What Mahler CDs to buy?

[barry guerrero]

"Abbado/BP ("proper" (?) A/S order, furthermore: it's a single disk)"

Actually, the Abbado/BPO M6 works just fine in S/A order, as the beginning tempo of the scherzo perfectly matches the ending tempo of the first movement.

Conversely, the Karajan M6 works better played back in A/S order.

[John Kim]

"Abbado/BP ("proper" (?) A/S order, furthermore: it's a single disk)"

Actually, the Abbado/BPO M6 works perfectly in S/A order, as the beginning tempo of the scherzo perfectly matches the ending tempo of the first movement.

Conversely, the Karajan M6 works better played back in A/S order.

I never occurred to me the Karajan will work better with the A-S order!

I've always hated the way Karajan treated the Scherzo but it may work nicely as a third movt.

Thanks for your keen observation, Barry.

I shall try it tonight.

John,

[Russ Smiley]

You're welcome, John.

My lists should serve no other purpose than to be a 'calibration' device.  Either my preferences 'click' with you or they do not.  If not, then you have some evidence of what to avoid.

I appreciate very good playing start to finish, top to bottom; clean, spacious sound;  and an 'honest' interpretation.  Poor playing really turns me off.  I don't want to return to a recording and forever think to myself as I'm listening, "Oh, here comes that place where the horn clams" or "Wow, those flutes really are out of tune" or "This is where the tenor is really straining".  That is not what the composer crafted and meant to convey to me.

I also don't appreciate poorly recorded performances or obviously manipulated ones.  I seldom appreciate a 'historic' performance that is miserably recorded and/or played.

I know I am guilty at times of succumbing to 'interventionist' or aggrandizing conducting in some cases (e.g. Honeck M1 & M2, Bernstein M3, Giulini M9) but it doesn't always work for me.  The epitome of interventionist may be the Bernstein/VPO versions of M5 & M6.  I simply can't abide much of M5 and especially the first movement of M6 (but they sure pull out all the stops elsewhere, so it stays in my collection).

In conductor style, the only pattern I can determine is that I don't have one.  Sometimes a conductor's style works for me on one masterpiece and sometimes it doesn't!  I really like Boulez's M6 and M3, but never warmed (curious choice of words, I know) to his M5 with the same orchestra (or his M1, M7, and M9 with some of America's finest).

Of M6s in my collection that I really like in most but not all movements or sections but didn't immediately list are Jansons/LSO (no, not the RCO), Sanderling/SPSO, Farberman/LSO, Bertini/KRSO, Mehta/IPO, Karajan/BPO.  They have many fine moment for me, but I have my 'buts' with each.

I've owned and sold Fischer, Cortese, Levi, Herbig, Zander, Gielen, Thomas, Wit, Rattle/CBSO, Tennstedt (couldn't tell you which one now), Schwarz, Nanut, Chailly, Haenchen, Sinopoli, Gergiev, Haitink/CSO, Eschenbach, Zinman/Baltimore, Jansons/RCO, and both Abbados.

The M6 is special for me (the Abbado/CSO introduced me to it), and I still am looking for the ideal performance.  The Mackerras, Zinman, Delfs, Levines, and Boulez come closest so far for me.

[John Kim]

I've owned and sold Fischer, Cortese, Levi, Herbig, Zander, Gielen, Thomas, Wit, Rattle/CBSO, Tennstedt (couldn't tell you which one now), Schwarz, Nanut, Chailly, Haenchen, Sinopoli, Gergiev, Haitink/CSO, Eschenbach, Zinman/Baltimore, Jansons/RCO, and both Abbados.

The M6 is special for me (the Abbado/CSO introduced me to it), and I still am looking for the ideal performance.  The Mackerras, Zinman, Delfs, Levines, and Boulez come closest so far for me.

I NEVER sell my Mahler collection back. I am a BLACK HOLE!!

John,

[John Kim]

About the Levi Sixth, I once owned it, sold it, and bought it back .

John,

[Russ Smiley]

I, too, have had my second thoughts a couple of times and re-acquired a recording I once sold, but not too many times.
I re-bought the Bernstein/VPO M5 to re-examine what it is I was missing that made it a best seller on Amazon.  I am still missing something.  Oh, well...

[Roffe]

Quote from: barry guerrero on February 04, 2011, 04:40:06 PM
"Abbado/BP ("proper" (?) A/S order, furthermore: it's a single disk)"

Actually, the Abbado/BPO M6 works perfectly in S/A order, as the beginning tempo of the scherzo perfectly matches the ending tempo of the first movement.

Conversely, the Karajan M6 works better played back in A/S order.


Thanks Barry, I just didn't think of that. I'll try it out.
Roffe

[techniquest]

I'd avoid some of the obvious choices such as the Klemperer 2nd and Mehta recordings. Can't do recommendations for every symphony, but of those I can I'd go:
2nd: Tennestedt / LPO
3rd: Bernstein / NYPO (Sony)
4th: Bernstein / Concertgebouw (DGG)
5th: Morris / Sinfonia of London (IMP)
8th: Wit / Warsaw NPO (Naxos)
9th: Herbig / Rundfunk SO Saarbrucken

[Freddy van Maurik]

I'd avoid some of the obvious choices such as the Klemperer 2nd and Mehta recordings.

Well I would certainly not! Sure, the Klemperer M2 has its flaws, but it has made me 'get' this symphony totally, some 18 years ago! The Mehta M2 and M5 are very enjoyable performances as well.

And I'm with John; I'll never sell my Mahler-collection. Of course, this makes me a terrible nut-case collector, with almost 60 different recordings of M2 alone, but hey... 

Freddy

[Roffe]

I'd avoid some of the obvious choices such as the Klemperer 2nd and Mehta recordings.

Well I would certainly not! Sure, the Klemperer M2 has its flaws, but it has made me 'get' this symphony totally, some 18 years ago! The Mehta M2 and M5 are very enjoyable performances as well.

And I'm with John; I'll never sell my Mahler-collection. Of course, this makes me a terrible nut-case collector, with almost 60 different recordings of M2 alone, but hey... 

Freddy

Wow, 60 M2 alone. And I thought I was a nutcase *LOL*. I agree that the Klemperer and Mehta M2's are very good, and both have the advantage of fitting on one CD.

Roffe

[john haueisen]

I'm with John too.  I just can't part with any of my Mahler performances--each has something I like, even when they have things I don't like.  Barry's nickname sums up a lot of us:  Mahler Nutcases.

[Freddy van Maurik]

Yep. Just for fun, I'm tempted to sum them up. In random order, I own:

Walter - Forrester, Cundari - NYPhil
Walter - Cebotari, Anday - WPhO
Haitink - Margiono, Van Nes - Rotterdam PhO
Abbado - Gvazava, Larsson - Lucerne FO
Klemperer - Schwarzkopf, Rössl-Majdan - Philharmonia O
Klemperer - Harper, Baker - SO des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Klemperer - Vincent, Ferrier - Concertgebouw O
Fischer - Milne, Remmert - Budapest FO
Jansons - Merbeth, Fink - RCO
Litton - Grant Murphy, Lang - Dallas SO
Abbado - Neblett, Horne - Chicago SO
Solti - Harper, Watts - LSO
Abbado - Studer, Meier - WPhO
Järvi, P - Coote, Dessay - Frankfurt RSO
Tennstedt - Kenny, Van Nes - LPhO
Ozawa - Suga, Stutzmann - Saito Kinen O
Mehta - Greenberg, Quivar - Israel PhO (live)
Mehta - Gustafson, Quivar - Israel PhO
Mehta - Cotrubas, Ludwig - WPhO
Zinman - Banse, Larsson - Tonhalle Orchester Zürich
Nott - Schwanewilms, Braun - Bamberger Symphoniker
Tilson Thomas - Bayrakdarian, Hunt Lieberson - SFS
Haitink - Persson, Stotijn - Chicago SO
Rattle - Augér, Baker - CBSO
Rattle - Royal, Kozena - BPhO
Chailly - Diener, Lang - RCO
Gergiev - Mosuc, Bulycheva - LSO
Boulez - Schäfer, DeYoung - WPhO
Kaplan - Moore, Michael - WPhO
Kaplan - Valente, Forrester - LSO
Kubelik - Mathis, Fassbaender - SO des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Barbirolli - Donath, Finnilä - RSO Stuttgart
Barbirolli - Stader, Baker - BPhO
Stokowski - Woodland, Baker - LSO
Abbado - Woytowicz, West - WPhO
Boulez - Palmer, Troyanos - BBC SO
Haitink - Ameling, Heynis - Concertgebouw Orkest
Vonk - Orán, Van Nes - Residentie Orkest
Haitink - Margiono, Van Nes - RCO (from the 1995 MahlerFeest Box-set)
Bertini - Laki, Quivar - Kölner RSO
Haitink - Alexander, Van Nes - RCO (from the Kerstmatinees Box-set)
Bernstein - Hendricks, Ludwig - NYPhil
Bernstein - Baker, Armstrong - LSO
Neumann - Benackova, Randova - CzPhO
Gielen - Banse, Kalisch - SWR SO Baden-Baden und Freiburg
De Waart - Margiono, Remmert - Radio Filharmonisch Orkest Holland
Tennstedt - Mathis, Soffel - LPhO
Kubelik - Mathis, Procter - SO des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Inbal - Donath, Soffel - RSO Frankfurt

That makes 50, so I've been exagerating slightly... (I counted some recordings that I own in both CD-audio and SACD or DVD-audio twice). I also have some 30 live radio recordings of various performances.

So yep, there it is. It's official, I'm a nutcase

Freddy

[Damfino]

I'm with John too.  I just can't part with any of my Mahler performances--each has something I like, even when they have things I don't like.  Barry's nickname sums up a lot of us:  Mahler Nutcases.

I should learn to never sell off mine, either (unless i really hate it). I have already re-bought a couple of Mahler CDs I'd previously sold.

Dave

[Roffe]

Freddy,

I hope that they have CD players, so we can play our favourite M recordings at "the funny farm"l.

Roffe

[Freddy van Maurik]

Roffe,

Yeah, agreed. It's just that I'm not sure wether we're allowed to bring our cd's...