pastorale"

ASIN: B000LC4B4S
Release Date: 2007-02-13

Tracks:

1. Trauermarsch In Gemessenem Schritt. Streng. Wie Ein Kondukt
2. Sturmisch Bewegt. Mit Grosster Vehemenz
3. Scherzo. Kraftig, Nicht Zu Schnell
4. Adagietto. Sehr Langsam
5. Rondo-Finale. Allegro-Allegro Giocoso. Frisch

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Mahler Symphony No.3
A triumph, musically and sonically
Maybe the best recording, not the best performance
One of my all-time favorites
The Definitive Mahler 3rd Symphony recording

Mahler: Symphony No.3

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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Norman, Jessye | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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Mahler: Symphony No6; Rückert Lieder
Mahler: Symphony No. 3
Gustav Mahler: Symphonie No. 1
Mahler: Symphony No. 5
Mahler: Symphony No.5

ASIN: B000001G4T
Release Date: 1984-06-11

Tracks:

Symphonie No. 3: Part I: 1st Movement: Kraftig. Entschieden
Symphonie No. 3: Part I: 1st Movement: Langsam. Schwer
Symphonie No. 3: Part I: 1st Movement: Tempo I
Symphonie No. 3: Part I: 1st Movement: A Tempo
Symphonie No. 3: Part I: 1st Movement: Immer Dasselbe Tempo (Marsch)
Symphonie No. 3: Part I: 1st Movement: (Allegro Moderato)
Symphonie No. 3: Part I: 1st Movement: Tempo I
Symphonie No. 3: Part II: 2nd Movement: Tempo Di Menuetto. Sehr Massig
Symphonie No. 3: Part II: 2nd Movement: A Tempo
Symphonie No. 3: Part II: 2nd Movement: Ganz Plotzlich Gemachlich. Tempo Di Menuetto
Symphonie No. 3: Part II: 3rd Movement: Comodo. Scherzando. Ohne Hast
Symphonie No. 3: Part II: 3rd Movement: Wieder Sehr Gemachlich, Wie Zu Anfang
Symphonie No. 3: Part II: 3rd Movement: Sehr Gemachlich (Posthorn)
Symphonie No. 3: Part II: 3rd Movement: Tempo I
Symphonie No. 3: Part II: 3rd Movement: Wieder Sehr Gemachlich, Beinahe Langsam

Tracks:

Symphonie No. 3: Part II: 4th Movement: Sehr Langsam. Misterioso. Durchaus PPP
Symphonie No. 3: Part II: 4th Movement: Piu Mosso Subito
Symphonie No. 3: Part II: 5th Movement: Lustig Im Tempo Und Keck Im Ausdruck
Symphonie No. 3: Part II: 6th Movement: Langsam. Ruhevoll. Empfunden
Symphonie No. 3: Part II: 6th Movement: Nicht Mehr So Breit
Symphonie No. 3: Part II: 6th Movement: Tempo I. Ruhevoll
Symphonie No. 3: Part II: 6th Movement: A Tempo (Etwas Bewegter)
Symphonie No. 3: Part II: 6th Movement: Tempo I
Symphonie No. 3: Part II: 6th Movement: Langsam. Tempo I

Amazon.com

Claudio Abbado plumbs the depths of Mahler's most sprawling opus, aided by the Vienna Philharmonic on their most flexible, responsive form. The terrifying first movement trombone snarls and tangy oboe solos elsewhere are worth the price of these discs, and so are Jessye Norman's haunting contributions in the fourth and fifth movements. --Jed Distler

Customer Reviews:

Mahler Symphony No.3.......2006-02-22

Very well presented Work superb Conducting,& Orchestral playing the Solist & Choir great.

Thomas M Shanks

A triumph, musically and sonically.......2005-10-28

Great musicians can excel even themselves, and that's the case with this 1982 recording of the Mahler Third under Abbado. I had carelessly assumed that Abbado's superb live recording with the Berlin Phil. from 1999, despite some sketchiness in the sonics (it was engineered on the spot in London by the BBC), showed that this conductor had grown as a Mahler interpreter.

I was wrong--Abbado didn't need to grow. This is a stupendous performance in terms of musicality and insight. We are inside Mahler's sound world from the first bar, and there is magic and mystery, tears from childhood and rollicking joy, that only Bernstein's first recording from New York could hope to match. But Bernstein didn't have the Vienna Phil., playing so superbly it defies description, and he didn't have the miraculous sonics that DG somehow contrived so early in the digital era. Abbado, like Karajan, favors extremely hushed pianissimos and thunderously loud fortissimos, both caught here to amazing effect. In fact, the one flaw for many listeners will be how to find a single volume level that can capture the polar extremes in dynamics. Other reviewers have already extolled Jessye Norman, a mesmerizing soloist in the Nietzsche poem from the fourth movement. My only reservation is htat the extremely slow last movement is a bit cool and detached compared to Bernstein.

I want to apologize silently to Abbado for overlooking this accomplishment. He can be a variable condcutor, but on this occasion he reaches the very heights of Mahler interpretation.

Maybe the best recording, not the best performance.......2003-07-10

Although this Abbado may be the best recording, it is not the best performance. That credit will likely always go to the old Horenstein performance with the London Symphony. IT is one of those things so rare, no one will even discount it!

One of my all-time favorites.......2002-11-10

Abbado is a great conductor who has a not-entirely-undeserved reputation as an unsteady Mahlerian. But he has always shown a real knack for Mahler's 3rd, and this earlier digital recording with the VPO, Norman, et al. is a case in point. It is one of my favorite Mahler recordings, in spite of having one of the *ugliest* cover designs in existence.

Apart from keeping an audience awake for a 100-plus minute symphony, I think the biggest challenge for anyone interpreting this piece is finding the right balance between its musical and emotional depth and its thrilling showmanship; lean too much one way and the piece becomes too heavy and ponderous, too much the other way and it's a pretty good movie soundtrack but a mediocre symphony. Abbado and the VPO find just the right balance, especially in the first movement, which they manage to present as thrillingly dramatic without being just flashy.
Norman is wonderful, especially in the fourth movement; I can't think of a better performance of this movement on any level.

My only two complaints (besides the horrid color-scheme of the cover art) are about the 3rd and last movements: the posthorn solos in the former have little presence at all. It sounds as though the trumpet soloist, not content with going offstage, decided to keep going down the street to a nearby Vienna cafe and play his solos from there. The last movement, although lovingly and intensely played, is taken a bit more slowly than I would like, something that Abbado doesn't do to me very often.

Still, that isn't a lot to complain about in a piece of this length and size. This is quite simply the best Mahler 3rd in my opinion, and the answer to anyone who says Abbado doesn't get Mahler.

The Definitive Mahler 3rd Symphony recording.......2002-03-26

Claudio Abbado draws the right dose of drama and lyrical playing from the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in this stunning interpretation of Mahler's 3rd Symphony. Undoubtedly this is one of Abbado's finest Mahler recordings, surpassed in quality only by his legendary Mahler 7th with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and perhaps by his relatively recent recording of Mahler's 2nd Symphony, also with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Jessye Norman is splendid during the fourth and fifth movements. The fine sound quality is undoubtedly helped by the Musikverein's warm acoustics. Others may prefer Bernstein's or perhaps Haitink's recordings, but I suspect most will agree that Abbado's account of Mahler's 3rd Symphony remains the finest contemporary recorded version.

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