Favorite M9?

[Russ Smiley]

Hi
Just read through this thread, and starts to wonder what is wrong with me. None of my top ninth's is mentioned
Among my more than 35 versions, I always find the performances most satisfying to be:

Neumann/Leipzig/-69     Simply fantastic. No quibble, they just play from A to Z
Pesek/Liverpool/-91       Perfect recorded and played, and from Liverpool
Horenstein/LSO/-66       Scrappy playing in the middle mvts., but what a show. Live recording.

Steen

I recently acquired the Pesek/Liverpool and agree that this is a very fine performance.  My 2¢...

[Stürmisch Bewegt]

I found Gielen/SWR M9  very interesting an disturbing. 1rst mt dark ,frozen, pessimist,with terrifying brass tone;  an atmosphere of nightmare continuing in the 2nd,sad, lent an heavy. the final going yet to pale light.
sorry for my mistakes
Mathilde

[John Kim]

I found Gielen/SWR M9  very interesting an disturbing. 1rst mt dark ,frozen, pessimist,with terrifying brass tone;  an atmosphere of nightmare continuing in the 2nd,sad, lent an heavy. the final going yet to pale light.
sorry for my mistakes
Mathilde

The problem with Gielen's M9th (his 2nd recording) is the orchestra in the 1st movt. It sounds as if there wasn't enough rehearsal time before the recording. There are places here where the brass players had difficulty with intonation. Also, some instruments are inaudible at various spots. The recording is shallow and lack details which doesn't help.

John,

[Mobels]

Bernard Haitink's 1987 Kerstmatinee live performance has an uncanny, harrowing intensity not to be found in any of his studio recordings. Haitink is always best live, and this was recorded just before he left RCO after a series of conflicts with the management. Haitink's leavetaking is mirrored in the Adagio in the most poignant way.

/Bengt

[John Kim]

Bernard Haitink's 1987 Kerstmatinee live performance has an uncanny, harrowing intensity not to be found in any of his studio recordings. Haitink is always best live, and this was recorded just before he left RCO after a series of conflicts with the management. Haitink's leavetaking is mirrored in the Adagio in the most poignant way.

/Bengt

I also like this one. But I wish the sound were better . For one thing, I can't hear tam tam at the great climax in I. The dynamic range is also somewhat mitigated.

[jackwalker]

Hi Michael,
                 Well, its a very hard and interesting question !! I have personally listened to not all recorded versions, BUT, we all have our distinct favourites, but my "desert island disc" on Mahler"s ninth would have to be Bernsteins"s 1960"s NYPO on CBS. (the later DGG just doesnt do it for me)  I used to love the cover of the black Raven on the LP box set !   But the playing is spot-on I think,the basses just transport me. I know Lenny (and I miss him terribly) is often criticised for being "over the top" but this version is always the best for me ( as his Mahler 8th too!!!,,,CBS)
                                          Regards  Jack

[barry guerrero]

I'm so tired of this topic. I've decided I hate the 9th, and am going to put it away for at least five years.   

[Roffe]

Hmm, I'll tjink you'll develop abstinence like a coke addict without coke Lol

[waderice]

I'm so tired of this topic. I've decided I hate the 9th, and am going to put it away for at least five years.   

Five years is considered the default time period for giving a particular work a "time-out" until it is played again, amongst musicians, in case some of you didn't know.

With all the posts here about M7 recordings as well, can that work be far behind?

IMHO, the least-discussed symphonies here at the Gustav Mahler Board are M1, M5, and M6.  M3 is not far behind.

Wade

[Roffe]

I'd like to add 'Das Lied' to that list, if you can agree to consider it to be a symphony.

[Leo K]

There have been many threads on M6 and Das lied! Use the search feature and see 


--Todd

[Henry James]

John Kim wrote, way back in Sept
I listened to my LPs of Haitink/RCO/Philips M9th recording in a along time.

The Haitink/RCO vinyls were the first ones I listened to Mahler on.  So I have a sentimental attachment.  BUT...I recently got the Philips 2fer with M9 and Das Lied/Baker, and the Ninth sounded glorious to me  Haitink was so connected to the music: not too much, not too little, just right.

I also heard Rattle and the BSO do it live in Carnegie for my 60th birthday.  I was ready to die and go to heaven by the end (which was followed by 2 minutes of audience silence).  Come to think of it, I was sitting in the very last seat in the balcony, so I guess I was in heaven.  But Carnegie's sound was heaven even way up there.

[barry guerrero]

Here's a funny story to tell: I really "treasure" a performance of M9 that John Kim and I went to at S.F.'s Davies Hall, with Seiji Ozawa conducting the Saito Kinen Orch. from Japan. That's because the mostly Asian audience was absolutely still and silent from start to finish (obviously, the performance was real good too). There was also a good 30 to 60 seconds of silence before the audience began applauding as well. The flip side to this story is this:  .   .  

.   .   John Kim has a "burn job" of an M9 that he really likes, with Edo DeWaart and the S.F.S.O. from sometime in the latter '80s. I was at one of those performances and hated it, simply because the audience was a bunch of pigs that night: people talking; shuffling about; coughing, blowing their noses; opening wrappers, you name it! The audience totally ruined that performance for me. I really should have walked out because I wasn't able to enjoy any of it. Because of my positive experince with Ozawa/SKO, I'm retiring the 9th in regards to live performances.

Lack of audience participation is hugely important with Mahler 9.