Random thoughts on Boulez M2 (on DG)

[chalkpie]

I gave this a few spins over the past few days and here are some (seemingly) random thoughts:

1) At low volumes, this recording seems murky, but it really seems to open up when you crank it and actuially is a very dynamic recording to my ears with a lot of power

2) Michelle De Young has a horrendously gawdy vibrato and her choice for "Urlicht" makes me scratch my head and wonder what the crazy French guy was thinking?

3) The brass "chorale" in the Finale has NEVER sounded better to my ears (and I own about 9 or 10 M2's)

4) The acapella choral parts in the Finale have never sounded better to my ears as well.

5) The ending is not nearly as bad as some make it out to be, but the organ is recessed and more volume would have been swell.

6) The staccato section near the beginning of the Andante is SO tight - yes!!!

7) The timpani sounds great in the Scherzo

8 ) There was some questionable intonation in the Allegro, which is not common with Boulez

9) Overall, there are moments in this version that I don't think have ever been bettered, and some parts sound run-of-the-mill, but my final observation is that I am a fan of this version and it is a keeper.

Agree? Disagree? Other comments? Bring it on!

[barry guerrero]

It's not that the ending is "bad", it's that there simply isn't enough organ. Period. For the most part, the percussion are very good (bells; tam-tams); But where the chorus sings "aufverstehen" in unison at fortissimo, the organ is supposed to be fortissmo underneath them. Mahler even writes "volles werke" (the complete works). I think it sounds stupid to have 300 people shouting "rise", with no organ supporting them. Compare this very same spot to the one on the badly maligned Eschenbenbach/Phlly M2 - or any number of other fine recordings (including the 40 year old Klemperer one) - and you'll hear a world of difference. The dvd of Boulez doing M2 in Berlin addresses this issue much better.

My only other major complaint about the Boulez/DG M2, is that the scherzo is a bit too fleet, and there's almost nothing done with the hairpin dynamics (crescendos; decrescendos) in the woodwinds, specifically in the clarinets. As a result, there's little sense of irony, or humor even. It's just there. Again, the scherzo is much better on the dvd version from Berlin as well. I actually like Boulez's quicker-than-usual tempo for the second movement. Sorry though, I can't share your enthusiasm for the VPO's somewhat "thuddy" sounding timpani. That's greatly a matter of taste, I know.

And needless to say, the unison brass from the VPO often times sound very nice. That's a plus. But the "live" version captured on DVD sounds less "studio bound", and it addresses the very specific deficiencies mentioned above.