There are great bargains these days on classical CD's both new and used; I usually find Amazon Marketplace items to be cheaper than Amazon, even for new items.
Calling Mahler or Bruckner fans
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There are great bargains these days on classical CD's both new and used; I usually find Amazon Marketplace items to be cheaper than Amazon, even for new items.
Very hard core Mahler fan here......between SACD and redbook, I have over 100 recordings of Mahler symphonies. His 5th is my favorite (the old trumpet jock in me still gets a thrill with the opening solo) though I like #2, #3, #6, #7 and #9.....I am a veteran of the massive Telarc Mahler 8 with Robert Shaw/Atlanta (I was in one of the two choirs from Ohio State)....there were over 700 people on that stage and as such, I now despise any Mahler 8 when they use a choir with less than 200 singers....Mahler 7 is a tough one, seemingly, for people to pull off. There is an obscure RCA CD with MTT and the London SO that is superb but MTT's SFSO leaves me slightly chill. My absolute favorite Mahler 7 is actually an old RCA Red Seal with Levine and CSO (recorded in Medina Temple). That was an old Soundstream recording and I wish it could be turned into a killer high rez recording (hey, Telarc did that with some of their old Soundstream recordings)....
Symphonies #3 and #6 can be seriously affected by the conductor. The most dreadful Mahler was Sym #6 in Chicago with Gielen.....I have never heard such slow tempos.....that performance took 1hr 48 minutes....
The one killer for me in Mahler is how a conductor plays the Adagietto from the 5th Symphony. Poor Bernstein....he played it at the memorial concert for Bobby Kennedy and never was able to disassociate that.....sorry Lenny, the Adagietto was a love letter to Mahler's young wife, not a funeral dirge. ANY composer who takes the Adagietto beyond 11 minutes looses me....if Bruno Walter (Mahler's protege) kept the Adagietto under 8:30 who needs it at over 13 minutes????
Anyway, I will always keep buying Mahler symphonies.....too many interpretations, so much emotion and passion....why stop??? LOL
Cheers,
Symphonies #3 and #6 can be seriously affected by the conductor. The most dreadful Mahler was Sym #6 in Chicago with Gielen.....I have never heard such slow tempos.....that performance took 1hr 48 minutes....
The one killer for me in Mahler is how a conductor plays the Adagietto from the 5th Symphony. Poor Bernstein....he played it at the memorial concert for Bobby Kennedy and never was able to disassociate that.....sorry Lenny, the Adagietto was a love letter to Mahler's young wife, not a funeral dirge. ANY composer who takes the Adagietto beyond 11 minutes looses me....if Bruno Walter (Mahler's protege) kept the Adagietto under 8:30 who needs it at over 13 minutes????
Anyway, I will always keep buying Mahler symphonies.....too many interpretations, so much emotion and passion....why stop??? LOL
Cheers,
For me so far as a neophyte to Mahler Symphonies:
- 1: Klaus Tennstedt, Chicago Symphony Orchestra ESOTERIC SACD/CD Hybrid ESSE-90068 JAPAN
- 2: Rattle, Simon, CBSO Chorus, Janet Baker, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
- 4: George Szell, Andrew Davis, Cleveland Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Judith Raskin, et al.
- 5: Sir John Barbirolli, New Philharmonia Orchestra ESOTERIC SACD/CD Hybrid ESSE-90058 JAPAN
- 8: Tennstedt & London Po (24bit - Japanese Remaster)
10: Mahler, Gustav, Rattle, Simon, EMI CLASSICS
Still trying to figure out which ones to start with on 3, 6, 7, 9...
...what i can say is that the 5th, which i bought first, is stunning and i have played that one far and away more than any of the others. And a remarkable recording to boot...
- 1: Klaus Tennstedt, Chicago Symphony Orchestra ESOTERIC SACD/CD Hybrid ESSE-90068 JAPAN
- 2: Rattle, Simon, CBSO Chorus, Janet Baker, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
- 4: George Szell, Andrew Davis, Cleveland Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Judith Raskin, et al.
- 5: Sir John Barbirolli, New Philharmonia Orchestra ESOTERIC SACD/CD Hybrid ESSE-90058 JAPAN
- 8: Tennstedt & London Po (24bit - Japanese Remaster)
10: Mahler, Gustav, Rattle, Simon, EMI CLASSICS
Still trying to figure out which ones to start with on 3, 6, 7, 9...
...what i can say is that the 5th, which i bought first, is stunning and i have played that one far and away more than any of the others. And a remarkable recording to boot...
SPOT - ON!!! Much preferred to Rattle which was my first CD of 2nd which i just got a few weeks ago. The Fischer just arrived tonite and for some reason i am enjoying it much more than the Rattle...not sure why. Just am. Thanks!!!
I saw Rattle live but prefer this one. I guess with your Vel subs the explosion must be quite awesome. The start is quiet, then the violins give a nice soundstage, suddenly it starts getting loud, then the bass starts reaching into the depths of the earth, and then kaboom they hurl the room at you. That's how I visualize it in a good system. I did break a few systems at Munich.
yes! the kaboom is awesomely fun...thanks for that recommendation! I have Abbado 7th yet to play, Karajan 9th on the way as well...
...but i am still debating on Barbirolli 6th or Karajan
just picked up Mahler 4th Ivan Fischer as well...i appreciated the Szell but i liked the 2nd Fischer so much and enjoyed the snips of his 4th as well...i thought i'd give it a go.
Okay...its a personal preference, but so far, i prefer Ivan Fischer's Mahler 4th to Szell's...i will of course go back at some point to listen to Szell again. But when i listened to Szell's Mahler 4th, i originally thought "Really? I was blown away by the 5th Barbirolli, and THIS is the 4th? Maybe i dont like Mahler as much as i was hoping i would..."
...but this 4th by Fischer i really am enjoying.
so i figured out after listening to snips of a dozen different Mahler 6s which one i am going to get: Sanderling. And course, its out of print on CD and insanely expensive! Stay tuned while i try to find a 2nd hand set somewhere in the internet ether...
So after a mini-exploration of listening, here is my fav list of the various Mahlers but its a superficial exploration. I own these other than 6 which i intend to order (Sanderling)
- 1: Ivan Fischer, Channel Classics (2nd: Klaus Tennstedt, Chicago Symphony Orchestra ESOTERIC SACD/CD Hybrid ESSE-90068 JAPAN)
- 2: Ivan Fischer, Channel Classics (2nd: Rattle, Simon, CBSO Chorus, Janet Baker, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra)
- 3: Barbirolli - BBC, 2nd: Rattle
- 4: Ivan Fischer, Channel Classic (2nd: George Szell, Andrew Davis, Cleveland Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Judith Raskin, et al.)
- 5: Sir John Barbirolli, New Philharmonia Orchestra ESOTERIC SACD/CD Hybrid ESSE-90058 JAPAN
- 6: Sanderling, St Petersburg Philharmonic...exceedingly rare!!! (2nd: Barbirolli, NPO)
- 7: Abbado: Berlin Philharmoniker
- 8: Abbado (DG), 2nd: Tennstedt & London Po (24bit - Japanese Remaster)
- 9: Ivan Fischer, Channel Classics (2nd: Karajan)
10: Mahler, Gustav, Rattle, Simon, EMI CLASSICS
- 1: Ivan Fischer, Channel Classics (2nd: Klaus Tennstedt, Chicago Symphony Orchestra ESOTERIC SACD/CD Hybrid ESSE-90068 JAPAN)
- 2: Ivan Fischer, Channel Classics (2nd: Rattle, Simon, CBSO Chorus, Janet Baker, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra)
- 3: Barbirolli - BBC, 2nd: Rattle
- 4: Ivan Fischer, Channel Classic (2nd: George Szell, Andrew Davis, Cleveland Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Judith Raskin, et al.)
- 5: Sir John Barbirolli, New Philharmonia Orchestra ESOTERIC SACD/CD Hybrid ESSE-90058 JAPAN
- 6: Sanderling, St Petersburg Philharmonic...exceedingly rare!!! (2nd: Barbirolli, NPO)
- 7: Abbado: Berlin Philharmoniker
- 8: Abbado (DG), 2nd: Tennstedt & London Po (24bit - Japanese Remaster)
- 9: Ivan Fischer, Channel Classics (2nd: Karajan)
10: Mahler, Gustav, Rattle, Simon, EMI CLASSICS
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