The 1986 performance of Mahler's Symphony No.3 from London's Royal Festival Hall differs from the studio recording made in the late 70's. As Michael McManus states in his booklet notes, 'Fine though the studio recording from 1979 was and is, this live performance has an intensity and integrity that few, if any, recordings of this work can match' and 'Tennstedt in concert was a very different creature from Tennstedt in the studio. Mahler in particular was a life-and-death experience in the concert hall'. The sound captured by the BBC engineers is state of the art and easily captures Mahler's huge dynamic range. As a bonus, there is a short interview from 1987 in which Tennstedt discusses Mahler interpretation.

REVIEWS:
New York Times (Publisher) (7/30/00, p.30) - "...An aching and apocalyptic version of this signature vehicle for Bernstein; the recording remains a touchstone..."

Mahler: Symphony No. 4

MAHLER/BERIO, STRAUSS: ORCHEST

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MAHLER: SYMPHONY NO 4 MOZART

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Recorded in a 1955 concert at Carnegie Hall, the conductor Dimitri Mitropoulos with the New York Philharmonic was an advocate and champion of Gustav Mahler. Said by some to bring a radical perspective to Mahler's scores, this re-issue of the so-called "Tragic" symphony enables us to appreciate the much talked about and legendary 1955 performance with superb sound acoustics but has suffered the fate of going in and out of print over the years.

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Francis Poulenc said ?in 1954, 'Music buffs believe that the greatest living conductor is Toscanini, musicians know that it is Hans Rosbaud.' This 'live' studio recording from 1951 is a new addition to the Rosbaud discography, released for the first time on ICA Classics. It has been regarded by a number of German musicologists as a truly legendary performance.

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...I think Ormandy sees [Das Lied von der Erde] very much in symphonic terms. It's a view often put forward by scholars casting the first and second songs as first and second movements, songs three, four and five running together as a kind of scherzo-intermezzo third movement (fourth song as quasi trio to the other two movements' scherzo), and the sixth song as fourth movement/finale. The reason I see this in Ormandy's account is that he seems to see the third, fourth and fifth songs in very much the same way, the same tone, with very little variation in approach from song to song though he stressed well the chinoiserie that is a feature of Mahler's orchestration. Then there is the fact that less than usual of the work’s darker undertones are brought out by him. There are some lovely woodwinds at the start of "Von der Jugend", though, matched with Richard Lewis's lighter delivery paying greater dividends here than elsewhere. However, Lewis is always much more the witness than the participant, especially in comparison with others, and even more detached from the words in "Der Trunkene im Fruhling". This work must involve the listener at all times and there are passages in this recording when I am not. Though let it be said there is a fine "stepping inside" of the scene by Lewis at "Ja! Der Lenz ist da" (Yes! Spring is here") and he also manages a laugh when describing the bird's laughter. Lewis has limited attack in the first song, though. He is more mellow and lyrical than colleagues like Peter Schreier for Sanderling (Berlin Classics 009 4022BC) but Ormandy matches him in being more lighter-toned than Klemperer, Sanderling or Horenstein (BBC Legends BBCL 4042-2). He is more concerned with the singing line and communicating energy and lift, which is certainly no bad thing in itself. There is less contrast between the varying sections of the song too. The passage starting with "Das firmament blaut ewig" is delivered by Lewis with none of the irony it is capable of and in the "ape and graves" section he is a little overwhelmed by the orchestra, well though he sings. Here Wunderlich for Klemperer (EMI 5 66892 2) manages to ride the climax admirably. Not surprisingly Lewis doesn't have Schreier's distinctive delivery on each "dark is life; dark is death" refrain" for Sanderling. The playing of the orchestra is superb, however, giving notice from the start we are in the presence of one of the world's great ensembles.

Ormandy opens the second song with admirable restraint and icy-coldness. This is late autumn with no heat at all. Lili Chookasian has a light voice and her first entrance doesn't bode too well for what is to come. All this brings some dividends when the orchestra shows a wonderful burst of warmth, especially from the lower strings at "Bald werden die verwelkten" ("Soon the withered golden leaves"). In fact, the Philadelphia strings are (and it should be no surprise) one of the glories of this recording and show Chookasian up rather. If only she could sing as well as they do! At "Ich weine viel in meinem Einsamkeiten" ("Long do I weep in my loneliness") hear also the solo horn against the oboe picked out by Ormandy and then "Sonne der Liebe willst du nie mehr scheinen" (Sun of love will you never shine again), where, as with Lewis in the "ape and graves" section of the first song, Chookasian is rather overwhelmed by the power of the orchestra. In "Von Der Schoenheit" she struggles to make the words tell, not least in the horse section which Ormandy takes very fast making her hang on for dear life. Then in the opening of "Der Abschied" there is some lack of tragic weight. But this is in common with what appears to be the philosophy behind Ormandy's performance. Again and again the stress is on refinement, fastidiousness, polish and no praise can be too high for the orchestra who bring really cultured playing to everything. Again Chookasian seems more than a touch under-involved. With Lewis detachment could be looked on as a positive stance but with Chookasian I feel it's simply that she isn't quite up to the peculiar demands of this piece. This is never more so than in the challenge of the last song where her rather peripheral feeling for the words tells most of all. But Ormandy's polish is in evidence throughout and a good example is his accompaniment of "Die Blumen blassen im Dammerschien" ("The flowers grow pale in the twilight"). He is very controlled too, helped by a slightly faster tempo than we are used to so that crucial line "Alle sehnsucht will nun traumen" doesn't move us as it should. He also skates too discursively over the wonderful bird section. This is a real example of his refinement robbing the music of one of its most distinctive moments: more "Ma Mere l'oye" than "Le Chant de la terre". Although that expressionist, "Pierrot Lunaire-like" section beginning "Es wehet kuhl" with flute and string bass underpinning has a fine sense of stillness it has less depth than it needs so that when the music warms up there is less feeling of respite. In the funeral march orchestral passage there is some extraordinary music where Mahler pushes the boundaries of tonality to the limit, but Ormandy rather throws it away in pursuit of smooth edges. The overall tempo is also too quick to make the effect it has to, though there is some wonderful playing from the cellos at the climax, really digging into their phrases. This is more than Chookasian does in the closing section, I feel. Her attention to the words is not really close and her tone rather one-dimensional; not expressive enough for music that expresses so much and Ormandy rather forces her on.

In sum a beautiful performance of Mahler’s late masterpiece, especially from the point of view of conductor and the orchestra. But there is more to this work than what lies on the surface and Ormandy's apparent stress on those symphonic aspects seems to encourage him in his refinement of everything else. Lewis's detachment at least seems to have point. Chookasian, on the other hand, one suspects is witness because she doesn't know how to get more involved or whether she should. On balance I think the same applies to Ormandy who doesn't really impress as a Mahlerian in this most elusive of works. He is saved by his wonderful orchestra who, in spite of some slightly faster tempi than we are used to, make this a performance to be enjoyed, for all I may not regard it as a front runner.

A coupling for Das Lied is rare but here is a very substantial one in the shape of the five Rückert Songs in a performance that finds Frederica Von Stade at the height of her considerable powers and Andrew Davis as ever an excellent accompanist. This is not a reason to buy this release, but certainly one to make up for any shortcomings in the main work.

Ormandy and his great orchestra are the real stars of this fine release.

-- Tony Duggan, MusicWeb International

Conductor Daniel Harding's follow up to his first BR-Klassik CD (Schumann's Faust Scenes, BR-KLASSIK, 900122) is this 2014 live recording of Gustav Mahler's Sixth Symphony from Munich's Philharmonie I'm Gasteig. Counting Sir Simon Rattle and Claudio Abbado among his teachers, he has since 2005 made a name for himself leading spectacular concerts with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra as guest conductor. One of Mahler's most unusual symphonies, the score of the Sixth is dark and complex, contrasting starkly with what appeared on the surface to be a happy and carefree phase of his life during it's composition. The BRSO has been a pioneering ensemble among the world's greatest orchestras in performances of Mahler's symphonies, dating to the Rafael Kubel�k era of the 1960s.

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MAHLER: SYMPHONY NO 2 MAAZEL,

This is a hybrid Super Audio CD playable on both regular and Super Audio CD players.

A performance that emphasises every detail.

By accident or design, two high profile recordings of Mahler’s Seventh, both conducted by Mariss Jansons, have been released in recent months. His Oslo Philharmonic recording on Simax (PSC1271) has garnered praise in some quarters, but is going to have to beat the odds to compete with this one, which sports both SACD sound and the revered Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. Jansons uses a new edition of the score, prepared by the International Gustav Mahler Gesellschaft, and whatever its innovations might be, he directs a performance that emphasises every detail, as if striving to make audible each minute amendment and correction.
 
The approach sits well with the superior audio quality. On one level, the recording functions as a catalogue of fascinating orchestral details, obscured in previous recordings by poorer orchestral standards and more homogenised sound reproduction. But it is not just the details that make Mahler’s Seventh an unusual work. Jansons also brings his interpretive clarity to the symphony’s unique structure. Other conductors - and I’m thinking of Bernstein and Rattle in particular - often treat the work’s sprawling structure and wayward progressions as problems that need fixing or covering up. Their methods include faster tempos, less rubato, and emphasis on the excitement of the louder passages over the quieter meditative ones, so as not to lose the audience. Jansons takes the opposite approach. He does not apologise for anything he finds in the score. Rather, he goes to great lengths to ensure that every passage and every counterpoint is clearly articulated, skilfully phrased and propelled as if with an inner momentum.
 
The result demonstrates just what a revolutionary work the Seventh Symphony is, with its incongruous dance episodes, its evocative orchestration (guitar, mandolin, cowbell), its precisely notated string portamento, and its dizzying climaxes. Tempos are almost always on the slow side, which again emphasises the details at the possible expense of the whole. Adhering to Mahler’s notated rubato gives the composer’s structural thinking its due. It is found wanting but Jansons never goes so far as to offer a purely sectional structure as an alternative; the immaculate details are always part of a symphonic argument, however flawed.
 
While the overall sound quality is extremely high, some sections of the orchestra benefit more than others. The string sound is particularly impressive: the intensity of the high violins, the presence and timbral variety of the violas and the agogic weight of the cellos and basses. It may well be that the most radical aspect of Mahler’s orchestration in the Seventh is his use of the strings. Its sound-world relies on a complex vocabulary of counter-intuitive doublings, chord spacings and bowings. The combination of high quality audio, world-class playing and forensic detail from the podium allows each of these curiosities to shine through. Things are slightly less clear from the back of the stage, and the percussion in particular often seems muffled, or at least not given the clarity that a studio recording would have been able to ensure.
 
Those, like me, who are more familiar with British and American orchestras performing the work may be surprised by the central European brass sound, which can be quite nasal and vibrato-laden. Even the bass trombone solo in the first movement has a pronounced wobble. It is an upward trajectory throughout the work for the brass. The opening solo for Tenorhorn in Bb’ - presumably a Wagner tuba here rather than a euphonium - has a rich tone, but amazingly vie with the woodwind. The trumpets in the first movement struggle to synchronise in a number of important passages, and the horns are on the brash side. However, the horns more than redeem themselves in the solos of the second movement, while the trumpets come into their own in the finale.
 
In fact, the finale is the best part of this recording. The rondo structure withstands Jansons’ emphasis on detail better than the more complex structures of the earlier movements. His loyalty to Mahler’s notated rubato pays dividends, as there are many surprises in the tempo changes that would be lost in a more four-square reading. It remains a long and challenging movement, but Janson’s balances the expansiveness with a focused orchestral sound and a clear sense of direction. The result, in the closing pages, is a paradoxical sense of inevitability, the music’s goal apparently preordained, despite its remaining unconventional and unpredictable right up to the very last chord.
 
Although I have mixed feelings about this recording, it has a great deal to commend it. The standard of the audio is sufficiently high to appeal to the SACD buyers who would consider it for this reason alone. I would also recommend the disc to those who have heard the work and think they know it. I was in that boat and found myself continually surprised by Jansons’ many revelations. To those completely unfamiliar with the symphony, I would have reservations about recommending this recording, if only because the interpretation is so radical. But there is an admirable honesty about every interpretive decision Jansons makes, and by highlighting the many unusual details of the score, he demonstrates just what an innovative and unusual work it is. These are not the interpretive priorities of most performers approaching Mahler’s most problematic symphony, but Jansons’ advocacy, and his multiple recordings, may yet persuade other conductors to stop making excuses for it.
 
-- Gavin Dixon, MusicWeb International

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The ouevre of Gustav Mahler has been a focal point of the ten year cooperation between the Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra and Gabriel Feltz (2003 - 2013). The last recording made during this period is Mahler's "Resurrection Symphony". The Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra and Feltz are joined by the outstanding soloists Chen Reiss and Tanja Ariane Baumgartner and the Czech Philharmonic Choir Brno. Feltz writes: "Gustav Mahler's symphonies have accompanied me since I was a youth of about 13. It is certainly not unusual for a youth who is interested in orchestral music to be fascinated by these works once he has discovered them. The abundance and complexity of the scores, which I was fortunately able to study in my early years, was however, somewhat overpowering. The composer's aspiration to create "whole worlds" is overwhelming, and which young person is averse to being overwhelmed?"

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The 2007 recording that has now been reissued by BR-Klassik or Mahler’s First Symphony, with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks under its chief conductor Mariss Jansons, can be regarded as an album premiere- in that this recording has only so far been available as a bonus release forming part of the audio biography of Gustav Mahler “World and Dream.” (BR Klassik)

14.99

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