Mahler and Karl Bohm (?)

[barry guerrero]

Aside from the DG recording of the Kindertotenlieder with Fischer-Dieskau, does anybody know of another instance of Bohm conducting Mahler (?).  Thanks in advance.

[waderice]

Barry, that's one thing that's had me wondering for a long time, but thus far, I've seen nor heard of anything.

I DO, however, have a copy of Karl Böhm's memoirs, but it is still packed away in a box from my move.  Things are slowly falling into place for me in getting things musical unpacked, and I'll try to remember checking in that book to see if Böhm conducted any other Mahler performances.  If I see anything, I'll let you know.

Wade

[Graf Danilo]

Orfeo published some live performances of the Fahrenden and the Kindertotenlieder, both of them with Christa Ludwig. But unfortunately I don't know them.

http://www.orfeo-international.de/pages/cd_c522991b.html

http://www.orfeo-international.de/pages/cd_c607031b.html

[akiralx]

Aside from the DG recording of the Kindertotenlieder with Fischer-Dieskau, does anybody know of another instance of Bohm conducting Mahler (?).  Thanks in advance.

Isn't there also the Ruckert-lieder with DFD?

[Toblacher]

A bit younger than Bohm, but a similar German background, yet I've never heard of Sawallich conduct ANY Mahler, live or on recordings.

They both liked Bruckner, but it seems crazy both could ignore, or not see the genius of Mahler. 

Like I said, crazy.

[John Kim]

I read somewhere that Bohm, towards the end of his life, was interested in conducting Mahler 4th and 6th. But he was losing his eye sight so quickly that he couldn't read the Mahler scores, and finally gave up.

[Roffe]

Karajan was another conductor that made excellent Bruckner recordings, and didn't come around to Mahler until late in his life. His recordings of M6, M9, and DLvdE are very good to excellent; he also recorded M4 and M5, but I have no personal impression of those, since I've never heard them.

Roffe

[barry guerrero]

I would kill to hear a Karl Bohm M6!

[waderice]

I would kill to hear a Karl Bohm M6!

Böhm would make the cleanest M6 ever if he had been able to do it!  His Tchaikovsky 4th is unbelievable, unlike all others!  The only one similar to him doing that work is Reiner.

Wade

[Prospero]

I have always found Böhm to be a heartless and mechanical conductor.

I am personally quite satisfied that he was not drawn, for whatever reasons, to Mahler.

I find little evidence from studio and live performance recordings that the  broad range of humanity expressed in Mahler's visions could be acceptably realized by Böhm.

This may be a minority opinion, but I do not regret the apparently purposeful avoidance of Mahler by Böhm.

Tom in Vermont

[barry guerrero]

Well, I think it's a 'minority' opinion only because the conducting on the "Kindertotenlieder" with F-D. is superb. I'm sure he worked on the 'interpretation' (hate THAT word) WITH F-D., but Bohm was still the one who had to wave the stick.

I honestly feel that it's one of the THE great, blast-from-the-past Mahler recordings.

I only saw Bohm conduct once, but it was Mozart 41 in Munich. I have to tell you, it was outstanding.

[waderice]

I only saw Bohm conduct once, but it was Mozart 41 in Munich. I have to tell you, it was outstanding.

I saw Böhm conduct the Vienna Opera when it came to Washington, DC in the late 'seventies.  On that tour in the Kennedy Center Opera House, I saw him conduct Figaro and Ariadne auf Naxos.  About as authoritative as you can get.  Thankfully, on one of the other nights when I wasn't at the KC, I was able to tape one of the Ariadne  performances by him.

All in all, one of the musical highlights of my life.  Two others were hearing Fischer-Dieskau in recital, one of them all-Mahler.

Wade

[barry guerrero]

And for a great while, Bohm pretty much 'owned' "Die Frau ohne Schatten". There's at least two fabulous 'live' recordings of it with him, and he gave a very legendary performance of FROSCH in S.F. around 1977.

There's a 'live' Bruckner 8 with Bohm on the Palexa label from Zurich that has far more 'fire' and energy than his, otherwise, very good V.P.O. recording of it.  It doesn't have the greatest sound quality, but it's in decent stereo. It's well worth hearing.

[Clov]

I think his Brahms symphony boxset is amazing, sound wise also. It includes and excellent Haydn Variations; this is my favorite Bohm, as well as his classic Der Rosenkavalier on DG.

[Clov]

This box here: