Mahler - The People‘s Edition

[cilea]

FYI.

http://www.mahler150.com

[GL]

The Current Winning Cycle is disconcerting.     

L.

[mahler09]

I thought so too, although the Bernstein M7 and M6 seem pretty consistent with a lot of people's opinions on the board and Chailly's M10 is a good recording as well.  It seemed as though most of the recordings were older and, as it is only DG/Decca, a lot of people's favorites may not even be represented to begin with.  With a composer like Mahler it's doubtful that there will ever be a consensus on which interpretation is the "best" or which one is the "right" way; in all honesty, it's for the better because it keeps Mahler's music alive and interesting for us since we each hear things in our own way.  At the very least this is a good way to listen to an entire symphony online and not just a short excerpt...

[waderice]

The unfortunate limitation of this is that it will be limited only to recordings which Universal has rights to.  The other biggie, Sony, has a treasure trove that cannot be ignored.

Wade

[Russ Smiley]

FYI.  http://www.mahler150.com

Thank you.  I just listened to the first, third, and fourth movements of M4 performed by the SFSO and Edo de Waart at this site.  Having heard it only once before on the radio a long time ago and never seeing it subsequently in print, I thought maybe what I had heard was a concert re-broadcast.  I thought then and now that it is a beautiful performance.

[sbugala]

It'll never happen, but ideally, the cycle should be a collection of the more difficult to find performances, that still stand out as fine recordings.

[Michael]

In order for this to truely work to its potential all of the different labels would need to come together.  Then we'd truely have something...

I hope Sony follows DG...it would be interesting.  Does anyone besides EMI have wrights to say, the Rattle M9?

[Michael]

Abbado M6 is currently the recording of choice over Bernstein.  The Bernstein M5 is now in the running and it wasn't before.
I'm surprised by M9...Giulini?  Never heard much about this recording.

[Russ Smiley]

The Giulini/CSO M9 was monumental when it was released and it remains my prime choice.
Listens to samples and read reviews at:
http://www.amazon.com/Mahler-Symphony-No-Schubert/dp/B00004R7X2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1278851317&sr=1-1
Here is Classics Today's review:
http://www.classicstoday.com/review.asp?ReviewNum=2300

[Leo K]

Great to see the Haitink/European Community Youth Orchestra M9 on the M9 choices.  Folks should check out this suprisingly "sturm und drang" M9 from Haitink.  This recording has long been a favorite of mine.  I think the youth orchestra here is amazing in their excitement and achievement of Mahler's sound world.


--Todd

[Leo K]

It's also great to hear the Chailly M10 again.  My favorite version of Cooke ever.


--Todd

[Michael]

I wish they had more of the recordings available for streaming...does anyone know if there are any plans to increase that number?

Also, about the M6...all of the recordings are in A/S order, regardless of how they were originally released.
I think DG should leave the movement ordering well alone.  If a conductor plays the piece a certain way, then altering the order of the inner movements would also alter--and misrepresent--that conductor's vision of the work.
As much as I'd like to see the Bernstein or Chailly M6 in the set, I would really be turned away if the movement ordering was altered by someone other than the conductor.  I understand that A/S is the current ordering in the Critical Edition...but  I think DG switching the movement order on older S/A recordings is going one step too far.  I can't help but think that if those conductors who recorded M6 in S/A order had wanted it A/S, they would have recorded it that way.

[Russ Smiley]

...all of the recordings are in A/S order, regardless of how they were originally released.  I think DG should leave the movement ordering well alone. ....

As much as I prefer A/S, I agree that the order should be as intended by the conductor at the time of the original recording (or if the conductor expressly wants it to be re-ordered now).  Otherwise, let the listener fiddle with the order if they want to, just as we do now.

[Michael]

After downloading the Giulini M9 from iTunes I eagerly voted my approval on Mahler150.com.  Wow, what a performance!  Any fan of the M9 who hasn't heard this one needs to ASAP.

[mahler09]

Really?  I'll have to investigate...can you listen on the site?