Signum’s Salonen/Philharmonia M9

[Russ Smiley]

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Signum/SIGCD188

and "...Other releases this year with the Philharmonia orchestra will include Mahler’s Sixth Symphony with Esa-Pekka Salonen, and Mahler’s Fourth Symphony with Sir Charles Mackerras. "

[John Kim]

This sounds exciting.

But I notice Salonen's M9th is on a single disc .

Normally, it would be around 82-87 min.

John,

[James Meckley]

But I notice Salonen's M9th is on a single disc. Normally, it would be around 82-87 min.

Thielemann's single-disc Bruckner 5 is 82:34, and I've heard of even longer TTs, so there's a chance this M9 will fall within your preferred range.

James

[Russ Smiley]

This sounds exciting.

But I notice Salonen's M9th is on a single disc .

Normally, it would be around 82-87 min.

John,

See Salonen's thoughts on the symphony in the Gramophone article:
http://www.gramophone.co.uk/features/focus/mahler-by-the-worlds-greatest-conductors?page=0,9

[Michael]

A new M9 and M6 this year to look forward to...I hope they're good!

[James Meckley]

Here's a review of the concert which was the source for Signum's Salonen Mahler 9 CD. Of course, patching may have allowed for repair of the cymbal issue.

http://www.musicomh.com/classical/philharmonia-tetzlaff_0309.htm

James

[John Kim]

"Given that Salonen and the orchestra performed Mahler's Ninth Symphony in Amsterdam, Cologne, Vienna and Madrid in the weeks preceding this concert, one might have expected a highly polished interpretation. However, the results were somewhat mixed in this performance. Salonen was notably animated in the first movement, and the main climax of the movement was suitably engulfing. Elsewhere an element of reserve in the string playing took something away from the music's expressionistic intensity.

The symphony's two inner movements were notable for their clarity and control rather than their excitement. The Adagio brought an expressiveness from the strings that seemed leashed earlier, and the result was luminous and moving. Unfortunately, the climax was marred by two mistimed cymbal crashes, and the coda was slow and hushed without conveying the intensity of this most profound of symphonic conclusions.

In summary, this was an interesting realisation of the symphony, but ultimately a little disappointing after the stirring performances of Schoenberg's Gurrelieder and Zemlinsky's Lyrische Symphonie earlier in the City of Dreams series."

This is sort of what I'd have expected: "notable for their clarity and control rather than their excitement"

That's how I felt when I heard his live Resurrection.

John,

[Russell]

Saw the Salonen M9 in the store today, so it's finally out in the US.  I reluctantly passed on it, though (for now  ), as I had too many other things I was getting.....

Russell

[John Kim]

It will be available at amazon shortly:

http://www.amazon.com/Symphony-No-9-Mahler/dp/B003L1N4P8/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1277139060&sr=1-4

[Russ Smiley]

Presto has it, too: http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Signum/SIGCD188
I'm waiting for mine to arrive shortly.

[Russ Smiley]

Samples here:
http://www.amazon.com/Symphony-No-9-Mahler/dp/B003L1N4P8/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1277513373&sr=1-5

[Leo K]

I listened to this for the first time last night and this morning. Wow, the recording detail is top notch, I can hear everything in the score. As to the performance, it has all the right flavors I look for. Big climaxes with percussion detail is important, if not the most important for me, and this recording never lets me down. As far as one-disk M9's go, it soars to the top of my list.

--Todd

[barry guerrero]

I haven't heard this recording, so won't I pre-judge it since there as SO MANY factors that go into making a successful recording. All I can share is that I saw/heard the Philharmonia in Berkeley over a couple of nights, and they're simply not for me in Austro/Germanic music. This is not the same Philharmonia as in the Walter Legge days, obviously. But they simply play in a manner that is too transparent for my liking, and with too little heft in the lower end of the orchestra (basses, tuba, etc.). The woodwinds are good, but certainly not as great as those in Amsterdam, Berlin, Dresden or Prague. They use a strange looking and, somewhat, strange sounding bass drum. And, of course, they use a Paiste tam-tam as all of the orchestras in London do. I just don't like the metallic "whang" in the sound of those gongs, as Paiste mixes stainless steel into the alloy. The Philharmonia  knows their Mahler, but I just don't like the sound-world  they create for Mahler.

As for recordings on one disc, I know we've been over and OVER the pluses/minuses of the Alan Gilbert/Royal Stockholm Phil. one on BIS. But what I like about it is how the two outer movements are proportioned (and the two inner movements don't die either). I would rather hear a quick-ish first movement, and leave plenty of time not to rush the adagio finale. Abbado/Berlin are good in this regard also, but not so well recorded. My zwei groschen on the topic.

[Leo K]

Hi Barry,

The Paiste tam-tam is certainly here on this recording. It sounds like they tremolo the tam-tam in the 1st movement climax (as D. Hurwitz said at least you can hear it!). I love it but it sure sounds metallic! The transparency is there too but the lower end has awesome presence, and this is not what I usually hear in Philharmonia recordings. It's a real treat and one of the reasons I love this recording at first hearing.

My view of Alan Gilbert's M9 has changed for the better over the last two years. It's certainly good!

--Todd

[barry guerrero]

Yep, the tam-tam roll is there on all three Philharmonia M9's: Klemperer, B. Zander and Salonen. It's a matter of taste, I suppose, as there's nothing in the score that says NOT to do a roll.