[Bunnyears]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bookdoctor I was still in town (capital city a couple of hours where I live) today, and wandered into a new high-end shopping center that opened recently. I found a wonderful classical/jazz/blues record store, with very knowledgeable staff, and picked up a few more Mahlers: M2: Kubelik, Bayerischen Rundfunks, Edith Martin and Brigitte Fassbaender (Audite). I'm listening to it right now, and really enjoying the energy of the first movement. M3: Kubelik, Bayerischen Rundfunks, Marjorie Thomas, Tolzer Knabenchor (Audite) M5: Barbirolli, New Philharmonia Orchestra (EMI, GROTC) M5: Bernstein, NYPO (Sony) Not bad for a day's shopping...

I live in NYC quite close to Lincoln center. I've learned to stay out of the record stores. You pay top dollar there for everything but you get immediate gratification. Buying from online vendors saves considerable money but there is that damnable wait for the cds.

Those Audite recordings are wonderful, especially as most of them have been recently remastered so that the sq is much improved. They are all live performances and the orchestra sounds so much better than in the DG studio recordings for some reason. The performances aren't studio perfect, but are so much more exciting that they are much preferred to the DG set.

 

[scottder]

Saw this on one of mailing lists:

Quote:

Originally Posted by

 

[scottder]

PS - My new Rattle M2 shipped Tuesday, should be here soon.

 

[bookdoctor]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bunnyears I live in NYC quite close to Lincoln center. I've learned to stay out of the record stores. You pay top dollar there for everything but you get immediate gratification. Buying from online vendors saves considerable money but there is that damnable wait for the cds.

Yes, I know, but unfortunately it's the only option for me, since it would cost a lot more to have things shipped (several times the cost of the CDs) out here to Thailand. Also, there's something I like about walking into a classical (or other specialized) record shop and speaking with people who really know about music and will take the time to talk with you about it, compare recordings, and dig up whatever obscure resources they have at their disposal. That said, I'm praying that yourmusic.com expands its shipping in the near future to include my part of the world! You guys are making me jealous!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bunnyears Those Audite recordings are wonderful, especially as most of them have been recently remastered so that the sq is much improved. They are all live performances and the orchestra sounds so much better than in the DG studio recordings for some reason. The performances aren't studio perfect, but are so much more exciting that they are much preferred to the DG set.

I've really enjoyed listening to these, both out of a portable CD player and from lossless files on my iPod. Very good sound quality, especially in the lower strings and brasses, where there are often shortcomings in other, inferior, recordings. I also love Kubelik's interpretations, very fluid and energetic. Are these also available as a set, or only the DG ones?

I also had a chance to listen to the piano transcription of the M1. As someone commented earlier, it's a fun version, very unique. Some passages (especially in the second and fourth movements) had me thinking of Chopin...

 

[DarkAngel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by scottder PS - My new Rattle M2 shipped Tuesday, should be here soon.

Zinman/Arte Nova
I will be looking forward to some fresh face making new Mahler set, especially at budget price level! The prices recently for new MTT and Gielen are really just too much. I will say I was not too impressed with Zinman's recent Schumann set but he has done many other things I was really impressed with, so I will be buyer here.

Keep us posted on Rattle M2

BD
The Kubelik/Audite live Mahler series are only available as individual CDs so far, so more expensive than buying used DG studio set by Kubelik. Don't take Bunny too literally and think the Kubelik/DG are not worthy, I also prefer the Audite series but the DG studio set is one of the very best ever made.......I prefer the Kubelik vs Bertini for instance overall.

 

[Bunnyears]

DA,

Please don't misunderstand, I never meant to say that the Kubelik DG set was less than exemplary! it's just that the live recordings have an extra dimension, perhaps because they are live performances, and the orchestra actually sounds better to my ears, perhaps because of the remastering done by Audite. They are more expensive but still very worth the price as is the DG set which is still a reference.

Btw, Zinman has already recorded the M6 with the Baltimore SO, but I haven't found it available anywhere! It was part of a box set that seems to be oop.

 

[Mark from HFR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkAngel Zinman/Arte Nova I will be looking forward to some fresh face making new Mahler set, especially at budget price level! The prices recently for new MTT and Gielen are really just too much. I will say I was not too impressed with Zinman's recent Schumann set but he has done many other things I was really impressed with, so I will be buyer here.

Great, you can be the official designated Mahler-thread guinea pig for that cycle. I'm a bit wary of it, myself, as I heard a live Mahler 1 on the radio a number of years ago by Zinman that I thought blithely blew through it, barely scratching the surface. But I also know that Zinman's a smart cookie. Sometimes he's at his most devastatingly effective when you least expect it, such as in Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances, or Elgar's 1st.

M

 

[Masolino]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bunnyears Btw, Zinman has already recorded the M6 with the Baltimore SO, but I haven't found it available anywhere! It was part of a box set that seems to be oop.

Zinman's new Mahler would interest me if it will also be in line with his Beethoven - fast, lean and mean with lots of textural clarity thrown in. Daniel Harding's Mahler 4 (soloist: Dorothea Roschmann, another recording thus far not discussed in this long thread) uses a chamber orchestra and the original orchestration to brilliant effects.

 

[iDesign]

I recently purchased and received the Mahler: twelve disc Riccardo Chailly set and per the recommendation of Bunnyears I have also acquired the eleven disc Gary Bertini set. I should begin with noting that I am particularly keen on several Chailly recordings of various Mahler symphonies, specifically the ninth symphony and rate the London/Decca set highly. I sought to expand my selection of complete editions because I feel that complete recordings more fairly indicate and reflect ones overall approach and interpretation of the symphonies. I have observed that Cahilly’s generally amorous interpretations of the works were not obvious in his individual recordings of the symphonies I own. The Bertini set does not yet appear to be consistent with what I am looking for in Mahler. At the moment the twelve disc Sony Bernstein and Solti sets are still my preferred complete editions. Although it has been done on and off in the thread, I would be interested in seeing users of the site publish an updated listing of their most highly regarded recordings for each of the Mahler symphonies.


Best,
iDesign

 

[Mark from HFR]

My current Mahler faves:

Piano Quintet- Domus

Lieder und Gesaenge (1880-1892)- Janet Baker, with Jeffrey Parsons, piano

6 Fruehe Lieder (orch. Byrns)- Giuseppe Sinopoli/Philharmonia O with Bernd Weikl

Fruehe Lieder (orch. Berio)- Cord Garben/SWGRSO with Andreas Schmidt

Das Klagende Lied- Guiseppe Sinopoli/PO, Riccardo Chailly/RCO

Des Knaben Wunderhorn- Wyn Morris/LPO with Baker & Evans

Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen- Rafael Kubelik/Bavarian RSO with Fischer-Dieskau

Blumine- Karl Anton Rickenbacher/Bamberg SO

Symphony No. 1- Jascha Horenstein/LSO, Bruno Walter/Columbia SO, Gary Bertini/Cologne RSO, Sir Georg Solti/CSO

Totenfeier- Leif Segerstam/Danish NRSO

Symphony No. 2- Claudio Abbado/CSO, Leonard Bernstein/NYP (DG), Sir Georg Solti/CSO, Otto Klemperer/Philharmonia O

Symphony No. 3- Benjamin Zander/Philharmonia O, Jascha Horenstein/LSO, Sir John Barbirolli/Halle O, James Levine/CSO, Sir Simon Rattle/CBSO

Symphony No. 4- Daniele Gatti/RPO, Eliahu Inbal/Frankfurt RSO, George Szell/Cleveland O, Klaus Tennstedt/LPO

Symphony No. 5- Daniele Gatti/RPO, Sir Georg Solti/CSO, Kirill Kondrashin/MPO, Rafael Kubelik/Bavarian RSO (Audite), Rudolf Barshai/Youth Orch, Christoph von Dohnanyi/Cleveland O, Riccardo Chailly/RCO

Kindertotenlieder- Leonard Bernstein/VPO with Thomas Hampson

Rueckert Lieder- Claudio Abbado/CSO with Hanna Schwarz, John Eliot Gardiner with Anne-Sophie von Otter

Symphony No. 6- Benjamin Zander/Philharmonia O, Leonard Bernstein/VPO, Sir John Barbirolli/NPO, Eiji Oue/Osaka PO, Pierre Boulez/VPO, Klaus Tennstedt/LPO, James Levine/CSO, Giuseppe Sinopoli/Philharmonia O

Symphony No. 7- James Levine/CSO, Sir Simon Rattle/CBSO, Leonard Bernstein/NYP (DG), Jascha Horenstein/LPO, Lorin Maazel/VPO

Symphony No. 8- Jascha Horenstein/LSO, Sir Georg Solti/CSO, Klaus Tennstedt/LPO

Das Lied von der Erde- Jascha Horenstein/BBC Northern SO with Hodgson and Mitchison, Bernard Haitink with Baker and King, Klemperer with Ludwig and Wunderlich

Symphony No. 9- Jascha Horenstein/LSO (May 66 on Music & Arts, not the Proms performance from later in the year available on BBC Legends), Leonard Bernstein/RCO, Kirill Kondrashin/MPO, Benjamin Zander/Philharmonia O, Claudio Abbado/BPO, Christoph von Dohnanyi/Cleveland O

Symphony No. 10, "Adagio" only- Giuseppe Sinopoli/Philharmonia O, Lorin Maazel/VPO, Karl Anton Rickenbacher/Bamberg SO

Symphony No. 10, full sketches- Mark Wigglesworth/BBCNO of Wales, Sir Simon Rattle/BPO, Simon Rattle/Bournemouth SO, James Levine/Philadelphia O

For the moment, anyway.

Mark

 

[Origen]

Mark from HFR,

That's a lotta Jascha. A pity that no recording of his M5 is available. Did he record the Adagio of M10?

 

[DarkAngel]

Mark
Love to see those lists posted......keeps Mahler thread alive and interesting! Also helps readers get ideas for future Mahler purchases. Let me make some comments and pose some questions:

Zander/Telarc is your reference M3 & M6????
I understand that the new Telarc sound quality is quite good, but can you tell us a little more why you believe the performances surpass all others?

A big Horenstien fan I see, which is fine by me since I also enjoy his Mahler very much, but only his M3 & M1 would I rank as one of best ever. I have the Horenstein/BBC Legends M9 you mention which is OK, but think Jascha can do better which is why your Music & Arts M9 may have to be auditioned by me at some time.

I must say you show great taste including several Solti performances in the list, he is underrated Mahler conductor today and talking head critics love to bash him for some reason citing some nebulous lack of sensitivity to Mahler etc.

Interesting that you chose Bernstein/DG glacially paced M9 over his more potent, faster paced and dramatic early Sony M9........

Gatti rightfully does deserve special status as an elite Mahler conductor thus far, but his output is very limited and time will tell if he can continue to deliver the goods in future releases.

You are right on the money with your M2 list.......Bernstein/Sony and Solti/CSO/London yesss!!!!


My most recent list:

1)Bernstein/Sony + Solti/LSO/Decca Legends + Kubelik/Audite + Scherchen/Westminster + Abbado/CSO/DG
*
2)Solti/CSO/London + Bernstein/Sony + Mehta/Decca Legends + Kaplan/Conifer + Litton/Delos
*
3)Horenstein/Unicorn + Bernstein/Sony + Barbirolli/BBC Legends + Tennstedt/EMI + Kondrashin/Melodiya + Solti/London
*
4)Szell/Sony + Inbal/Dennon + Levine/RCA + Renier/RCA + Welser Most/EMI + Bernstein/DG
*
5)Bernstein/DG + Kondrashin/Melodiya + Sinopoli/DG + Gatti/Musical Heritage + Barshai/Brilliant + Kubelik/Audite
*
6)Mitropoulos/EMI Great Conductors + Kondrashin/Melodiya + Bernstein/Sony + Eiji Oue/Fontec + Tennstedt/EMI
*
7)Kondrashin/Melodiya + Bernstein/Sony + Kubelik/Audite + Abbado/CSO/DG + Scherchen/Westminster + Solti/London
*
9)Ancerl/Supraphon Gold + Kondrashin/Melodiya + Mitropoulos/Music & Arts + Bernstein/Sony + Kubelik Audite

 

[Origen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkAngel Zander/Telarc is your reference M3 & M6???? I understand that the new Telarc sound quality is quite good, but can you tell us a little more why you believe the performances surpass all others?

Mark from HFR's reviews should give you his thoughts:

http://www.highfidelityreview.com/re...umber=16874885

http://www.highfidelityreview.com/re...umber=16280004

 

[Origen]

DarkAngel: What are your favorites for 8 and 10?

 

[Origen]

Mark from HFR:

I see you have Fischer-Dieskau for "Wayfarer" but with Kubelik. How does my LP of F-D with Furtwangler/Philharmonia compare, in your opinion?

Also on this LP, side two, is Kindertotenlieder with F-D and Kempe/Berlin. How do you rate that compared to your pick of Thomas Hampson with Bernstein, that I have not heard. Tom would have to be one heck of a singer to beat Dietrich.

EDIT: I actually have the F-D "Wayfarer" with Kubelik but haven't listened to it yet!!! I am a good couple of hundred LPs behind in my listening. It is part of a Franklin Mint 5-LP set from "The Great Conductors Collection." I just noticed in the liner notes that the Kubelik recording features a more mature F-D with "deeper understanding of the text," being recorded in May 1963 instead of June 1952 (the date of the Furtwangler recording).

EDIT: I have 19 from your list of (I think) 67 favorites.