Recent Posts

Pages: 1 2 3 [4] 5 6 ... 10
31
I forget that Jansons did some Mahler recordings in Oslo. I think it's: M1, M2, M3, M7, and M9?

The M7 was really good there, I agree Barry. Were the others eclipsed by his later recordings with RCO and BRSO?

For what it's worth, I do wish that Jansons finished the RCO cycle; only the M9 remained. Judging by what we got from his BRSO one, I bet it would've been quite good.
32
Today, I revisited Jansons/BRSO M8th and liked it even more than the last time I gave it a spin. Barry, you'll love the ending of Part II.^ You'll love the whole performance.

John
33
I think the 6th is among Jansons' very best of Amsterdam Mahler recordings as well. I guess he just had a thing for it. As for M7, I like his Oslo one best. You guys know that one (it's on Spotify)?
34
John, that Jansons/BRSO M6 really surprised me. I actually think it's the best recording in the whole cycle, and I'm surprised it wasn't released on its own.

Jansons has a history of doing that piece justice. Years ago, his LSO M6 was a favorite of mine. The RCO one he did is decent too, and if I recall correctly he swapped the inner movements for that one (compared to the LSO and BRSO accounts).
35
As I have previously written, Jansons' BRSO M6th is surprisingly good. It is on a fast side with terrific playing and attention to details, e.g. coda of I., most of Scherzo (placed second^), and many passages of IV. As an interpretation, Jansons' may not bring in as many new things as say, Rattle in his recent BRSO recording, but it is an energized and passionate reading. Sonics are excellent too. I quite like it^

John
36
I too, have the Boulez box, and I feel that his approach to Mahler is very straightforward, adding little and subtracting little from his performances of the symphonies.  Having said that, I also think it is one of the more complete collections of Mahler performances (in addition to Michael Gielen) available.

Wade
37
I'm thinking I should hang on to that Boulez box also. I do have space in my bed's pull-out drawer where I keep my box sets. It's not anywhere near filled up. I like Janson's tempo relationships, for the most part. Sometimes his work can sound a bit too light weight. Jansons has very good singers. Boulez does also, for the most part, but I don't care for the singers on his "DLvdE". That's just one bad apple in the whole set. I think the Boulez/V.P.O. M2 is a weak link as well. However, the playing throughout his cycle is spot on.
38
I say go for it. It's honestly very good. You probably won't regret it at all and that's a good price from Amazon.

That being said, I prefer Boulez to pretty much all of the Jansons/BRSO recordings. Just my taste, though. I couldn't part with that Boulez box.

Be ready for the eventual Vanska and Bychkov boxes though, if you're interested.
39
Thanks for your input John. The "Boulez Conducts Mahler" set is now up to nearly $80 for a used copy at Amazon. It's not available on CD's through Presto Classical either; just downloads. Therefore, I would ideally would like to get $45 to 50 for my copy. It's in pristine condition. If you know anyone who might be interested, let me know.

Barry
40
I like the M1, 3, 5, 6, 8 in the set very much. But the rest isn't too far behind. The 8th is a straight reading but it is very musical (Gramophone praised it highly too). The sonics are really really good too. I don't think you'll regret purchasing it.

John
Pages: 1 2 3 [4] 5 6 ... 10
SMF spam blocked by CleanTalk