Jansons/BRSO M3 available now

[erikwilson7]

Haven’t heard this yet, but timings look ideal for me.

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8921178--mahler-symphony-no-3-in-d-minor-live

[barryguerrero]

It appears they're not going to make available in disc form (?).

[John Kim]

Thanks, Erik.

Jansons left three recordings of the work with Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, RCO, and this one with Bavarian Radio Symphony. All are excellent, but aided in great measure by the rich, well blended sonority of the orchestra and the mezzo soprano Nathalie Stutzmann's great singing in IV. (Nietzsche movement), the BRSO recording is the one to choose.

I own the previous CD release that was sold in Europe and limited to the BRSO subscribers. I am sure BR Klassik remastered the recording as they had done to most of their reissues with increased dynamic range, details, and clarity.

John

[barryguerrero]

Yes, that's very nice. Do I get a bloody CD or not?

[John Kim]

Barry,

We will get the CD release. More likely, they will release a complete Jansons/BRSO Mahler cycle.

John

[erikwilson7]

John, what sort of "cycle" do you think we'll eventually see? So far we have 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, and 9 from Jansons and the BRSO.
Do you know if 4, 6, and 8 were ever performed under him? Did he ever conduct Das Lied or any other lieder during his career there? Or anywhere for that matter?

[John Kim]

Erik,

Jansons did conduct the 4th, 6th, and 8th with BRSO. But not DLVDE or M10th Adagio. I think they are somewhere on Youtube.

I think the set will include the M1-M9.

John

[John Kim]

I really like the Jansons/BRSO M6th which is somewhat close to the Boulez/SKB M6th.

John

[erikwilson7]

John, just wondering: were the Jansons M4, M6, and M8 released anywhere commercially or did you manage to hear them in another way? I'm curious about them. Jansons isn't my favorite Mahlerian by any stretch but I do admire his ear for clarity and faultless sense of pacing.

How does the BRSO M4 compare to the RCO one?
And the BRSO M6 to the LSO M6? I guess the RCO one too.
And how does the M8 compare to the RCO one?

A complete BRSO Jansons Mahler cycle is something I'm surprised to say I'd be interested in.

Also, there never was a Jansons/RCO M9 was there? Is that cycle going to remain incomplete?

[ChrisH]

After 8 hours in the dish pit yesterday, I decided to take in the 1st movement of this recording when I got home.

Wow. To my ears, this is one of the great first movements on record. It shares a lot in common with the excellent Gilbert/NPO recording. Excellent phrasing, and  clear architecture for this movement. The tempos where pretty much spot on for me through out the entire movement; thought the end was perhaps a little drawn out, but I liked it nonetheless. Heaps of clarity throughout. There are tons of little nuances that appear in this recording that don't speak as well in others.

The Bavarian's are also on their game in this recording. They really knock it out of the park with their highly idiomatic playing. The percussion is captured very well, you can actually hear lots of the quiet timpani work in those quiet first few minutes.

BR Klassik really knows how to record a symphony. It also seems that Jansons had really fired things up in Bavaria, this seems much less self conscious than his RCO recording, which I also enjoy.

[erikwilson7]

Absolutely, I'm right there with you. I didn't want to throw superlatives around like I usually do but on initial listenings this is one of the finest M3s I know as far as overall architecture is concerned. I already like it better than Dudamel's (which I found to be fantastic too; we are so spoiled!). A particular standout to me were the trombones. I haven't heard their divebombs around the 4-minute mark sound this good since Honeck's. It's interesting that BR-Klassik kept this in their archives this long; to my knowledge this recording is almost 10 years old, but I'm going off hearsay.

Vehemence, to my ears the remainder of the symphony captures what you described too. This recording caused me to revisit Jansons' Mahler recordings–and specifically his BRSO ones–and they are very, very good indeed. I really hope they release a complete cycle of the symphonies like John expressed. Unlike some conductors, I think Jansons' Mahler is aging quite well.

By the way, it was finally put on Spotify this morning so we can all sample it now.

[barryguerrero]

I'll just live with the 'pirate' that I have. I don't want to pay twenty or more dollars for a download. In fact, I don't even want more downloads at this point. I think they're stupid. I want discs!   .     .    .   And I don't want to buy an entire Jansons Mahler cycle just to get this M3, regardless of how good it is.

[John Kim]

I have the newly remastered CDs of Jansons/BRSO M2, Haitink/BRSO M3 & M9, Harding/BRSO M6, Davis/BRSO M8, and they all sound much better than the original releases with more details, increased dynamic ranges, depth, and enhanced high ends, so much so that I'd bet my money on the remastered Jansons/BRSO M3rd. Its original release which was limited to Europe sounds fine but is constricted in dynamic range as well as details. I've always wished for better sonics because Jansons' reading deserves it.

My fingers are crossed.

John