Jansons/BRSO Mahler cycle to be included in Jansons/BRSO box set (57 discs)

[John Kim]

https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/mariss-jansons-the-edition/hnum/10602018?fbclid=IwAR1Ue0rC6I0JEUqqz4zoJllI8qGrEMUp497hfoAhoki_wss6zT1ASN9Dnv4


That's right, Jansons' M4, M6, M8, as well as the remastered M3, will be released for the first time.

BUT you have to get the whole set.

John

[erikwilson7]

I sure won't be buying 57 discs of Mariss Jansons, even if the BRSO is my favorite orchestra these days (it is).

Fingers crossed that this will be available digitally so I can get them individually, or at least listen on Spotify for now until an official BRSO/Jansons Mahler box comes out.

I think I'm more excited that the BRSO has another complete Mahler cycle than the fact it's Jansons. Though to be fair, I generally like his Mahler.

My favorite two CD cycles are Kubelík/BRSO and Chailly/Concertgebouw, and Jansons got a chance to do a cycle with both of those orchestras. His Concertgebouw one was clearly inferior to Chailly's. Although Kubelík rules the Wunderhorn symphonies, Jansons may be able to best him in the latter symphonies. I just need to hear 6 and 8. I'm pretty sure Jansons' 6th will best Kubelík's, but it's hard to top Kubelík's vocal forces in the 8th, and I like his quick way through the work. I admire Kubelík's 7th, though I just wish the first movement introduction were slower. Jansons' BRSO 7th is pretty damn good.

If Jansons didn't screw with the tempos and orchestration at the end of the 5th, that recording would be among my favorites. And I really like Kubelík's way with that work. All in all–and amazingly–Kubelík's 50 year old cycle still might remain the BRSO's best Mahler recordings as a whole.

[John Kim]

Besides, it's very expensive EUR 230.

John

[John Kim]

>>If Jansons didn't screw with the tempos and orchestration at the end of the 5th, that recording would be among my favorites.

Actually, this is precisely the reason why I like Jansons/BRSO M5th so much^

John

[erikwilson7]

Fair enough. It’s personal preference and I won’t argue that.

I can see how slowing waaaay down can sound awesome on occasion, but that extra cymbal clash he adds in throws me off. It sounds like a mistake to me.

Chailly, Adam Fischer, and Karajan all slowed down there and I’m convinced. It CAN work. It seems like a tradition of sorts to slow down there. I wonder if Walter, Mengelberg, or Mahler himself did it this way at one point, and scribbled it in the score and it got passed down. Like the extra bass drum hit at the end of Mahler 1 that Bernstein and Abbado do.

So how do you feel about what Stenz does? He does it exactly as written: maintain the fast tempo and slam on the brakes at the Pesante brass chorale. I think Gielen and Boulez stay this course too.

[barryguerrero]

That's my preference: don't slow down until you reach the Pesante marking.

My guess is that someday, when the BRSO folks realize that not very many people are going to pay 230 Euros for tons of music conducted by Jansons in repertoire they're really interested in, the BRSO will realize they'll make more sales by separating his Mahler for a much less expensive price. But by then, they will have killed that concept by putting all this stuff on Spotify. We shall see.

[John Kim]

57 CDs, 11 Super Audio CDs, 2 DVDs = 70 discs

[John Kim]

Unfortunately, BR Klassik told me they don't have a plan at the moment to release Jansons Mahler cycle separately.

John

[erikwilson7]

That doesn't make sense to me. A Mahler box would probably sell more copies than this Jansons legacy box. Mahler sells, and everyone is starting to realize it.

[John Kim]

Erik,

The Jansons box set will come out soon. Why would they say - at this point - a Jansons-Mahler set will come too? ^_^

John

[erikwilson7]

Yeah, you're right about that. Frankly I'm surprised they didn't release a Mahler set first.

[John Kim]

The box set contains 11 SACDs and 2 DVDs plus 57 CDs.

I think Beethoven 9, Tchaikovsky 5, Bruckner 7, 8, Mahler 5,7,9, Shostakovich 7 are on SACDs. The M8 may be on SACD too.

John