Solti's last M5 live from Zurich

[akiralx]

Anyone heard this?  I just ordered a Decca Solti 4CD tribute boxset and this is the last disc.

[barry guerrero]

The timings on this are very similar to what they are on his latter (late 80's?) M5 with the CSO. At this point, that's all I know.

Barry

[John Kim]

Words have it that there is nothing much to write home about this recording. You'd better stick with Solti's first analogue recording with CSO.

John,

[barry guerrero]

Yep; it makes you wonder why Decca keeps finding useless Solti material to keep issuing. It's all in effort to keep up the myth that Solti was excellent at all things, I suppose. But in my estimation, he was really good a very narrow window of repertoire, and just so-so on everything else.

Barry

[sbugala]

To be honest, I'm shocked Decca hasn't dug up more live stuff from him.  If you look, Bernstein had his Royal Edition and Bernstein Century edition from Sony.  DG releases plenty of his stuff, too.  Karajan had his share of DG Originals material come out, too.  But Solti, even a few years after his death, has almost disappeared from view. 

I liked some of his discs from his analog days, but most of his digital stuff is way too brash or punchy for me. 

[akiralx]

Yep; it makes you wonder why Decca keeps finding useless Solti material to keep issuing. It's all in effort to keep up the myth that Solti was excellent at all things, I suppose. But in my estimation, he was really good a very narrow window of repertoire, and just so-so on everything else.

Barry

This set is all reissues.  I've usually avoided him but one item on this set is excellent - a CSO Till Eulenspiegel from the mid-70s.  Might even be my new favourite after BPO/Kempe and Karajan (1960 Decca with the VPO).  Also his Rite of Spring on CD3 of the set is very good too.

I've never heard him in Mahler at all, but one CD I do like very much is his late Elgar Enigma Variations live with the VPO,  His earlier CSO one is poor.

[sperlsco]

Just shooting from the hip, here, but Decca should release an all-analogue box set of Solti's Mahler.  London SO versions of M1, M2, M9 and Chicago versions of M5, M6, M7, M8, and DLvdE.  I have never heard his London SO M3, but have read that it is dreadful (IMO his digital Chicago one is dreadful).  I don't believe that he has an analog M4.  His digital Chicago one is passable, but nothing special.   

[John Kim]

Scott,

Solti did record an analogue M4th with RCO for Decca in early 60's. It is one of my top favorites, along with Kletzki, Bernstein, and Davis. Solti put just enough punch into the score whereever needed and the RCO played beautifully, idiomatically (how could they not?) for him. This recording should be reissued too.

I agree that Solti's London M3rd is not so good.

John,

[sbugala]

David Hurwitz reviews the Solti disc here:
http://www.classicstoday.com/review.asp?ReviewNum=11257

[je-b]

On a sidenote, I was rather surprised that D.H. makes so much fun of Decca's advertising remarks, claiming the 5th to be "Mahler's most popular symphony". I always thought that it's more or less common sense that M5 is the most widely known of the Mahler symphonies. Think of "Death in Venice"...

[akiralx]

Words have it that there is nothing much to write home about this recording. You'd better stick with Solti's first analogue recording with CSO.

John,

Yes, listened last night - this Tonhalle Zurich M5 is merely adequate, the conception is OK but weak strings and a slightly dry acoustic make it a non-starter. 

Am I right in thinking Solti did two M5s in Chicago (of which the first is better I believe), but not an earlier one with the LSO?  That's what I infer from an earlier post in this thread.

[sperlsco]

Am I right in thinking Solti did two M5s in Chicago (of which the first is better I believe), but not an earlier one with the LSO?  That's what I infer from an earlier post in this thread.

That is correct.  Solti has both an analog and digital M5, both with the CSO.  The digital one was recorded live in concert in the late 80's or early 90's.  The analog one is special to me because it was the version that got me into M5.  It is very intense, but may come off as a little harsh for some people.  The digital one does nothing for me -- it is fast, but without the intensity of the earlier one. 

Scott,

Solti did record an analogue M4th with RCO for Decca in early 60's. John,

I have that one, but thought that it was actually a LATER digital one.  I'll have to pull it off the shelf and give it a spin.  Thanks for the reminder.