BBC RAdio3 "Buiding a Library" Mahler 1

[David Boxwell]

Broadcast 19 Dec 2020.  Gillian Moore selects her favorite from among: Kubelik (67); Bernstein (66); Janssons (07); Alsop (08); Abbado (89); Tennstedt (85); Ivan Fischer (11); Lintu (14); and . . . Walter (61).

bbc.co.uk

[barryguerrero]

And, of course, right underneath his very nose, he doesn't recommend Jurowski/L.P.O.   .    .    .   The Lintu is very good, except that he deletes a whole series of cymbal crashes near the end of the finale. Go figure.    .    .    .   .  Those same cymbal crashes are very good on the Vanska. However, my SACD choice is J. Nott/Bamberg.

[erikwilson7]

The Nott/Bamberg M1 is excellent. Highly underrated.

[barryguerrero]

Erik, what other ones from the Bamberg series do you like? I have his M7 and M8. What I've heard of the M3 at Spotify didn't impress much. M4 is good, I know that.

[erikwilson7]

I like the M2, but the scherzo is slow and boring. Killer outer movements!

I also like the M3, but it’s just sooo long. Like 104 minutes.

Haven’t heard the M4 yet.

I was turned off of the M5 because of Dave Hurwitz’s review where apparently the timpanist gets lost in the last bars of the finale. I listened and yes, it sounds pretty bad.

I REALLY like the M6. It’s one of my top picks for scherzo/andante and it’s just 80 mins.

The M7 is fantastic except the harp in the first movement.

The M8 is good-not-great (to me). I like the pacing, but the performance is a bit lackluster for me.

I haven’t heard the M9 but have read good things.

[barryguerrero]

Yeah, but the end of Nott's M8 sounds really good. The nice sounding organ is captured really well, and the tam-tam smashes are quite strong. The start of Part II gets off to sluggish start, with a bit of out-of-tuning playing in the high winds. But Part II gets better as it goes along.

[erikwilson7]

Agreed, one of the best endings on record. I wish it were slower though. Stenz has the best tams, but to me the ideal ending is either De Waart or Bertini.

[barryguerrero]

Yep. Good picks.