timings for three June Mahler releases.

[barry guerrero]

The Gergiev/LSO M1 has the following, rather intesting timings: I - 14:40 (a bit quick); II - 8:10 (slower than usual); III - 10:32 (a tad on the quick side); IV - 19:15 (also a tad on the quick side). I'll give you a hint about a future review that'll be coming out: the reviewer isn't too happy that Gergiev has the double bass solo (start of the slow movement) played "soli - a group of basses (it's not D.H., but I can't mention his name yet).

Sinopoli/Staatskapelle Dresden/J. Banse (sop) M4: I - 14:40; II - 10:32; III - 21:59; IV - 11:39.

I loved Sinopoli's Dresden M9, but these timings are a bit slow for my taste. He's clearly not buying into the "neo-classical" concept for M4. I really don't like the last few stanzas of the 4th movement done super-slowly. Both Mahler (piano roll) and Bruno Walter took the 4th movement in less than 9 minutes (maybe even less than 8 minutes).

G. Schwarz/Royal Liverpool Phil. M7: I - 22:01; II - 16:14; III - 8:41: IV - 12:42; V - 17:17

These are fairly similar to Barenboim/Staatskapelle Berlin - which I really like - except that Schwarz is a bit longer in the first movement.

I'm going to wait for reviews before indulging in any of these. I will, however, get to hear the Gergiev M1.

Barry

[John Kim]

I'd rather wait for Gergiev's M7th that's coming out in August. Based on my concert experience in Seattle, Schwarz's M7th was not very impressive. It was the least satisfactory of his Mahler cycle, IMO

John,

[barry guerrero]

The one that I really am going to keep an eye on is the Sinopoli/Dresden M4. I really dislike slow tempi in M4 (I hate the MTT/SFSO M4, for example), but Sinopoli seems to find a way to keep long performances interesting. We'll see.

With G. Schwarz, I'm afraid that he'll have the tambourine part played on a side drum, just like he did in the M3 performance that I saw with you in Seattle (an issue of confusion, or misinterpreting what's called for with the German word, "tambour"). Kubelik often performed M7 with the tambourine part played on a side drum.

Barry

[sperlsco]

I look forward to ALL M7 recordings, so this one looks like a no-brainer purchase for me. My memory tells me that I may have a radio rip of Schwarz doing M7, but the sound was poor.   However, I should probably give another spin to his recent M1/M9 with the same forces.  I don't remember being overly-impressed by the orchestral sound on that one.