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Gustav Mahler and Related Discussions / Re: So it's official: Pentatone issuing a 1-9 Bychkov Mahler box

« Last post by John Kim on January 24, 2026, 12:30:58 AM »

They could at least also issue a partial box with the remaining symphonies for those who have already purchased 1-5 individually.   

If they release the 6th-9th individually they'll probably cost around $30 for each, higher than $18.5 that you'd pay for each of the 6th-9th should you get the entire box set. Pentatone must have thought about it and decided to sell the set for $75^

John

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Gustav Mahler and Related Discussions / Re: So it's official: Pentatone issuing a 1-9 Bychkov Mahler box

« Last post by brunumb on January 23, 2026, 09:47:47 PM »

They could at least also issue a partial box with the remaining symphonies for those who have already purchased 1-5 individually.   

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Gustav Mahler and Related Discussions / Re: So it's official: Pentatone issuing a 1-9 Bychkov Mahler box

« Last post by ChrisH on January 23, 2026, 02:34:21 PM »

I imagine that these will be available individually for purchase digitally. Presto will have them. Glad to see this cycle finished.

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Gustav Mahler and Related Discussions / Re: So it's official: Pentatone issuing a 1-9 Bychkov Mahler box

« Last post by John Kim on January 23, 2026, 01:58:51 AM »

Great news!

I already have the 1st-5th and am willing to pay $75 for entire set. That means I will be paying $18.75 per symphony for the remainder of the cycle, 6th-9th. I'd need to pay around that much for each of the symphonies anyway~.

John

PS. I've heard M6th and 9th by Bychkov/CPO and they're magnificent. Barry likes the 6th very much too^

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Gustav Mahler and Related Discussions / Re: So it's official: Pentatone issuing a 1-9 Bychkov Mahler box

« Last post by barryguerrero on January 22, 2026, 07:23:42 PM »

Yes indeed! I ended up buying the Jansons/BR Klassik Mahler box, because I wanted the three items that they hadn't released separately: M4 with Miah Persson; M6 in scherzo/andante order (which they're now issuing separately), and the M8 (which has John Botha as the tenor soloist, and big tam-tam smashes at the end). Even more annoying, the box contains one or two discs of Jansons rehearing the orchestra, and Jansons blabbing on and on about who-knows-what. I'm tempted to just throw those one or two discs into the garbage. I go by the philosophy of, "Blicke mir nicht in der Lieder".

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Gustav Mahler and Related Discussions / Re: So it's official: Pentatone issuing a 1-9 Bychkov Mahler box

« Last post by shawn on January 22, 2026, 11:07:56 AM »

I share your anger. They do these kind of things all the time. Didn't they do the same with Jansons's Bavarian Mahler cycle? It makes me weary to buy individual CD's nowadays. It's a great disservice to classical music lovers 

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Gustav Mahler and Related Discussions / So it's official: Pentatone issuing a 1-9 Bychkov Mahler box

« Last post by barryguerrero on January 22, 2026, 04:58:50 AM »

They're showing an April 10 release date for the Bychkov/Czech Phil. Mahler symphonies 1-9 box on Pentatone. They don't even tell you how many discs the cycle is on. They're showing a cost of $75, which seems reasonable. While I'm happy that the Bychkov cycle will be completed and made available, I think this is also piss-poor treatment to those who have already purchased some or all of symphonies 1-5. I assume they'll at least make symphonies 6-9 available as downloads (?). I'll probably still end up getting this, but it makes me sore.

https://vintagevinyl.com/UPC/8717306264907

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Gustav Mahler and Related Discussions / Re: Bernstein/Orch. de Paris M7th (1981)

« Last post by John Kim on January 21, 2026, 11:32:38 PM »

Yes, I am aware he recorded in France several time. I am familiar with his Berlioz Fantastique with Orchestra de Paris and it's one of my favorite versions of the work.

John

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Gustav Mahler and Related Discussions / Re: Bernstein/Orch. de Paris M7th (1981)

« Last post by barryguerrero on January 21, 2026, 09:27:41 PM »

My favorite of all M7 recordings is the Vaenska/Minnesota one. Not only is Vaenska good at underscoring the 'darkness to light' aspect of the symphony (by way of doing the first two movements on the slower side, and the last two movements on the faster side), but I really, REALLY like that towards the end of the finale, Vaenska brings back the minor keyed first movement theme at a slightly slower tempo, not faster. That makes a whole lot more sense to me than speeding up at that point  .   .   .    .  .  If you guys want a specific reference point, I can give a measure number from the score, or I can give you a timing from any recording of your choice    .  .   .  .   But yes, the Minnesota Orch. does sound a bit 'internationalized' and generic, I suppose. That part doesn't worry me so much, as I consider M7 a thoroughly 'modern' work.

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Gustav Mahler and Related Discussions / Re: Bernstein/Orch. de Paris M7th (1981)

« Last post by barryguerrero on January 21, 2026, 09:18:06 PM »

John, just to answer your first question - which I'm guessing you weren't being serious about - Bernstein recorded a number of French items in Paris. Nearly all of them were really good. He did Symphonie Fantastique; an all Darius Milhaud disc (including "La Creation du Monde" and "Le Boeuf sur la Toit"); Franck: Symphonie in D-minor; Roussell: Sym. #3, as well as the 'usual suspects' from Maurice Ravel. The Milhaud disc is excellent. I wish he had re-recorded the Saint-Saens "Organ" Symphony in Paris.