[Mark from HFR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Origen I trust your stab was at Fischer-Dieskau rather than Baker.

Yeah, the wig wouldn't stay on.

 

[Mark from HFR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Origen Probably more a factor of time than sense.

Yes, by adding them late in the series, they're pretty much stuck with a mopping up situation. I would prefer for MTT to have done a fleshed-out 10, but obviously he doesn't buy it.

 

[bookdoctor]

Can anyone recommend DVDs of good, live Mahler performances? I'd be especially curious to see an M2 performance. I'm making a wish/shopping list of Mahler versions I want, but so far I've only been including music CDs, so I'd like to branch out a bit.

Thanks!

 

[Mark from HFR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bookdoctor Can anyone recommend DVDs of good, live Mahler performances? I'd be especially curious to see an M2 performance. I'm making a wish/shopping list of Mahler versions I want, but so far I've only been including music CDs, so I'd like to branch out a bit. Thanks!

The Bernstein/Vienna Philharmonic cycle from the 1970's was just put out on DVD a few months back, and it is fascinating to watch. The sound is compressed, as these were originally planned for TV broadcast, so the loud parts are turned down and the quiet parts are turned up, but it is still great to see the interaction between Bernstein and the musicians.

M

 

[calaf]

since I own the Bertini set with the missing seventh, I am in the market for a replacement. Has anyone heard Barenboim/Staatskapelle Berlin recording of No 7? Mr Hurwitz gave it
10/10, but his recommendations tend to be hit-and-miss for me...

 

[PSmith08]

Quote:

Originally Posted by calaf since I own the Bertini set with the missing seventh, I am in the market for a replacement. Has anyone heard Barenboim/Staatskapelle Berlin recording of No 7? Mr Hurwitz gave it 10/10, but his recommendations tend to be hit-and-miss for me...

I have his Teldec disc of the 5th in Cologne, and I heard him conduct the same piece in Chicago last October. I am not necessarily the biggest fan of Barenboim's Mahler. I think that he has a tendency to read Mahler in a slightly superficial manner. Let me put it like this: Barenboim has a tendency to be too muscular in his Mahler. I don't think that one can play Mahler with the same overt drama and flamboyancy as with which one would approach the vorspiel to Der fliegende Holländer.

A good review from Hurwitz generally means that it is dry, slightly analytical, and probably along the lines of a Bertini or Boulez. That, though, is just my experience.

 

[Bunnyears]

There is a review of the Bertini Mahler set at Fanfare by Christopher Abbot that makes very interesting reading.

Here's an excerpt:

At the risk of unwarrantable hyperbole, I would suggest that this set may be the bargain of the century (the 21st, anyway) for Mahlerites. In terms of sound alone, it is superior to both Kubelík on DG and Inbal on Denon, surpassing even Solti/Decca for presence and impact. But far more important are the integrity and sensitivity of the performances. Less purely idiosyncratic than Tennstedt, Rattle, Sinopoli, or Bernstein, the performances radiate a sense of comfort with, and empathy for, Mahler’s sound world. My only complaint is that some of the symphonies are split in inconvenient ways to equalize the 11 well-filled CDs. One odd thing: the spine of the box states “mono/stereo,” but I can assure potential buyers that all of these recordings are presented in (often impressive) digital stereo.

 

[Origen]

I like Bertini's 6th, especially his Andante. I don't know if I'd put it in my top 5, but it is still excellent.

 

[scottder]

I have resisted buying the Bertini.....so far. However I gave in on the Rattle 2nd, need to see if ART has done any magic here.

Scott

 

[iluvcans]

Mahler 1, Chicago- Tennstedt
Mahler 3, New York- Bernstein
Mahler 5, Berlin- silly Rattle DVD/CD set
Mahler 9, New York- Bernstein

I just heard a killer

live performance with P. Jarvi, Cincinnati Symphony and this was one of the best live performances of anything I have ever attended!

 

[Mark from HFR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by iluvcans Mahler 1, Chicago- Tennstedt Mahler 3, New York- Bernstein Mahler 5, Berlin- silly Rattle DVD/CD set Mahler 9, New York- Bernstein I just heard a killer live performance with P. Jarvi, Cincinnati Symphony and this was one of the best live performances of anything I have ever attended!

Greetings and welcome to the Mahler thread. Sorry about your wallet!

Do tell us more about what you like and what you just heard.

Mark

 

[Mark from HFR]

Obscurity time, boys and girls!

Anyone familiar with a recording of Mahler's 1st from the mid-1970's by The Royal Philharmonic conducted by Carlos Paita? I just found this on CD yesterday for a whopping $3 at my favorite used CD store.

Paita is an Argentinian (of Italian parentage) who made a brief big splash in the 1970's, before falling into obscurity. After having heard a handful of his recordings, I am inclined to think that what got him the attention was also his downfall: the bald emotion of his performances. Paita goes for the gusto and often lets the details fall where they may. Considering that at one point or another he has conducted almost every major orchestra, none of them must have liked his unrefined style very much, because we sure don't see much of him today. But in the wake of the stultifying super-refinement of Abbado and Tilson Thomas in recent years, perhaps the popularity of Paita's approach will grow (he has always had a small but dedicated cult following). It would be great to see someone reissue his recordings, which are currently all but impossible to find at reasonable prices. Incidentally, the original recordings were mostly on Decca, the reissues on CD were on Paita's own label, "Lodia."

His Mahler 1 is very direct and heart-on-sleeve. Tempos are generally brisk and the recording is close up with limited dynamic range (the old Decca Phase Four treatment). The only exaggerations are in a couple of transitional moments where he slows down and holds onto a passage as if unwilling to let go (in the trio of the scherzo, for instance). Subtle it ain't, but I find the performance's electric charge is a rarer thing these days than refinement!

Mark

 

[Bunnyears]

Hi Mark,

A quick google finds that Paita also has a very highly regarded Bruckner 8 as well.

His rise to obscurity comes from the fact that he formed his own record label, Lodia which is now oop. I found many of his lps with a google search, especially by Wagner and Dvorak, but few if any cds. His Wikipedia entry says that he was very impressed by a Furtwangler rehearsal in his youth. Apparently he has a "cult" following, which has made me extremely curious.

 

[DarkAngel]

Next

 

[Bunnyears]

DA,

So far I have found no overwhelming desire for Mahler by Haitinck, and certainly not at $50+ dollars (tax is also added for my yourmusic orders, and at 8.325% or something like that) it becomes less competitive in pricing. I already have the Haitinck Das Lied and with all of the sets I have and individual odd symphonies it hasn't tempted me yet. For that matter, it doesn't seem as if it's tempted you either.

BTW, a quick check doesn't find the Mahler at ym, but the Bruckner symphonies have arrived!!! So, I suppose that "opportunity" is lost. But, with the indifferent sq of the Mahler, I'm not repining -- especially as it's available for the same price at Amazon.

Edit: The Bruckner is less than tempting as well as I just received the Eichhorn Bruckner boxed set from Germany, but more about that later.