Eduard van Beinum: Bruckner and Mahler recordings.

[oscar]

I am interested in exploring the recordings of this conductor.

Any reccomendations on his best Mahler and Bruckner ?

thanks and regards,

Oscar.

[barry guerrero]

Whatever you can find. That'll be the real issue.

[Jot N. Tittle]

Hello, Oscar--

There was a Philips Dutch Masters issue of Das Lied, van Beinum leading the Concertgebouw with Nan Merriman and Ernst Haeflilger. You might be able to find it in some used bin or on eBay. The recording was made in December, 1956.

Good luck.

     ' & .

[david johnson]

i have his bruckner 9.  it's very enjoyable.

dj

[akiralx]

His Philips recordings of Bruckner 8 and 9 are good, but not really remarkable in any way. 

Rather better is his recording of the Brahms Violin Concerto with Grumiaux.

[John Kim]

How about his live M6th that seems to be floating around somewhere on internet??

[Jules]

I remember his M4 on Decca asi a superlative performance. I also own a Fahrenden cycle, with Nan Merriman, with an intense Mahler flavour (the most drammatic Ich hab' ein glühend Messer ever heard), and a live performance of M3 that I have not been able to hear yet.

[john haueisen]

Although as Akiralx stated, van Beinum's B8 is not especially remarkable, it does have fairly good sound for a recording made more than half a century ago (1950).  Also, at least to me, it sounds as if he makes the timpani more audible near the end of the finale, which I think is a nice touch.  (But then, perhaps it was just a matter of the placement of the pickup microphones at that time in the recording industry.)
--John H

[john haueisen]

It might also be of interest to those reading this posting, two anecdotes related to van Beinum and Bruckner/Mahler:

First, before van Beinum took up the viola at age 16, his mother had taken him to a concert of the Concertgebouw Orchestra.  The young van Beinum, years before his 16th birthday, exclaimed after the concert:  "Someday I'm going to stand before this orchestra."  (and indeed he did.)

Second, (and many of you are well-aware of this) Gustav Mahler's publisher once told Mahler that they could send him immediate payment for publishing some of his music, or if he was willing to wait for several months, they would have the resources to finance the printing of some of Bruckner's works.  Though Mahler was far from "well-off" at the time, he deferred payment, preparing to see to it that Bruckner's work received some attention.

--John H