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General Category => Gustav Mahler and Related Discussions => Topic started by: oscar on September 01, 2009, 12:13:55 PM
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Is anyone aware of new-to-be-released Mahler recordings by Salonen ?
I have his nr. 3 and 4 with the LAPO and like them very much. Now with the Philharmonia perhaps he will record some other symphonies ?
:)
best,
Oscar.
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I have his 3rd on order - I'll report back when digestion occurs.
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He also has a commercial DLvDE w/ Placido Domingo as the tenor. Unfortunately, it is not one of my favorite performances, with Domingo not sounding like he was in sync with the orchestra at times.
There is a radio rip of Salonen's M9 with the Philharmonia. Unfortunately, it suffers from lackluster sound -- particularly lack of percussion.
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M3 is great - one of the very best ever. It also comes a bunch of extra tracks, which I like. M4 and "DLvdE" are OK - not fabulous.
By the way, at the very end of M3, Salonen doubles the lastl five timpani strokes with the bass drum - a very cool effect.
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Salonen doubles the lastl five timpani strokes with the bass drum - a very cool effect.
This one didn't convice me at all. Thank god no one followed him this way, and we are saved from a new "innovation"- like the dredfull one in M1/III with the entire basses in 'Frere Jacque' theme.
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M3 is great - one of the very best ever. It also comes a bunch of extra tracks, which I like. M4 and "DLvdE" are OK - not fabulous.
By the way, at the very end of M3, Salonen doubles the last five timpani strokes with the bass drum - a very cool effect.
I agree that this is one of the best recordings of M3, except for the very end. Unlike Barry, I find that the doubling of the timpani strokes at the end sounds very out of place. For me the whole performance is undermined when the last sounds you hear are so incongruous.
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Well guys, it's greatly a matter of taste - or lack of taste on my part. I think that added bass drum strokes, while certainly garish, help make that ending sound more conclusive. I think what could work even better, is not to have any timpani or bass drum on the very final stroke at all, and, instead, bring in extra trombones, horns - and a second tuba - for the final chord only. The point is to have a bigger, more saturated brass sound, but without having anyone actually blowing louder. In other words, a terraced effect without greatly changing the tone color (Mahler wants it to sound un-strained).
You see, back at the climax of the long brass chorale - after the symphony's final cymbal crash - I would increase the trombones to six (it's two-part writing for the trombones there), and the horns up to 12 or so. I'd also double the tuba, so that the sustained "D" pedal point could remain unbroken (they have to breathe!). Then I would leave out that same extra brass until the very final chord of the symphony. I think that could work very nicely.