info. and dates for Ashkenazy/Sydney S.O. Mahler cycle

[barry guerrero]

http://www.scribd.com/doc/26809364/Sydney-Symphony-Announces-Mahler-Cycle-Recording-1

John Kim will be happy to see that Ashkenazy is going to do Mahler 9 on the 100th anniversary of Mahler's death, and that he's also going to record the Carpenter version of the 10th.

By the way, there's a Youtube excerpt of the end of the Mahler 8th with Ashkenazy from the Sydney Opera House. The organ is amazing - sounds like an old 727 on take-off. I'm certainly at least going to pick up their Mahler 8.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rts2F85hnIo

Barry

[John Kim]

Thanks for the heads up, Barry.

Ashkenazy's recording of M9th with CPO (one Exton) is very special and in many ways excellent. DH thinks the same of it.

I also own his M6 and M7 CDs with the same orchestra and heard an extraordinary live concert of the Seventh done in Korea several years ago.

I will be looking forward to the cycle with high expectation.

John,

[barry guerrero]

Two things: A). as long as the dry acoustics of the Sydney Opera House aren't a hindrance (and perhaps this is actually a separate hall); and, B). as long as Ashkenazy pays some attention to what the kitchen department is doing. He's not always been the best at percussion detail, and Mahler is chalk full of percussion detail. In general, I do like his quicker than usual tempi.

Barry

[James Meckley]

As long as the dry acoustics of the Sydney Opera House aren't a hindrance (and perhaps this is actually a separate hall)...

The performance shown in the video was given in the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall, the largest performance space in the SOH complex, seating about 2,700. If anything, it's a bit too reverberant, having an RT-60 of 2.1 seconds (with 1.7 or 1.8 seconds considered ideal for romantic orchestral works). This hall also houses the SOH Grand Organ, the world's largest tracker-action pipe organ.

James

[barry guerrero]

"This hall also houses the SOH Grand Organ, the world's largest tracker-action pipe organ"    .     .     .    and we've got the Youtube excerpt to prove it   

Seriously, thank you for correction and update. That's useful information.

[James Meckley]

John Kim will be happy to see that Ashkenazy is going to do Mahler 9 on the 100th anniversary of Mahler's death, and that he's also going to record the Carpenter version of the 10th.

Although Ashkenazy was scheduled to perform and record the Carpenter version of M10 in Sydney during March of 2011, I'm told he changed his mind and did the Barshai version instead.

James

[barry guerrero]

Well the Barshai could use another professional recording as well. I wish somebody else would take a swing at the Samale/Mazzuca version. I'm convinced that it could be better than what's on the Exton recording.