We might get more Mahler from Chailly someday

[erikwilson7]

I was looking at the 2022 symphony concerts for the Teatro alla Scala orchestra that Chailly currently helms, and he's conducting Mahler 1 on January 17 and Mahler 2 on March 30

1: https://teatroallascala.org/en/season/2021-2022/concert/symphony-concert/riccardo-chailly.html
2: https://teatroallascala.org/en/season/2021-2022/concert/symphony-concert/riccardo-chailly-mahler.html

Now, I may be jumping the gun here, but I have a feeling Chailly is going to conduct a cycle with Scala. Whether that get transferred to disc is all speculation, but it would be nice to have CDs of Chailly's (superior, IMO) re-interpretation of Mahler's symphonies. His incomplete Leipzig cycle is better than the Concertgebouw one, and that's saying something.

If we ever get any more Mahler from Chailly on disc, I just want a Das Lied. A release of this work would make Chailly the second conductor in history to record all works by Mahler, second to Gielen.

[barryguerrero]

The world Covid situation is the real dark horse. Any place is vulnerable to explode again, and that includes Italy. Let's hope not.

Chailly did do a terrific "DLvdE" with Jard van Ness. It didn't get recorded, but I think you can get a 'pirate' of it from House of Opera, or elsewhere. I don't remember who the tenor was. I saw them do it in S.F. in, I believe, 1990. The tam-tam was fully audible throughout. They used a Wuhan and played it with the flange perpendicular to the audience (not parallel). While that's visually less pleasing, you actually get better results playing the tam-tam in that manner. I proved that point to myself back in my hack, amateur 'percussionist' days. The Vienna Phil. does that quite often.

[John Kim]

I second the Chailly's RCO DLVDE. I heard the live concert in Boston around the same time. They arrived at the Symphony Hall 40 min. late and when they finally appeared on the stage, they're all wearing jeans (except for the soloists)! It was an outstanding DLVDE.

Ozawa also did a great DLVDE in Boston with two male soloists. In my memory, it was the most transparent, the most beautiful account of the work.

Sadly, neither of the concerts was recorded for commercial releases.

John

[erikwilson7]

It's a shame they weren't recorded, they seem wonderful. It's surprising that Chailly–the complete cycle guy–hasn't completed his Mahler cycle. Mahler is seemingly his favorite composer, or one of them. I recently acquired the Leipzig Mahler box set and watched the bonus material. Henry Louis de La Grange greatly admired Chailly's Mahler, as evidenced by their conversation. Chailly did great amounts of research in Mahler performance tradition with the Concertgebouw, and studied Mengelberg's scores scrupulously.

[John Kim]

Maybe Chailly and Ozawa (and others like Abbado) were AFRAID of the music. 

John

[erikwilson7]

It's very possible. Superstitious like Mahler himself.

Abbado's video Das Lied with the BPO, 2011 was fantastic. Kaufmann and Otter as soloists. 100th anniversary of Mahler's death. That's another one I wish got transferred to CD, or at least included in the BPO Mahler cycle; that was a huge missed opportunity on their part, but maybe it had to do with Kaufmann or Otter and contracting them, or whatever. Legal shenanigans.

[barryguerrero]

I believe one of the video companies has the rights to that Abbado "DLvdE" from 2011. You know darn well that if DG had the rights, they would have issued it by now. I'm sure it's greatly a question of how much Kaufmann and/or Otter want to get paid (more likely Kaufmann). It wouldn't surprise me if someday shows up on Sony Classical. Someday.