A chamber version of M10th to be released on BIS

[John Kim]

https://www.hmv.co.jp/en/artist_Mahler-1860-1911_000000000019272/item_-Castelletti-Symphony-No-10-John-Storgards-Lapland-Chamber-Orchestra-Hybrid_9599849

[John Kim]

It is a new completion by Michelle Castelletti.

[barryguerrero]

Interesting.

[Russell]

It's now available for download at eclassical:

http://www.eclassical.com/mahler-symphony-no10.html

As usual, you can listen to the whole thing via this web page, albeit in 30-second increments.  Just keep clicking the 'play' button.

For a limited time, the hi-res (96/24) download is available at a nice discount (US$11.56).  You can also download the CD booklet.

Russell

[barryguerrero]

It seems kind of weird to me. Also, outer movements too slow for a chamber version.

[sbugala]

I think the chamber orchestra approach helps the dance-like parts of the work. The first movement was superb, despite the smaller forces. The inner movements worked well, but there were stretches where I thought, "This really doesn't sound like Mahler." For me, the let down was the last movement.

A college professor I knew said years ago that his problem with the M10 was that Mahler evokes sentimentality frequently, but he was generally NOT sentimental...except in his Tenth. This performance sort of plays into that. And the ending measures were sappy beyond my comfort zone.

I have a love hate thing for the Tenth. I think there are parts of this one that make me think a chamber orchestra approach is the way to go. Bernstein said words to the extent that conducting Mahler was easy because he was so precise in his scores. It just feels like there's not enough direction from the composer in the Tenth; so I alternate between wanting simplicity and some Stokowski type who could come in and impose his will on the score. There are some good ideas with this version, but it's not ideal.  Definitely worth a listen though.

[barryguerrero]

As I've said before, as great as the M9 is, I wish Mahler had left us just the first movement of M9 and fully completed the 10th instead. How do feel about Samale/Mazzuca? I seem to be among the very who find that version quite satisfying.

[sbugala]

I think you sent me a radio performance some years ago. It's valid, but my usual gripes remain. I like the Mazzetti version with Slatkin. But while my memory is error-prone; I don't think what I heard live really translated onto disc. Supposedly, it was recorded live; and there were mics set up; but maybe that was scrapped. (One instance where they needed an obvious patch was during the last movement when an ambulance roared down Grand en route to nearby Saint Louis University Hospital.) But there would've been enough to still salvage, unless there were other reasons.

My connection to that performance stands out for one other reason, too: due to some circumstance, my seats were messed up, and an usher instead invited me to sit at the front of the balcony. So the loudest parts were set to an 11, and I loved it. But even the radio broadcast seemed to have more power than what I think is sort of opaque on CD. I love that hall and orchestra, but sometimes engineers don't capture what I think is best like on other recordings of theirs. The recent John Adams discs have received a lot of acclaim, but they don't represent what I think that hall sounds like. It's just an orchestra in a box to me. Yet, I was there.

[sbugala]

Here's the critic from the Chicago Tribune also mentioning it's alleged live source. I still don't believe it. https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1996-02-25-9602250192-story.html

[barryguerrero]

Interesting. Thanks for sharing.