Norrington Mahler Ninth

[John Kim]

Someone on the List uploaded MP3 file:

http://rapidshare.com/files/143054959/M9-Norrington.mp3

Mahler: Symphony No. 9
Radio-Sinfonieorchester des SWR Stuttgart
Sir Roger Norrington

05.09.2008.
Liederhalle, Stuttgart

Just finished the first movt. It is pretty good sounding very 'authentic' (you know what it means when it comes to Norrington, don't you?). The orchestra doesn't sound like they were fully immersed in the score but Norrington elicits plenty of excitement in the fast sections. Terrific tam tam and timpani at the climax.

Sound is amazingly good, with no compression; it is of a demonstration quality.

Enjoy it.

John,

[John Kim]

Listen to the finale.

Norrington conducts it like Vivaldi's Four Seasons!!^^

John,

[John Kim]

Hello folks!

Nobody tried this M9th yet???

PL take a listen and let me know how you liked it

I tell you, it really is special, whatever that means.

John,

[Polarius T]

PL take a listen

Hey John, Do you mean "PLease" or is this in need of errata as you meant to say me? 

(Human vanity knows no limits.)

For me the whole idea of listening Norrington do Mahler is totally outre but nevertheless, I realize, I just started the download. Takes about one million years though and I'm afraid that's nothing compared to how it will feel when listening to it. 

- PT

[Don]

I did a once through and agreed with the tepid applause at the end. I will listen further to form a final opinion, but first hearing did not impress much. I missed the tension and subtle and often not so subtle drama in the work.

[michaelw]

Hi John,

Thanks for the hint. I was afraid of the moment when Norrington would attack M9 (actually I expected him to destroy M3 or M6 first). I mainly listened to the 4th movement only,
but this is incredible. If somebody doesn't have 20 min for a Mahler movement and wants to get a rough, not too strict
outline of main themes such that the real work is left for later, this will be a good choice.
If this will be released as CD at some time, there will be a RN interview or booklet text where he states that this
"interpretation" is the only serious way, all others are not "informed" and Bruno Walter...

Michael

[Leo K]

I really like Norrington's recent M2...actually, a like it better than the Fischer M2...and almost ties with Zinman.

--Todd

[John Kim]

Some slow passages in Norrington's M9:IV sounds like a slow movt. from Vivaldi's Four Season, hehehe

That's good for a change, isn't it?

John,

[vvrinc]

Curious after Todd's recommendation of Norrington's No. 2, I downloaded the first movement from eclassical.com. What a surprise for me, I liked it a great deal! Plenty of energy, drive, and great sound for an MP3 (eclassical MP3s are the best I've ever bought and downloaded from the internet). The orchestra is uniformly excellent.

All the talk of no vibrato and string sections being held in straightjackets (he does observe portamenti, however) had made me wary of the cycle. Somehow, vibrator-less (sic) works OK, although I do miss the string bloom every so often. His argument that Mahler would not have heard vibrato in his day may be historically accurate but to me it sounds more like a commercial "hook" line (as they call it in advertising circles) in order to set his cycle apart in some form or another. Sir Roger has always been a good pitchman for his products in the past and I am glad to see that he's not lost his touch for advancing his career into the Freudian period of the orchestral repertoire. I have his Beethoven and Brahms Symphonies (like the former and dislike the latter), and the Berlioz "Fantastique" which has its moments. Norrington owed much of his success at the time to the London Classical Players which was an extraordinary group. (self-edited)

I'll take a chance and get the 2nd on CD and maybe the 5th. I don't know if I am quite ready to hear his last movement of the 9th just yet. Probably the 1st and 4th symphonies would fit his approach well.

Anyway, thanks Todd, my children will just have to restrict their caloric intake a little longer. ("Three-meals-a-day" is only a suggestion...isn't it?) 

[Leo K]

Great Vvrinc!

Norrington's M2 is an exciting performance, and I personally enjoy the non-vibrato sound, it doesn't hurt the overall texture of the orchestration.

Other Norrington recordings I enjoy are the Beethoven Cycle (all of it), the Schubert 9th, the Mozart Requiem, and the Berlioz Symphonie "Fantastique".


John, I'm downloading the Norrington M9 now...thanks for the heads up!


--Todd

[Polarius T]

I was listening to this (as most in my life these days, I'm afraid) while baby sitting my own kid (more work than baby-sitting someone else's), and it wasn't too bad. I had strong preconceptions about what it might be like, but the surprise was only positive. There is a kind of Schubertian mood, almost, and clarity that's brought by Norrington's house tricks, which made it not only kind of pleasant to listen to but also possible to follow to begin with (what with this baby-sittee busying about near the breakables area). It was never too engaging but kept a steady intrigue level which latter I didn't expect at all. I don't know if I'll try again in conditions that allow more concentration, but it was fun while it lasted, to say the least. I'm kind of growing into the vibratoless world, I guess, and this sort of thing helps easing the arrival. -PT

[justininsf]

Old thread, very old, but was googling orchestral vibrato and came upon this, I'd be interested in hearing the Norrington and just thought this was a very interesting topic in general.  I like the insight by Stephen Hough.

http://www.fugue.us/Vibrato_History_E.html

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/culture/stephenhough/100046034/quaver-or-not-should-orchestras-use-vibrato/

[barry guerrero]

To me, this is getting to be a very 'old' and pedantic topic. In general, I tend to be on Hurwitz's side of the fence. I can tell you first hand that D.H. did a tremendous amount of research into the topic. But I would rather hear a GREAT performance sans vibrato, than a mediocre one with vibrato. AND vice versa. In the ninth symphony in particular, Mahler makes it clear where he doesn't want vibrato with the marking "ohne audruck" (w/o expression). If you perform the entire symphony sans vibrato, then those markings become meaningless without the necessary contrast.

The one Norrington Mahler I did like was the fourth.

[justininsf]

To me, this is getting to be a very 'old' and pedantic topic. In general, I tend to be on Hurwitz's side of the fence. I can tell you first hand that D.H. did a tremendous amount of research into the topic. But I would rather hear a GREAT performance sans vibrato, than a mediocre one with vibrato. AND vice versa. In the ninth symphony in particular, Mahler makes it clear where he doesn't want vibrato with the marking "ohne audruck" (w/o expression). If you perform the entire symphony sans vibrato, then those markings become meaningless without the necessary contrast.

The one Norrington Mahler I did like was the fourth.

Thanks for the input, is this the Hurwitz info you're talking about?

http://www.classicstoday.com/features/ClassicsToday-Vibrato.pdf


BARRY, THIS IS 111 PAGES     

[barry guerrero]

Yep. And he did all the research for it himself.