Why doesn't the Staatskapelle Dresden record more Mahler?

[umbernisitani]

To me, the Staatskapelle Dresden's uniquely dark sonority, with incisive percussion and lower brass playing, suits Mahler to a tee.  Unfortunately so far it may be the only major orchestra which hasn't recorded all the Mahler symphonies.  In fact their Mahler discography is puny compared to most other orchestras.  Here are all--and I mean all--of their Mahler recordings to my knowledge.

Symphony No. 1
Suitner (Berlin Classics)
Wakasugi (Sony/Epic)

Symphony No. 2
Haitink (Profil)

Symphony No. 4
Ludwig (DG, LP only)
Sinopoli (Profil)

Symphony No. 5
Sinopoli (Youtube pirate recording from 1999)

Symphony No. 9
Sinopoli (Profil)

Das Lied
Sinopoli (DG)

Kindertotenlieder
Bohm (Orfeo)

Any additions?

[James Meckley]

Any additions?

If you want to include videos, there's a DVD of Fabio Luisi conducting Mahler 1 on EuroArts (2012). It's coupled with the Beethoven first piano concerto.

James

[barry guerrero]

I have the Luisi dvd of M1 and it's fabulous. It demonstrates precisely what Umbernisitani is talking about. Therefore, I'm disappointed that Myung-Wha Chung and DG aren't recording at least some of their Mahler with the Dresden Staatskapelle (no disrespect meant to the Seoul Phil.). If the singers were better, Sinopoli's Dresden "DLvdE" would probably be counted among the best - the orchestral execution is fantastic.

I listened to the broadcast of the Salonen/Dresden Staatskapelle M3 from the Leipzig Mahler festival and I thought it was superb. The sound of the orchestra was a perfect match for M3's mix of earthiness and erudite sophistication. I keep hoping that that gets issued on a cd, or miraculously shows up on Youtube.

The irony here is that one of the early champions of Mahler was Ernst von Schuch in Dresden. Yet, he's rarely ever mentioned along with Mengelberg, Fried, Scherchen, Walter, Klemperer, etc. It's a pity that Mahler himself didn't conduct some of his symphonies there.

[AZContrabassoon]

It would seem like a great choice, wouldn't it? They are doing the 6th this season. A lot of the problem has to do with time - they're quite busy in the opera house. Their concert season is relatively short compared to an American orchestra. But mostly blame the conductors: Thieleman is a huge Bruckner supporter and maybe Mahler just isn't in his blood. When you think about it, Berlin hasn't recorded all that much either. They've never done a cycle which is surprising. Even Vienna has only done a complete cycle once - with Maazel. Dresden had (and maybe still does) one of the most authentic, east-European sounds of any orchestra and their technical prowess is second to none. They need a really brilliant Mahler conductor and there just aren't that many out there anymore.

[barry guerrero]

They've been doing a fair amount of Mahler with Chung. It's just that he's recording them in Seoul, which I'm sure is a less expensive proposition than recording Mahler in Germany. That orchestra is very good, but they're no Staatskapelle in my book.

I think there's a number of very talented, relatively young Mahler conductors today: Markus Stenz, Jonathan Nott, Ivan Fischer, Danielle Gatti (just got the Concertgebouw), Chailly, Nezet-Seguin (Philadelphia), Dudamel (yes, I like his Mahler), Mark Elder, Kent Nagano.

[waderice]

When it comes to the late Romantics, Dresden has a much, much greater tradition with Richard Strauss than with Mahler.  I'm a bit surprised no one has mentioned this thus far.

Wade

[barry guerrero]

I think it wasn't mentioned because that's a bit obvious, isn't it? Many of Strauss' operas were premiered in Dresden, and Kempe recorded a 'complete cycle' of tone poems and other goodies. Strauss made it clear that the Dresden Staatskapelle was his preferred choice for his music.

[Chibikonaga]

Thielemann is not a Mahler fan.  Barry is right about the Salonen Dresden M3. Well worth issuing in some form. It was one of the highlights from the 1st week of the 2011 cycle in Leipzig.