Alan Gilbert/N.Y. Phil. M3 on Spotify

[barry guerrero]

Those of you who can get Spotify, I would strongly urge you to listen to the Alan Gilbert/N.Y. Phil. M3. To me, this takes the cake of any and all Mahler 3 recordings I've listened to. Is it perfect?   .   .   of course not - any symphony this long and this complex will pretty much negate any performance being 'perfect'. But just listen to the last 10 minutes of the finale. Unbelievable! The entire N.Y. Phil. brass section is playing at its very peak form, with the trombones going absolutely bonkers through the climactic passage of the long brass chorale (before the end). Just listen.

https://play.spotify.com/album/6nqO26WUj3sMqDKoC9TTX7

[ChrisH]

This is one of my favorite Mahler recordings, period. It's also, I think, the last Mahler recording made with Phil Smith playing principle trumpet. He is my favorite orchestral trumpet player, and I'm sad to see him go as I've essentially grown up listening to his recordings. If the rumor mill is correct, Mark Inoyoue from the SF Symphony will be taking his place.

You can also pick up a hi-rez version of this recording from hdtracks.

[barry guerrero]

"Mark Inoyoue from the SF Symphony will be taking his place"

Yes, I think Mark truly stands out in orchestra in which, I think, has been slightly over-hyped and over-rated over the last 15 years (I said "slightly" - they ARE good). That string section really is no better than most among the top 15 or 20 orchestras in the country. As for "MTT"  .     .    .  let's not even go there. All I can say to that, is that he was much better when he first got here. I think the SFSO's taking  away the Mavericks Series (modern music), combined with MTT's getting married, has really taken a lot of wind out of his sails. It really is time to start looking for some fresh blood and a new approach in S.F. Others might disagree but I'm ready to move on.