Free Mahler Download from Concertgebouw

[Don]

Today's (starting 10/19 and available through 11/24) free Concertgebouw download is worth noting for Mahlerites:

Mahler Symphony # 1 Leonard Bernstein Concertgebouw Orchestra 10/9/1987

[stillivor]

Interesting. Thanks Don.

How do you discover something like that?

When BBC Building a Library feature, a very few years ago, looking for the "best" library choice among then currently available M1s, the 'winner' was a Bernstein/Concertgebouw performance.

  Ivor

[Don]

A fellow classical music fan posted this in another forum, so I decided to share the wealth!

[Matthew]

Many thanks for posting this, Don.

I've just listened to the very beginning of the symphony, and what interests me about this recording is that the opening "nature" section is much slower than in Bernstein's commercial DG recording made at the same time (October 1987) -- already about 40-45 seconds slower at the point when the horns come in at bar 32! It's pretty amazing that Bernstein could have chosen such a different tempo on another night (assuming that the DG recording was compiled from a different evening or combination of evenings). I actually prefer the slower tempo, as I think the symphony emerges more mysteriously. It'll be really interesting to hear the rest....

[Matthew]

I listened to the rest of this download last night, and I really like it. Movements 2-4 sound pretty similar to Bernstein's DG recording (timings are almost the same), but there's the added frisson of it being genuinely "live" (including wild applause at the end). It's a real winner for me, especially with the much more spacious and mysterious opening to the first movement (overall the first movement runs about 30-35 seconds longer than the DG recording). Now I'm looking forward to the Sibelius 2, Bruckner 8 and Brahms 2 downloads....

[Don]

Here is a recap of what is available:

Schubert Symphony # 8 Harnoncourt November 1997
Beethoven Symphony # 2 Jansons October 2004
Mendelssohn Symphony # 4 Kondrashin November 1979
Franck Symphony in d Jansons December 2004
Mahler Symphony # 1 Bernstein October 1987
Dvorak Symphony # 8 Giulini December 1990
Saint-Saëns Symphony # 3 Organ Myung-Whun Chung October 2005

The Sibelius # 2 should be available this PM in the states after approx 4PM EST which is midnight in the Netherlands.

it is free, it is 100% legal as it is sponsored by the orchestra, so why not?!

http://kco.radio4.nl/?lang=en

[sperlsco]

Saint-Saëns Symphony # 3 Organ Myung-Whun Chung October 2005

http://kco.radio4.nl/?lang=en

Someone previously loaded a radio rip of this one (Organ Symphony) on OperaShare.  The finale was a real barn burner, despite the compressed sonics. 

NOTE TO BARRY -- YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS THIS ONE!

[Leo K]

Thanks for the heads up Don!  Looking forward to the Harnoncourt Schubert 8!


--Todd