Vanska/MO/BIS Mahler 6th SACD to be released in March (in Japan)

[John Kim]

http://www.hmv.co.jp/en/artist_Mahler-1860-1911_000000000019272/item_Symphony-No-6-Osmo-Vanska-Minnesota-Orchestra_8553888

On a single disc, surprisingly ... considering their M5 was one of the longest editions.

[barryguerrero]

Single disc?   .    .    .  Great, I'm onboard!

If nothing else, I love the tuba player in Minnesota.

[cilea]

https://www.music-island.pl/opisplyty-BISSACD+2266.html

[Russ Smiley]

Thank you for sending the link to the excerpts. I was intrigued by the samples; the tempi and balances are quite different from run-of-the-mill performances. I will be interested in hearing the full recording to see what new insights Vanska has on this favorite and familiar work.

[barryguerrero]

86 minutes on a single disc!

Lots of cowbells going into the climax of the slow movement. And, as I had predicted, their tuba player sounds really good. Listen to how solid he truly is, just before the 5 minute mark in the finale. Good stuff. Some interesting interpretive ideas too.

Furthermore, how is it that a Polish website is the first one to get samples from BIS online (?).

[barryguerrero]

Bump! (to get this topic back up to the top)

[Roland Flessner]

I am wary of this recording for two reasons: I heard Vänska conduct this in Minneapolis a few years ago, and thought from the first notes that he had little feel for the Mahler idiom. And, while his M5 recording is much better than that concert, he still doesn't seem attuned to Mahler's counterpoint. I suspect I'll be better off exploring unfamiliar music rather than buying yet another unsatisfactory Mahler recording.

And I take no pleasure in saying this. Only in Mahler have I been disappointed with Vänska. He has recorded much deserving, off-the-beaten-path repertory, and I like his Beethoven symphony set a lot.

[barryguerrero]

While I'm not in any way defending Vanska - I have no reason to - sometimes things that don't work in a live performance, do translate on to disc (the opposite is more common though). I'm keeping an open mind because - for no other reason - why perform Mahler in the same-old, copy cat manner?

A lot of critics took exception to Vanska's Minnesota Sibelius (as opposed to his Lahti recordings), but I found the differences interesting. Why should he perform them exactly the same a second time?

[John Kim]

Barry,

Well said, Barry. Why should he have played Sibelius the same way he did with Lahti?

I like Vanska's Minnesota Sibelius a lot as I do his Mahler! I eagerly look forward to the M6th SACD. The excerpts sound certainly exciting and promising.

[barryguerrero]

bump (let's keep this top near the top)

[Roland Flessner]

At one time my shelves groaned under the weight of more than three dozen Mahler Sixths, but by now I've purged quite a few of them. I'll be delighted if Vänska's proves to be an outstanding recording, but I won't be rushing out to buy it when it's released.

Lately, when I go through an obsession with a Mahler symphony, I don't sample as many performances. Perhaps I'm content with knowing how I think it should be performed, and no longer looking for every performance that might meet my preferences. At the same time, the Honeck M5 that I heard live here in Chicago a few weeks ago was a particularly satisfying concert because it was different but well argued, an ear-opening experience. To me, it's good to develop strong opinions, but just as important to keep an open mind.