Best Mahler Boxset Currently Available

[john haueisen]

Bertini, closely followed by Bernstein and Chailly, always bearing in mind the exceptional single performances that stand alone
Cheers!
John H

[john haueisen]

If we could include a DVD box set, I'd have to rank Bernstein as number one.
I know--I'm just a sentimental fool who loves to see Lenny emote!
Cheers,
John H

[alpsman]

In the Bertini set i think the best performances are: 1-5-9-DLVDE.
I think 2-3-6 rather weak, as sound and orchestral execution.

The Inbal set is one of the most balanced performances: great sound, excellent playing, idiomatic but not idiosyncrating.
Recorded in the same venue and in a small( for such a project) period.You can find it very cheap. It's a bargain.
This set is also a favorite of the esteemed Henry de la Grange.

[John Kim]

How come nobody mentions Edo de Waart/Netherlands Phil. Orch./RCA cycle?

I like most of the recordings in the set, especially M5-M8 very much.

John,

[barry guerrero]

It's a very good box. As you probably remember my having mentioned before, I wrote a very positive review of the De Waart  box for the Japanese In Tune magazine, sometime back in the latter '90s

Barry.

[Damfino]

How come nobody mentions Edo de Waart/Netherlands Phil. Orch./RCA cycle?

Probably because it has been out of print for so long, few people have heard it. I'd like to hear it. I've heard nothing but good about it.

[John Kim]

How come nobody mentions Edo de Waart/Netherlands Phil. Orch./RCA cycle?

Probably because it has been out of print for so long, few people have heard it. I'd like to hear it. I've heard nothing but good about it.

True. This set is probably the most consistently interpreted, played, and recorded Mahler cycle, next to the Bertini set. de Waart's readings are very solid with no particular interpretive quirks to complain about, and his orchestra plays in decent sound with firm bass lines. The sound is as good as any with natural sound stage and warm acoustics. I have a set released by a local company in Netherlands (not the RCA set) which I bought at around $50.00 including S&H. The M3rd, M5th, M6th, and M7th are excellent. These are the best in the set. When played on a very equipment the M9th sounds pretty darn good too.

John,

[Seán]

.    .    .   Solti/CSO would be dead last. But if Decca were to put together a Solti box that used his earlier LSO Mahler recordings, along with his earlier Concertgebouw M4, I'd rate that much higher.

Barry

Barry, I couldn't agree more.  I think that the Solti/LSO M1 & M2, the Concertgebouw M4 and perhaps the CSO M5 (not sure about that one, and the Solti/CSO M8 perhaps) are superb Mahler renditions.  The CSO M1 & M2 are fine interpretations too.  I don't understand why Solti's Mahler is generally held in such low regard.

[Damfino]

Posted by alpsman:

The Inbal set is one of the most balanced performances: great sound, excellent playing, idiomatic but not idiosyncrating.
Recorded in the same venue and in a small( for such a project) period.You can find it very cheap. It's a bargain.
This set is also a favorite of the esteemed Henry de la Grange.

FWIW, mine is the sole vote for the Inbal set. I only have three of the sets on the list, and like Inbal's the best. Plus, you get a complete 10th in the Inbal set.

[sperlsco]

No argument from me on the Inbal set.  I rank it pretty close to my other favorites: Bernstein/DG, Chailly, and Gielen.  I haven't pulled out some of the performances for a few years, but my memory tells me that the M3, M4, M5, M6, M8, and M9 are in or near my first tier of favorites (I've only listened to his M3, M5, and M9 recently, though), and I still liked the M7, M10, and DLvdE.  Heck, this set gets points just for HAVING a good M10 and DLvdE, since many sets omit those pieces.  The sound is very good for early digital, but I much prefer Chailly and Gielen from that standpoint. 

[barry guerrero]

I would like the Inbal set more, if the sound quality were a bit more up to date. At the time, I thought it sounded pretty good. But on my equipment - faulty as that may be (like my memory) - the remastered Bertini recordings (the box set) slam-dunk the Inbal ones in the sound quality department. The Chailly ones are pretty good in the audio department as well (and sorry; just not a big fan of the Gielen cycle).

I find Inbal's 8th to be particularly diffuse and opaque sounding. The 6th was recorded at an almost extreme low level. Inbal's 2nd has that weird balance problem with the two vocalists (as I recall, they're waaaaaay too close sounding). His M1 wasn't much to write home about either. In terms of audio quality, I found the 4th to be Inbal's best. It's a good performance too. All in all, a very solid cycle from a purely musical standpoint. But I would rather have the Bertini box, and supplement it with any number of complete M10 recordings. That's just me.

Barry

[John Kim]

I may have a minority opinion but I don't think EVERY symphony in the Bertini set has top quality sound. For example, the M6th sounds rather harsh and edgy being an early digital recording. The M9th (I've listened to the remastered version), as I have repeatedly said, doesn't sound all that great either; it is murky and lacks details except for the heavy brass and percussion (Barry must love them though). That it was recorded live may explain it. OTOH, the M8th sounds magnificent.

Speaking of the Inbal set I like it very much except for the M1 and M2. I think the sound quality is very consistent and as good as any, and the M9th sounds particularly pretty impressive (wide dynamic range, e.g.).

John,

[barry guerrero]

Yeah, OK, the Bertini 9th doesn't have the best sound quality; true enough. But as a performance and interpretation (hate that word; let's call it "conducting job"), I'll take over it Inbal's oddly proportioned one. I also find that the Bertini 9th displays just outrageous control during the softer, slower; more "zen-like" passages. It's truly more to my liking, but both are good.

Barry

[John Kim]

Yes, Barry. The Inbal M9th is somewhat oddly proportioned; II is rather awkward in tempo and execution, III. is too bright in its mood, IV. isn't as expansive as it should have been. But there is no quibbling that it has one of the greatest first movements. Still, overall it is a pretty excellent M9th.

If someone can combine the interpretation of Bertini/TMSO/Fontec with the execution of Bertini/CRSO/EMI...

John,