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Gustav Mahler and Related Discussions / Re: Bychkov/Czech Phil. M3 - I think this is a home run!

« Last post by Roland Flessner on March 12, 2025, 02:39:35 AM »

So many recent releases being live recordings, few match either the precision of execution or the quality of engineering that we expect from studio recordings. I just listened to the finale of Kubelik/BRSO M3 on DG and both execution and SQ are superb. That's the finale; in the first movement, the 1969 vintage is probably more apparent.

Some orchestras, after capturing a live recording, do a patch session if something went seriously awry, such as a squawking woodwind or a cracked note from the brass. The minor problems I mentioned in Bychkov/CPO probably don't rise to that level.

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Gustav Mahler and Related Discussions / Re: Bychkov/Czech Phil. M3 - I think this is a home run!

« Last post by barryguerrero on March 11, 2025, 11:40:59 PM »

Good observations, Roland. Few if any recordings are actually 'perfect' from start to finish.

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Gustav Mahler and Related Discussions / Re: Bychkov/Czech Phil. M3 - I think this is a home run!

« Last post by Roland Flessner on March 10, 2025, 07:06:59 PM »

This is an impressive M3 and I'll return to it because one hearing doesn't do it justice. I am wondering, though if this is a live recording. While it is polished as we would expect from these artists, I note a few places in the finale where, for example, strokes on the tympani or bass drum are slightly late, something that would probably have been corrected in a studio recording. Also, the bass drum is lacking in weight, often typical of a live recording. The leaflet, available as a PDF of Idagio, does not specify whether it is live.

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Gustav Mahler and Related Discussions / Re: Bychkov/Czech Phil. M3 - I think this is a home run!

« Last post by John Kim on March 09, 2025, 06:51:35 AM »

Next in the Bychkov/CPO/Pentatone Mahler cycle will be a Sixth and it will be equally great as or even greater than the Third which was just released!

John

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Gustav Mahler and Related Discussions / Re: Bychkov/Czech Phil. M3 - I think this is a home run!

« Last post by John Kim on March 08, 2025, 10:46:45 PM »

Hopefully, for the integrated box set Pentatone may remaster all of them in SACD format, like BIS did for their Wigglesworth Shosy cycle.

John

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Gustav Mahler and Related Discussions / Re: Bychkov/Czech Phil. M3 - I think this is a home run!

« Last post by barryguerrero on March 08, 2025, 10:03:46 PM »

My understanding, Wade - and John Kim can concur (say that fast five times!) - is that Pentatone wants to release the rest of the cycle as a box set. I'm not sure what that means. Symphonies 6 through 9 are what's left. My guess is that they are going to release two of the remaining four as a three disc set, and the other two of the remaining four as a three disc set. Bychkov's timings may be such that the remaining four can't fit on single discs, so they may want to save the number of discs needed by doing overlaps. Perhaps like the old Bernstein cycle on vinyl, they may release 6 & 9 together, then 7 & 8 together. John might have a better guess about all this.

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Gustav Mahler and Related Discussions / Re: Bychkov/Czech Phil. M3 - I think this is a home run!

« Last post by waderice on March 08, 2025, 09:15:07 PM »

In addition to the enthusiasm shown here and elsewhere for this Bychkov/Czech Phil. M3, it's also been indicated that Bychkov also did very well with M1 and M2.  If as indicated that he intends to continue with his Mahler cycle, for me, it may be worthwhile waiting to see how the rest of the symphonies turn out.

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Gustav Mahler and Related Discussions / Re: Bychkov/Czech Phil. M3 - I think this is a home run!

« Last post by John Kim on March 08, 2025, 06:52:24 PM »

Overall, Bychkov's M3rd can be taken in terms of the same strengths as those that were apparent in his M6th concert with CPO from the last year. Indeed, he conducted both symphonies around the same time^

John

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Gustav Mahler and Related Discussions / Re: M5 -P. Jarvi/Zurich Tonhalle . . . not sure what to think (?)

« Last post by John Kim on March 08, 2025, 06:48:21 PM »

Agreed on the Zweden/LPO M5. Although I am not a fan of Zweden-Mahler (his recent recording of M1 with SPO is terrible!), I have a soft spot for this M5th. He could turn out as a great Mahler conductor someday, who knows?

John

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Gustav Mahler and Related Discussions / Re: M5 -P. Jarvi/Zurich Tonhalle . . . not sure what to think (?)

« Last post by barryguerrero on March 08, 2025, 04:56:33 PM »

Yes, I'm not a fan of that mannerism either.