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What's your Mahler Cycle?

might want to try this one too..... its very good.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00118AWHQ/?tag=pinkfishmedia-21

I'm listening to it just now on Youtube and my first thought was that tenor just ain't Fritz! But a few minutes after getting used to his voice, the music is beginning to show some of the romantic and alluring nature that exists in other performances, so I might just like it in the end. And that's without yet hearing the twittering, tuneful timbre of Bridgitte Fassbaender!


UPDATE: ordered a copy, I just couldn't help myself :D
 
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I listened to Das Lied last night.... Haitink/Concertgebouw/ Janet Baker & James King.

Philips 1970s engineering was magical.... fantastic sound, and Haitink and the Concertgebouw do it magnificently, especially the strangeness of the Der Abschied.

But... the singers. James King barks through the first song, and Janet Baker swoops & hollers through the last song, just sounds painful to me. Christa Ludwig any day.
 
I actually saw James King appear at Covent Garden- long after Id thought he'd passed on. Bits were falling off his voice and he studiously avoided moving unnecessarily- even when Jessye Norman threatened to crush him to death at one point.
 
I just had to get this vinyl boxset recently.

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I have been slowly getting to grips with two cycles on Blu-ray over the last couple of years.
and

Although I've watched a few of them on the big telly + mid-fi stereo in the living room, I have enjoyed them much more just listening on the main hifi without visuals. This has been achieved courtesy of two 30-day trial pieces of software, MakeMKV and DVD Audio Extractor which used together allow the stereo PCM soundtracks to be ripped to FLAC files, which are now on my music server. The Abbado/Lucerne set is in excellent 48/24 sound, while the Concertgebouw set is in stunning 96/24.

I do think Mahler is generally best served by good recordings and good equipment - the incredible orchestration, huge dynamic range and ever-changing tonal colours and timbres deserve hifi.... I'm convinced that Mahler could never have become the popular composer he is now without the invention of stereo hifi, and I think the fact that Mahler's music was generally not discovered by classical fans at large until the 1960s and onwards bears this out.

Abbado's Lucerne Festival performances are rightly renowned, the only let down is that the sound on the 2nd is a bit flat by comparison to the others. But not too bothered as the 2nd has a strange effect on me: about 5 mins in to the finale, I start wondering when this nonsense will ever end! The 9th is available on a separate disc, and its well worth having, maybe one of the greatest performances. I don't think Abbado recorded the 8th at Lucerne - again, not too bothered, its my least favourite Mahler.
The set includes bonuses of Prokofiev's 3rd concerto with Yuja Wang, and Magdalena Kozena singing the Ruckert Lieder, another good one, really spine tingling in "Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen".

The Concertgebouw set, recorded between 2010-2012, is a much more mixed bag. Basically, with Mariss Jansons on the podium with his orchestra, the performances are wonderful. He takes charge for 2, 3 and 8 (a performance which just about manages to stop me tuning out of all that awful singing - the fantastic SQ helps here too). Eliahu Inbal with the completed 10th is superb, and Fabio Luisi in Das Lied von der Erde well worthwhile. But the others....
1 - Daniel Harding....pretty straight and boring to be honest
4 - Ivan Fischer - very nice and smiling performance...but somehow doesn't get much depth out of it.
5 - Daniele Gatti.... still leaving me thinking he's not the man for the job at the Concertgebouw
6 - Lorin Maazel..... turgid, no other word for it.
7 - Pierre Boulez.... poker straight, worth hearing but probably not going to be anyone's favourite
9 - Bernard Haitink - I have to try this again.... Any Mahler 9 with Haitink should be an event.

Both sets are well worth having for the sound quality alone, and they can be found cheaper than the amazon links above.

Meanwhile, Riccardo Chailly and Leipzing Gewandhaus have also been releasing a cycle on Blu-ray, I have their 9th but not found time to listen yet.... need to be careful not to overdose, Mahler's 9th is a once-a-year listen IMO.
 
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I've had the Abbado-Lucerne blu ray boxset for a couple of years myself Alan and it really does represent excellent value. Like you, I've also ripped the discs using the same software you mention. I love the prolonged pause between the end of the third and the well-deserved applause; everytime I hear it I always end up joining in with my own chants of Bravo, bravo! I've got the same 9th as well and again also like you, it's pretty much a once-a-year listen. Who knows, maybe this year's listening will be at the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow as that's the RSNO's season-ending finale.

 
A new and permanent addition to my Mahler cycle is this Das Lied von der Erde by Kubelik-Bavarian Radio Orchestra with Janet Baker and Waldemar Kmentt on vocals. Although I'd heard enough of the song-symphony on Youtube to let me know it was worth a punt buying the CD, it wasn't until Der Abschied was coming to an end just now that I realised why I find this live reading so compelling: it's an incredibly intimate performance that makes me feel as though Janet, Waldemar, Rafael and the whole orchestra are playing, conducting and singing solely for me. Some performances, it seems, are played at the listener, but this performance draws you in because it's being played for the listener, which, in my case, is me. Highly recommended!

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Here's where I'm at as far as Mahler goes:

I'm not that fussed about symphonies 1, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8. I'm somewhat fussed about symphony No. 9 (Abbado/Lucerne is fine) and I'm all good with No.10 via Rattle/BPO.

That leaves the good stuff:

Symphony 2 - Abbado/ Lucerne
Symphony 3 - Abbado/ Lucerne
Das Lied - Kubelik/ Kmentt & Baker
Das Lied - Giulini/ Araiza & Fassbaender
Das Lied piano version - Katsaris, Moser & Fassbaender
Das Lied chamber version - Herreweghe/ Blochwitz & Remmert

I must also include this lieder collection as Fassbaender's Urlicht is the best I've heard. And of course, no Mahler collection would be complete without the crazy sounds of Uri Caine - the Primal Light bearer of Mahler!
 
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I went through a Mahler obsession about 7 years back - I have over 50 versions of the symphonies, mostly on CD - a couple on Vinyl. These are the ones, I return to most:
1 - Bernstein, Concertbouw on DG. Kubelik for a very different interpretation. Walter/Horenstein feature but usually it's a call between Berstein's latter interpretation and Kubelik.
2 - Along with no.9 - The toughest one to pick. Rattle and Birmingham would be my 'gun to the head' choice. But I adore Barbirolli here for a slightly leftfield choice. Then we're into the classics and all the variety which Walter and Klemperer bring - light and dark. Rattle and Barbirolli for me.
3 - A clear winner is Horenstein and LSO. I do enjoy Abbado (live) and the original Bernstein/NYP also
4 - So many great options. For me though - Another clear choice for Horenstein and his classic with London Philharmonic. Margaret Price cannot be bettered. But Szell and Cleveland is the 'standard' and understandbly so. Tennestedt/LPO and Reiner/Chicago are honourable mentions.
5 - Another tough one. Tony Duggan recommended Barshai and Junge Deutsche Philharmonie and it's one of my favourites, incredible recording and very balanced. I'll have to plump for it but it's tough - Barbirolli/New Philharmonia and Bernstein/VPO are the others I'd reach for most often too.
6 - Both Bernstein's are fantastic. I think the earlier one slightly edges for 'performance' but the better audio of the latter wins out for enjoyment. I enjoy Boulez alot here too (his 1 and 5 are also excellent). Janson and LSO is one I frequently return to also. Tennstedt too. Sigh! Forced to choose? Bernstein VPO followed closely by Janson/LSO
7 - Outside of no. 8, the one I listen to least although everytime I listen I'm reminded of it's brilliance. I return to only 3 choices and I'd put them in this order - Horenstein/New Phil, Rattle/CBSO, Bernstein/NYP
8 - It's not my cup of tea and I rarely listen to it anymore. I'd pick Solti and Chicago but this symphony has always felt like an outlier to me.
9 - Eeek. Tough, such a great piece of work and I have 11 versions to pick from. Barbirolli/BPO and Klemperer/New Phil are the ones I would most naturally reach for. Rattle live with the BPO is sensational. Karajan and BPO is one which I don't do often but it's super daaaark and I love that. Forced to select one version only I'd go for Barbirolli and BPO, Rattle's live version would be my recommendation for a 2nd choice once you know the music
10 - Rattle/Bournemouth is sufficient. I rarely listen. He did 9 symphonies and Das Lied von der erde
Das Lied - Haitink and Concertgebouw because of Baker. Klemperer and Phil as backup
 
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Do you even like Mahler?

When I say I'm not that fussed about certain symphonies I mean I don't feel attached to a particular version. I like a lot of Mahler, but I like symphonies 2 and 3 plus Das Lied the most - I'd even go so far as to say I love these works and could not live without them :)
 
I don't have any complete Mahler cycles, but I've collected a few individual recordings over the years. The ones listed first are my current top choice for each work, but I have acquired some of these recordings quite recently, so the order could change a bit in some cases...

1 - Kubelik, Bernstein, Solti
2 - Klemperer, Bernstein, Mehta
3 - Horenstein
4 - Szell, Boulez, Klemperer, Bernstein, Haitink, Karajan, Tennstedt
5 - Barbirolli, Sinopoli, Bernstein, Chailly
6 - Szell, Abbado, Boulez
7 - Gielen, Abbado, Rattle
8 - nada
9 - Klemperer, Karajan, Barbirolli
10 - nada
(Note - the Bernstein recordings are all from his last cycle)

Song of the Earth - Klemperer, Walter
 
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Something strange has happened to my relationship with symphonies 1 and 4: what once were symphonies I enjoyed hearing are now symphonies I like listening to, and hearing, as we all know, just ain't the same as listening! I've heard them both lots of times before, of course, but over the last few days, I've really been listening to both symphonies, and finally, I get them.

Fwiw, I've been listening to symphonies 1 and 4 by Abbado/Berlin PO from this box set.

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I don't have a complete Mahler cycle. At the moment here are the ones I seem to enjoy most.


1. Haitink - most likely my all time favourite Mahler 1st

2. Klemperer

3. don't care

4. Szell

5. Abbado

6. Boulez

7. Tennstedt

8. don't care

9. don't care - well maybe a bit - Barbirolli
 
Here's my list;

1: Czech Philharmonic / Ancerl

2: Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Hilde Rössel-Majdan; The Philharmonia Orchestra / Klemperer

3: London SO / Horenstein

4: Cleveland SO / Szell

5: New Philharmonic Orchestra / Barbirolli

6: Cleveland SO / Szell

7: Cleveland SO / Boulez

8: Frankfurt Opera Chorus & Orchestra / Gielen

9: Czech Philharmonic / Ancerl

10 Adagio: Bavarian Radio SO / Kubelik

Des Knaben Wunderhorn: Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau; LSO / Szell

Das Lied von der Erde: Janet Baker, James King; Royal Concertgebouw / Haitink

Mostly well-known recordings, but if you haven't heard Ancerl in Mahler, I'd recommend tracking some of his Supraphon recordings down - they really are excellent. If I was ever to buy a complete cycle, I'd probably put Haitink as front-runner - he just seems to get it right more often than not, even if there are others who shine in individual works. I've numerous recordings from the radio as well which I listen to quite frequently as they are easy to stream; some of Rattle's live performances with the BPO have been outstanding, as well as Daniel Gatti's cycle with the Orchestre Nationale de France, and Donald Runnicles is also always worth listening to.
 
Here's my list;

1: Czech Philharmonic / Ancerl

2: Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Hilde Rössel-Majdan; The Philharmonia Orchestra / Klemperer

3: London SO / Horenstein

4: Cleveland SO / Szell

5: New Philharmonic Orchestra / Barbirolli

6: Cleveland SO / Szell

7: Cleveland SO / Boulez

8: Frankfurt Opera Chorus & Orchestra / Gielen

9: Czech Philharmonic / Ancerl

10 Adagio: Bavarian Radio SO / Kubelik

Des Knaben Wunderhorn: Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau; LSO / Szell

Das Lied von der Erde: Janet Baker, James King; Royal Concertgebouw / Haitink

Mostly well-known recordings, but if you haven't heard Ancerl in Mahler, I'd recommend tracking some of his Supraphon recordings down - they really are excellent. If I was ever to buy a complete cycle, I'd probably put Haitink as front-runner - he just seems to get it right more often than not, even if there are others who shine in individual works. I've numerous recordings from the radio as well which I listen to quite frequently as they are easy to stream; some of Rattle's live performances with the BPO have been outstanding, as well as Daniel Gatti's cycle with the Orchestre Nationale de France, and Donald Runnicles is also always worth listening to.
Always loved the Szell 4 and 6 but it’s the white heat of Bernstein’s early NYPO Das Lied that always gets me in the heart.
 
I do like Bernstein's first cycle, particularly in 5, 6 & 7 - I might give those a relisten over the weekend. I don't think I have Das Lied from that cycle on hand - will look out for it.
 
I'll tell you which recording isn't in my Mahler cycle: this M3 by Fischer/Budapest FO. It's a great recording, with a lot of the instrumentation sounding crisp and clear like I haven't heard before. But compared to my favourite recording of the third symphony, by Abbado/Lucerne FO, it's just not as good, or not as involving, rather. I listened to the Fischer/Budapest recording last night but I couldn't help thinking to myself that they're doing it wrong. There's nothing wrong with it of course. It's just that the Abbado/Lucerne recording is so imprinted in my mind - and my soul, perhaps - that I couldn't quite connect with Fischer's version. I reckon that if I hadn't heard Abbado's version I would have been seduced by Fischer's, but it is what it is. High fidelity doesn't quite trump darker tones and timbers! Seriously, the trombone playing in the opening movement is as lucid as anything on Fischer's, but it's too bright for my tastes. The murkier-sounding trombone playing on Abbado's version can reach deeper into the soul and the whole thing sounds all the better for it. It's almost like Fischer and the Budapest FO tried to enjoy themselves during the recording process - oh, the audacity!


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The trombonist on Haitink's 1966 Concertgebouw recording of #3 is one of the two greatest players I have ever heard (the other is on the Mravinsky/Leningrad PO live Sibelius 7 from 1965, the version of that symphony which once heard renders all others superfluous...)
 


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