Best (!!) M.9

[Ivor]

  In a programme today, "Building a Library", Peter Quantrill compared available versions of M.9 on CD and DVD.

  Before revealing all, anyone care to nominate:-

a) their nomination for the best (you may have to give a few as the discussion was about available in UK oerformances).

b) their favourites

c) underrated performances , especially if/because obscure [my favourite category].


I've no idea which the best might be. There are inummerable imponderables to sort thru.

My favourite is the 50s Horenstein,mostly because he's such a favourite conductor of mine. I know he's a bit staid (or even rigid) for some. It didn't "win" because of orchesral error.


Quantrill had a winner,a medium-price runner-up,and a DVD choice.

I'll say no more - more fun that way. All round,I hope.




     Ivor

PS. Seems like I can claim post 200. (What a nerd !!)

[John Kim]

My favorites are,

Bernstein/BSO/Memories (live, Tanglewood)
Bernstein/RCO/DGG
Neumann/CPO/Exton
Ancerl/CPO/Supraphon
Inoue/NJP/Exton
Chailly/RCO/Decca

Maazel/BRSO/BRSO (DVD)

I think they picked,

Abbado/BPO/DGG
Ancerl/CPO/Supraphon

Bernstein/VPO/DGG (DVD)

John,

[barry guerrero]

John is the king of M9, so take his word as the gospel truth. That said, I'm pretty happy with the Barenboim for a single disc 9th.

[Leo K]

I agree about John's choices...I'm even trying out those Exton recordings based on his recommendations.

[John Kim]

Barry, thanks for your nice word

My main issue with the Abbado/BPO/DG is its sound which is severely restricted in its dynamic range (listen to climaxes in I.), lacking details. It sounds as if the entire recording was made on an old analogue machine. I am pretty sure a local radio station or some independent focal was involved in the recording, and when DGG later found out about the tape they decided to issue it despite the problems. It's so unfortunate because the performance itself is quite estimable; I can only guess what the real concert might have sounded like...

The new recording by Barenboim shares some of the same problem but to a much lesser degree.

By all means try to get hold of the Inoue/NJPO/Exton. This one boasts some of the wildest, furiously aggressive passages in the grand "Bernstein-Tennstedt" style. Yet the conductor never loses the forest in the name of trees, holding the entire piece in a most cogent format imaginable. The playing by the Japanese orchestra is no way on a par with VPO, BPO, or even NYPO, but they have plenty of lung power to realize Inoue's powerful conceptions. The sound (HDCD) is simply fabulous. Timings are 29:52, 17:06, 14:01, 24:09.

Now, the next is Kobayashi/JPO/Exton...

John,

[Leo K]

I'm really looking forward to listening to the Inoue...I don't have HDCD player, but I'm sure it will still sound great.  John, your description sounds fantastic and that kind of interpetation is right up my alley.  I also ordered the Neumann and new Kobayashi M9 (the Exton label).  Again, I don't have a SACD player but I hope the sound quality will still be good.

[sperlsco]

My favorites are,

Bernstein/BSO/Memories (live, Tanglewood)
Bernstein/RCO/DGG
Neumann/CPO/Exton
Ancerl/CPO/Supraphon
Inoue/NJP/Exton
Chailly/RCO/Decca

Maazel/BRSO/BRSO (DVD)

John,

I'll second all of those, except for the Neumann which I have never heard.  Others that I would add to my first tier of favorites are:

Abbado/BPO/95' Mahlerfest
Ozawa/SKO
Dohnanyi/Cleveland
Karajan/BPO (Live)
Levine/Philly
de Waart/Netherlands PO
Inbal/Frankfurt
Segerstam/Danish NRSO
Lopez-Cobos/Cinncy (IIRC, but its been a long time)
Eschenbach/NDRSO (I "think" this was an NDR subscriber release, I only have a CD-R). 

It's strange, but that Maazel DVD is the only one of Maazel's Mahler that I really like without reservation. To make it worse, Massimo (who dislikes Maazel's Mahler even more than I do) actually got this for me on one of his Japan trips.  I'm sure he would have been embarrassed if anyone saw it in his hands.   

Are you saying that this silly radio program forced you to pick just one or two?  What's the fun of that?   

 

[John Kim]

[Abbado/BPO/95' Mahlerfest
Ozawa/SKO
Dohnanyi/Cleveland
Karajan/BPO (Live)
Levine/Philly
de Waart/Netherlands PO
Inbal/Frankfurt
Segerstam/Danish NRSO
Lopez-Cobos/Cinncy (IIRC, but its been a long time)
Eschenbach/NDRSO (I "think" this was an NDR subscriber release, I only have a CD-R). 

It's strange, but that Maazel DVD is the only one of Maazel's Mahler that I really like without reservation.  

Scott,

I agree with all of these additional choices except for the live Karajan. I have explained why I am not a great fan of the Karajan a numerous times. To my ears his is an "intensely beautiful without a bite". The Main problem with him is that he was basically incapable of expressing the vulgar, sarcastic, and even rough elements in Mahler's music. For the same reason his Stravinksy is intense but sounds all wrong. Try his Rite of Spring. One example: in M9:I many passages get unnecessarily smooth treatment to the point that when the orchestra goes for full throttle it all sounds inappropriate, rhythmically weak. Just intense and beautiful, that's it (listen to the way he handles the final climax).

John,

[Leo K]

Thats a good description of the Karajan there John...although I have to admit the "beautiful" smoothless makes this one of my all time favorite performances.  Karajan's M9 is more from the viewpoint of a Monk in deep meditation.

[Leo K]

I want to add that I really like the Abbado/BPO/DG M9...it reminds me of his recent BPO 6th too...transparent with nice turns of phrases and full of character...good flow.

However when it comes to brass-tax, my favorites are the death obsessed M9th's...the ones that usually take up two disks. 

 

[John Kim]

A live Waart/SFSO concert from early 80's(?) was one of the all time greatest M9ths ever! We should pester SFSO to release this great performance. Absolutely gorgeous playing (perhaps the best playing in this symphony I've ever heard), crystal clear delination of all the instrumental lines in a perfectly calculated balance and dynamics, a very cogent structure not wanting vital emotions or expressions. How did they manage to create such a sound in SF?

John,

[Jeff Wozniak]

Klemperer EMI GROC

[barry guerrero]

I do like the Klemperer, which reminds me a bit of the Giulini.  Leo, you'd really like Giulini, I think.

Barry

[Leo K]

I've been meaning to listen to the Giulini (I downloaded it from some Japanese blog some time ago)...I'll give it a listen.


I heard the Lenny Tanglewood again tonight...my favorite 9th ever...incredible.  Earlier I heard the Abbado/BPO and Ancerl for the first time.  They are great, but perhaps too fast in tempo for my taste ultimately...the Abbado is quite moving at the very end though.  The Barenboim remains my favorite single disker.  I've been on a M9 binge all week...with no sign of tiring 

[barry guerrero]

"I've been on a M9 binge all week...with no sign of tiring"

.    .   in that case, be sure to work in the Giulini. It's quite special in its own way.