[Mark from HFR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PSmith08 I always liked Abbado's '93 recording of the 5th with the Berliner in the Philharmonie. It is a solid (workmanlike is far too derogatory, but probably very fair) performance, and this Gramophone reviewer seems to like it quite a bit. I don't know if it's that good, but Abbado clearly had tamed Herbert von Karajan's Philharmonie by '93 and has a good grasp of the material. Also, it is very well recorded. I don't think it is as well-recorded as Kaplan's '03 2nd, but it isn't bad by a longshot. Reference recording? It is for me, but I am not the Mahlerite that others are. Of course, it's worth noting that Rattle began his public tenure as the principal conductor of the Berliner with Mahler's 5th.

P,

I only got around to picking up a copy of this recording fairly recently, and I was quite delighted with it. Some of Abbado's Berlin forays have been a little over-refined, but this one is vintage Mahler.

M

 

[Mark from HFR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkAngel I have the older Kaplan/Conifer 2nd also bought back when it first came out, caused huge commotion back then as many reviewers were shocked it was a performance of great stature that competed head on with the giants......still don't know how he managed to get use of LSO and top rank vocalist like Maureen Forrester for his first ever recording????? I don't have new DG VPO version which is supposed to incorporate additional research by Kaplan, but have read that it is more polished/refined.....which probably means I also would prefer older Conifer version. I am not a sound quality freak so slightly better sound not huge factor for me compared to performance. Mahlerites..... I have ordered some very hard to find Mahler recordings from 1960s-1970s never mentioned here before (even by Gracky ) should arrive soon......sorry can't let the cat out of the bag yet, but could be great find.

Darkangel,

Word about Kaplan's earlier recording is that when you have enough cash, you can rent most any orchestra you like. Apparently Kaplan is a multimillionaire from Wall Street trading. Fortunately, he is the real thing when it comes to being passionately committed to the music. He has real musical ability, and real leadership talent. Yes, the Conifer is livelier, and the DG is a bit more smoothed-out and efficient, so I think a lot of us will stick with the old one.

Can't wait to hear what your new treasures are!!

 

[PSmith08]

Abbado manages to hit the mood of the Adagietto just about right. However, my favorite movement is the Trauermarsch, and I think that is done very well. I hate to draw comparisons, but Mahler manages to produce something as moving--and ultimately triumphant--as Wagner's Trauermusik in Gotterdammerung. Abbado catches this and really does some good things with it--I mean the mood, not the Wagner bit.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark from HFR Darkangel, Word about Kaplan's earlier recording is that when you have enough cash, you can rent most any orchestra you like. Apparently Kaplan is a multimillionaire from Wall Street trading. Fortunately, he is the real thing when it comes to being passionately committed to the music. He has real musical ability, and real leadership talent. Yes, the Conifer is livelier, and the DG is a bit more smoothed-out and efficient, so I think a lot of us will stick with the old one. Can't wait to hear what your new treasures are!!

Kaplan's money comes from founding and running the magazine Institutional Investor. Apparently, the magazine is de rigeur for those who manage large amounts of money: mutual funds, pensions, and the like. He does, as I've noted above and elsewhere, really have what it takes to be a good conductor--even if it is just for one piece. His training is just as valid and good as what Von Karajan, for example, received. He, I think, still has to deal with the amateur label, but I can't see that it bothers him very much.

 

[Doc Sarvis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PSmith08 Kaplan's money comes from founding and running the magazine Institutional Investor. Apparently, the magazine is de rigeur for those who manage large amounts of money: mutual funds, pensions, and the like. He does, as I've noted above and elsewhere, really have what it takes to be a good conductor--even if it is just for one piece. His training is just as valid and good as what Von Karajan, for example, received. He, I think, still has to deal with the amateur label, but I can't see that it bothers him very much.

The thing that makes Kaplan cool to me, is that he represents the ultimate example of a Mahler fanatic - something we can all relate to on some degree! A successful businessman hears a single piece, and ultimately devotes the rest of his life to that piece! Perfect!!!! I've told his story many times when explaining to friends and relatives why I have multiple versions of Mahler symphonies...

 

[Mark from HFR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PSmith08 Kaplan's money comes from founding and running the magazine Institutional Investor. Apparently, the magazine is de rigeur for those who manage large amounts of money: mutual funds, pensions, and the like. He does, as I've noted above and elsewhere, really have what it takes to be a good conductor--even if it is just for one piece. His training is just as valid and good as what Von Karajan, for example, received. He, I think, still has to deal with the amateur label, but I can't see that it bothers him very much.

I think that to extend his approach further, Kaplan should establish a foundation that every so often will award a Mahler fanatic a week with an orchestra so they too can show their Mahler devotion. I'm having trouble deciding which symphony to conduct, though, if I get chosen... The Sixth, no the Ninth, no the Fifth...

 

[Doc Sarvis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark from HFR I think that to extend his approach further, Kaplan should establish a foundation that every so often will award a Mahler fanatic a week with an orchestra so they too can show their Mahler devotion. I'm having trouble deciding which symphony to conduct, though, if I get chosen... The Sixth, no the Ninth, no the Fifth...

Yeah, he's like the classical equivalent of that fan who took over lead vocals for Judas Priest.

(This could be the first post in history to mention Mahler and Judas Priest at the same time).

 

[Mark from HFR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doc Sarvis (This could be the first post in history to mention Mahler and Judas Priest at the same time).

Doc, That's sure to award you the first Kaplan prize right there. Which Symphony do you want to conduct?

 

[PSmith08]

The Kaplan Foundation currently occupies its time dealing with, correcting, and publishing critical editions of Mahler's works. I think the 2nd is their stock-in-trade. However, Mark has a good idea. I'd make it a yearly thing. Give the winner nine months of training, two months of rehearsal, and a month of performances.

As to Kaplan himself, he is the ultimate example of the guy who takes a passion, turns it into an obsession, and then rises to the top (or near the top). The story is quite extraordinary. I, for example, have a thing for Wagner, and to me, the Kaplan story is roughly akin to me being able to conduct Gotterdammerung at Bayreuth. The amazing thing is that Kaplan pulled it off. Not only did he get to do his thing, he has gotten to do it very well and with some of the best orchestras in the world. His is a success story, and I, for one, won't be sneering at him. His new 2nd is too good for that.

 

[Mark from HFR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PSmith08 The Kaplan Foundation currently occupies its time dealing with, correcting, and publishing critical editions of Mahler's works. I think the 2nd is their stock-in-trade.

They also put out a great coffee table book of every known Mahler photograph sometime around 10 or 12 years ago. It looked incredible, unfortunately, it was out of my price range. We usually see the same Mahler pictures all the time, but Kaplan found some excellent rare ones. My favorite is the one where Mahler isn't "posing" in his usual grand manner, but is just caught with a gentle smile on his face. One of his daughters once commented that that was the only picture of him which looked like how she remembered him.

 

[Doc Sarvis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark from HFR Doc, That's sure to award you the first Kaplan prize right there. Which Symphony do you want to conduct?

Interesting question: Given the chance I think I would also choose to conduct M2. Second choice: M3.

If I could conduct ANY symphony, it would be Beethoven's 9th.

 

[Doc Sarvis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PSmith08 As to Kaplan himself, he is the ultimate example of the guy who takes a passion, turns it into an obsession, and then rises to the top (or near the top). The story is quite extraordinary. I, for example, have a thing for Wagner, and to me, the Kaplan story is roughly akin to me being able to conduct Gotterdammerung at Bayreuth. The amazing thing is that Kaplan pulled it off. Not only did he get to do his thing, he has gotten to do it very well and with some of the best orchestras in the world. His is a success story, and I, for one, won't be sneering at him. His new 2nd is too good for that.

AMEN!!!

 

[Doc Sarvis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark from HFR They also put out a great coffee table book of every known Mahler photograph sometime around 10 or 12 years ago. It looked incredible, unfortunately, it was out of my price range. We usually see the same Mahler pictures all the time, but Kaplan found some excellent rare ones. My favorite is the one where Mahler isn't "posing" in his usual grand manner, but is just caught with a gentle smile on his face. One of his daughters once commented that that was the only picture of him which looked like how she remembered him.

I wish I could get that book, or at least the CD-ROM, but I'd rather spend the money on recordings.

My all-time favorite Mahler pic is the one where he's hiking - wearing a bow tie if I remember correctly - in the Austrian alps. It's used in the MTT M3 booklet. I'm a big hiker - that's one of the things about Mahler's character that appeals to me.

 

[Bunnyears]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark from HFR My favorite is the one where Mahler isn't "posing" in his usual grand manner, but is just caught with a gentle smile on his face. One of his daughters once commented that that was the only picture of him which looked like how she remembered him.

He only had one daughter, Anna who survived into adulthood. His older daughter died soon after he wrote Kindertoten Lieder and true to form, he believed that he had hexed her by composing such a work.
Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark from HFR Word about Kaplan's earlier recording is that when you have enough cash, you can rent most any orchestra you like.

Another answer to the riddle, "How do you get to Carnegie Hall?" What I find so amazing is how he managed to get the VPO on line for such a very stirring performance. Vienna may have been Mahler's home town as an adult, but the critics and musicians alike weren't very hospitable to him in his lifetime. In addition, from everything I have read, the VPO has had to be coerced and coaxed into giving good performances of his work ever since. Hopefully this is no longer the case.

Seriously, though, I just listened to the Kaplan M2, and I liked it so much that I played it twice. It certainly is as good as any that I have heard and it really catches the depth of Mahler's vision which is saying a lot. The fact that Kaplan recorded the symphony twice with great success says a lot about him and also a lot about his critics.

 

[Bunnyears]

Anna Mahler's portrait of her father

 

[Mark from HFR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bunnyears He only had one daughter, Anna who survived into adulthood. His older daughter died soon after he wrote Kindertoten Lieder and true to form, he believed that he had hexed her by composing such a work.

Whoops, my bad. Yes, it must have been Anna who said that. I can't remember whether it was Anna or Alma who opined that Bruno Walter didn't conduct the M1 right, but that William Steinberg did. Interesting food for thought.