[scottder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jagorev I've just finished making my way through the Bernstein box set on Sony, which I acquired a month ago. It's my first complete Mahler set - I'm just getting into this composer. The only previous Mahler I've heard is a couple of symphonies and the Das Lied by Klemperer, and the Scherchen recording of the 9th and Kindertotenlieder. Not much to say - I'm blown away by the Bernstein 9th, which just finished playing. Me likey. At $40-60, the whole set seems to be a really great value.

Welcome to the Mahler Thread...sorry about your wallet...again.

 

[Doc Sarvis]

...and now for my 1000th post:

I just found a fun DVD of a 2003 perfomance of M2 by Abbado and the Lucerne Festival Orchestra. It's really enjoyable for me - may be for others as well.

Edit: For some reason I cannot get the image to show up. Here is the link:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...v=glance&n=130

 

[SoundsGood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doc Sarvis ...and now for my 1000th post: I just found a fun DVD of a 2003 perfomance of M2 by Abbado and the Lucerne Festival Orchestra. It's really enjoyable for me - may be for others as well. Edit: For some reason I cannot get the image to show up. Here is the link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...v=glance&n=130

I like this DVD a lot. They play very well and they look like they are having a lot of fun playing too, unlike a lot of professional orchestras who look bored half of the time. Abbado's interpretation is quite good as well, though I wish he would've taken the very ending a little slower. The DTS 5.1 soundtrack on the DVD is very good I think and really amplifies the organ at the end, which tends to not be heard very well on the stereo track as well as the CD recording of this M2, which I also own.

While the DVDs in this series may not be the definitive versions of the works, they are a joy to watch and listen to. I also own the M5 with the same forces and it is very good. FYI, they have just released M7 in the US as well.

 

[mbhaub]

I was so excited to see the Ormandy M1 on RCA is out, and now I read that his pioneering account of M10 in Deryck Cooke's first version is to be released again. It was briefly available 20 years ago and only in Europe I think. The version doesn't have the polish the second version has that almost every other recording uses, but it's certainly a worthy addition to your Mahler collection if you don't already have it. For those of us old enough to remember, when this recording came out some over 40 years ago it was a sensational discovery, and an intrique worthy of at least a good documentary.

Now I'm sure his RCA M2 can't be far behind!

 

[scottder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doc Sarvis ...and now for my 1000th post: I just found a fun DVD of a 2003 perfomance of M2 by Abbado and the Lucerne Festival Orchestra. It's really enjoyable for me - may be for others as well. Edit: For some reason I cannot get the image to show up. Here is the link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...v=glance&n=130

While this isn't my favorite M2, I am curious about this, especially for the DTS 5.1 surround.

 

[jagorev]

Quote:

Originally Posted by scottder Welcome to the Mahler Thread...sorry about your wallet...again.

Thanks.

Upon further reflection, I think the Scherchen 9th (Music & Arts) is somewhat superior to Bernstein's. But both are very beautiful indeed.

Klemperer's Das Lied on EMI is the only version of this work that I have - it seems to me rather too relaxed and almost dull. I'll be checking out some of the other Das Lied recommendations in this thread.

 

[mbhaub]

Start with Reiner.

 

[Mark from HFR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jagorev Klemperer's Das Lied on EMI is the only version of this work that I have - it seems to me rather too relaxed and almost dull. I'll be checking out some of the other Das Lied recommendations in this thread.

It may help you to hear others when first learning the piece, because some of Klemp's tempos are slow, but once you know the piece, you'll probably find a new appreciation for Klemperer because it really captures the anguish of the piece like few other performances. Quite emotionally wrenching.

M

 

[Bunnyears]

Quote:

Originally Posted by scottder While this isn't my favorite M2, I am curious about this, especially for the DTS 5.1 surround.

If you can find it, there is also an SACD/hybrid of the Abbado M2 which has better sound than the DTS 5.1 which is a lossy format.

 

[Bunnyears]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doc Sarvis ...and now for my 1000th post: I just found a fun DVD of a 2003 perfomance of M2 by Abbado and the Lucerne Festival Orchestra. It's really enjoyable for me - may be for others as well. Edit: For some reason I cannot get the image to show up. Here is the link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...v=glance&n=130

Doc,
I had a similar problem with dvd-a recordings. I had to go in to the menu of my pre amp surround sound up processor to program the dvd-a reader to accept the video from the same source (in this case dvd player) as well as audio. For a lot of players with dvd-a capabilility this isn't always automatic. If you have 2 layers on the dvd and one is dvd audio and the other is regular dvd video with the dts surround sound, then you have to make sure that you are accessing the right layer of the dvd in order to see it and hear it -- again a programming problem. In any event, it's better in SACD/hybrid if you can find it.

 

[Bunnyears]

I've been living with Lopez-Cobos M3 and now it's really become one of my favorite M3 recordings. If you can find it, grab it! It's great.

 

[JayG]

I've almost bought that recording quite a few times. It looks like I'm going to have to just go ahead and order it. How is Ms. DeYoung? The mezzo range is probably my favorite of all, but (maybe because it's my favorite) I am very picky about the singers I like and don't like.

 

[Bunnyears]

I haven't found any problem with her singing. I think the recording is one of the better modern digital recordings of the symphony. I'm only sorry it's not in sacd, but if you have a dolby decoder on your cd/dvd player, you can play it in a 4 channel format.

 

[ns6490]

Earlier in this thread, I mentioned that a patient of mine wasn't doing so well, and turning to Mahler's 6th for solace and catharsis. The patient ended up dying soon after that post.

Since that time, largely because of the recommendations on this thread, I've been listening to Bertini's set, and have been getting into the 7th and the 9th, especially. It's a lovely set, and thanks for the informative thread. I enjoy reading it, and will no doubt explore other versions discussed in this thread.

 

[bookdoctor]

Well, I'm back from vacation, with a nice new batch of Mahlers to listen to. I'll get organized and post on them within the next few days.

In the meantime, here's an article by Alfred Brendel, from The Guardian Arts section. He writes about Simon Rattle and the BPO, defending Rattle's work with the orchestra, and mentions the M4, which I remember had been discussed a few pages back here.

Link to the article.