Best new Mahler recordings?

[mahlerbone]

Hi everyone, I used to be a member of this board.  The last time I posted here was probably about ten years ago, and I really haven't listened to a whole lot of Mahler since about 2007, and therefore I haven't kept up to date on recent Mahler recordings.  I recently picked up the Mahler bug again, and I was wondering which Mahler recordings that have been released over the last decade have impressed you?  I already have well over a hundred Mahler recordings and I am always interested in hearing new interpretations, which keeps his music fresh.  I did pick up the Gamzou Mahler 10 a couple of weeks ago.  It was certainly interesting, but I feel like a lot of his reorchestration didn't make any sense and didn't sound like something Mahler would have written.  Also, I've always been a bit short on Mahler 8 recordings and would like to listen to more of that symphony.  My favorite Mahler 8 is probably the Chailly/RCO.  I also have the Abbado, Rattle, Gielen, the two Bernsteins and Solti. Finally, my favorite Mahler symphony is the 6th, so if any mind-blowing recordings have come out recently, please let me know.

Finally, I'm a trombonist, and I play in a community orchestra.  Rumor has it that we may be teaming up with another local orchestra and performing Mahler 2 next year.  That would be really exciting!  We did Mahler 1 two years ago and that was very rewarding!  One of my fellow trombonists mentioned a Polish composer by the name of Marcus Tyberg, and he said to listen to his 3rd symphony, which has been recorded by the Buffalo Philharmonic under JoAnn Falletta on Naxos.  What a fantastic piece of music!  When I listened to the second movement Scherzo I could definitely hear Mahler's influence, at at times I felt like I was listening to a long lost Mahler symphony.

[barry guerrero]

Welcome back.

Here's my recent review of the Simone Young/Hamburg Philharmoniker M6 on Amazon. It's a very interesting M6. Young uses more of the first version orchestration surrounding the third hammer stroke (which was deleted when Mahler revised the work) than any other conductor so far. Be sure to click on "read more" to see the whole review. It doesn't come cheap, but the sound quality is really good.

https://www.amazon.com/Mahler-Symphony-No-6-Gustav/dp/B008HRLL5Q/ref=sr_1_2?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1487008271&sr=1-2&keywords=mahler+simone+young

As for M8, you have a good collection already. If you wish to add, I would go with Jonathan Nott/Bamberg S.O. (Tudor) and/or Markus Stenz/Gurzenich Orch. (Oehms). Stenz has the greatest ending to M8 ever, even surpassing Gary Bertini (also recorded in Cologne). But J. Nott has an ending that's nearly as good, but with a better organ and better sound quality too. However, Stenz has the better tenor soloist. The women are fairly equal. You won't go wrong with either or both.

Both Nott and Stenz has very good M7 recordings as well.

Another M6 to consider is the recent Daniel Harding/Bavarian R.S.O. (BR Klassik) one. It's a more conventional, quick-ish M6 with less than stellar sound quality, but it contains an excellent scherzo movement. Strong hammer strokes too. The whole symphony seems to go by in a single breath, and in that regard it reminds me of the Kubelik.

[mahlerbone]

Thanks Barry, I'll add all of those recordings to my wishlist.  It's good to be back.

[mahlerbone]

I ordered the Simone Young M6 and should be getting it Thursday.  On Amazon I was looking at the Nott M8, which is $22.  The box set is $76 so I think I will be worth it to get the complete set.

About M6, I prefer the Scherzo/Andante order.  When I rip M6 CDs into my computer with the Andante first, I usually switch the order of the inner movements. In my mind the storyline of the Symphony makes a lot more sense with the Scherzo first. The hero struggles through two grueling movements, and in the third (Andante) he contemplates and rests up for the final battles of the long Finale.  I guess that's a very simplistic way of describing it in terms of how I view the symphony.  Sometimes I will listen to the Andante first so that I can get a perspective of what the conductor may have been thinking.

I listened to three excellent M6s this week - de Waart/Netherlands, Jansons/LSO and Sanderling/St. Pete PO. Looking forward to seeing if the Simone Young is indeed right up there with the others.

[barry guerrero]

I agree with you on M6 movement order. I just think S/A works better from a purely musical standpoint.

I hope you like the S. Young M6. It's certainly a good foil (sp?) to the Nott M6, which I think is not one of his best ones. Young does the fantasy-like passage between the first two hammer strokes better than anyone I've heard, and I like how she does the last 5 minutes or so of the entire finale. It's a thought provoking performance, I feel.

Let us know how you like the J. Nott box set. It comes with a big booklet, which is the exact opposite of the Markus Stenz box. I don't know Nott's M1 or M5. I like his M2 very much, but less so his M3 (I prefer Stenz). M4, M7, M8 and M9 are all very good from both conductors. Stenz has a great M1, but a slightly disappointing M2. They're both equally good in M4, but Nott has the better soprano. To me, Stenz is clearly better in M6.

[GL]

Generally speaking, among the best new recordings (and with "new" I mean since your last visit in 2007), in my opinion there are:

The First and Das Lied von der Erde with Nezet-Seguin.

The First with T. Fischer and Utah Orchestra.

The First and Ninth with BFO/Fischer.

The First, Third and Fourth with Pittsburgh/Honeck.

The Fourth and Des Knaben Wunderhorn with Stenz.

The Fourth with Marc Albrecht.

The Tenth (Cooke ed.) with Dausgaard.

I liked the Fifth (plus a selection of Wunderhorn Lieder) with Nelsons and the Lucerne Festival Orchestra (DVD/Blu-ray), but I liked Nelsons' ideas more than the orchestra's playing.

After reading Mr. Guerrero review, I am very curious about the Sixth with Simone Young. I am looking forward to listen to the Sixth with Vanska and the Minnesota Orchestra (it has been recorded last Autumn, but I do not know when it will be released) and, after being surprised by the First, the Eight Utah/Fischer (it has been announced, but I do not know when it will be released).

The Tyberg you wrote about is Marcel Tyberg, he was Austrian and died in Auschwitz in 1944.

GL

[mahlerbone]

Thanks for the correction on Tyberg.  His name is indeed Marcel, not Marcus.  I just received the Simone Young M6 in the mail and plan on listening to it this weekend.  Also ordered the Nott box set and will receive it sometime next week.  I do have the Honeck/Pittsburgh M3 and M4.  There's a recording of the Honeck M5 on Apple Music that I would love to check out.  With my Apple Music subscription I can also listen to the Kubelik/DG box set, so I will do that at some point.

Thanks for the recommendations!

[GL]

I was a bit disappointed by Honeck's Fifth, even if not as much as I had been by BFO/Fischer's.

The last impressive Fifth, in my opinion, reamins RCO/Jansons (probably his best Mahler recording).

I hope that the Fifth played the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra on 25 November 2016 under Bychkov's baton and recorded by the Dutch Radio (check the broadcast on youtube) will be commercially released because it was a really great performance. I attended that concert and it was the first time I could not spot any evident technical imperfections in the execution of this difficult Symphony. Take into account that, in the past 10 years, I heard it live played by the New York Philharmonic (A. Gilbert), by the Wiener Philharmoniker (D. Gatti), and by the Orchester der Bayerischen Rundfunk (M. Jansons).

Bychkov's approach is a bit particular: very monumental and severe in the first and even second part, fluent and more and more joyous in the third part. It was a truly fantastic, unbelievable, unforgettable night.

They played it in New York a few days later. The review by Mr. Hurwitz of the New York concert gives a rather clear idea of execution & interpretation. So, let's hope that instead a fifth or sixth Fifth by Haitink, they will release this great Fifht by Bychkov.

[mahlerbone]

I saw the Stenz box set for only $32 on Amazon and I couldn't pass it up at that price, so I have both the Nott and Stenz sets coming, along with the Young M6.  I can also listen to the Dausguaard M10 and Kubelik box set on Apple Music, so all this will keep me busy for a while.

[barry guerrero]

That should hold you for a while!   

After you've absorbed these boxes (don't rush!), I'd love to hear your Nott vs. Stenz thoughts. I think they're both very talented and observant.

[mahlerbone]

Can't wait to sit back in my chair soon and listen to these.  I'll listen to Nott M1 and then Stenz M1, and repeat the process for the remaining eight symphonies.

[mahlerbone]

I was able to listen to the Young M6 last night.  I loved a lot of what I heard.  It had a great finale with big strong brass, which is what I like in M6.  I really liked the full orchestration during and after the 3rd hammer blow.  I was actually on the verge of dozing off during parts of it because it was getting late, so I'll give it a second listen tonight.