PSmith08
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Just got back from the shops, and found the Karajan 9th ('82 live recording). I must say that I really like it quite a bit. My reference (overall) is the '98 Boulez recording with the CSO, but I like Boulez in general.
Karajan, I think, really understood the 9th. The haunting loss that I see in all of Mahler I see thrown into sharp relief here. Boulez is precise, but I don't think he quite has the same sweetly sad overarching vision that Karajan had. Compared to Karajan, Boulez hammers through the Adagio. I won't say that he's too fast, but there is something to be said for a slower interpretation. Boulez brings a postmodern (which is to say post-Romantic) eye to Mahler that I like; however, I don't know if that vision is as suited to the 9th as Karajan's high Romanticism. (Whether or not Mahler was a Romantic, Karajan seemed to treat him like he was.) However, 16 years make quite a difference in digital recording quality, and the Boulez outing edges the Karajan. The orchestras are both very good. I am partial to the Berliners, but the CSO manages to do wonderfully, as well.
I will keep my Boulez as a reference disc. It is as precise and well-recorded as I think one could want. However, for the best interpretation that I have heard to date, I think Karajan walks off with this prize...until I go back to the shops.
Karajan, I think, really understood the 9th. The haunting loss that I see in all of Mahler I see thrown into sharp relief here. Boulez is precise, but I don't think he quite has the same sweetly sad overarching vision that Karajan had. Compared to Karajan, Boulez hammers through the Adagio. I won't say that he's too fast, but there is something to be said for a slower interpretation. Boulez brings a postmodern (which is to say post-Romantic) eye to Mahler that I like; however, I don't know if that vision is as suited to the 9th as Karajan's high Romanticism. (Whether or not Mahler was a Romantic, Karajan seemed to treat him like he was.) However, 16 years make quite a difference in digital recording quality, and the Boulez outing edges the Karajan. The orchestras are both very good. I am partial to the Berliners, but the CSO manages to do wonderfully, as well.
I will keep my Boulez as a reference disc. It is as precise and well-recorded as I think one could want. However, for the best interpretation that I have heard to date, I think Karajan walks off with this prize...until I go back to the shops.