Mahler recommendations ! ?

[eStatic]

I'm not a big Mahler fan but the Telarc CD-80082 of symphony #2, Leonard Slatkin / St. Louis Symphony Orchestra & Chorus is IHMO an excellent recording of a real knockout of a performance (I'm still reeling). Anybody care to recommend a recording of Mahler's Sym #1 ?

eStatic

[DCE1198]

Hello,

Leonard Slatkin / St. Louis Symphony also made a very nice recording of #1 for Telarc.

Dan

[johnferrier]

If Slatkin is working for you, perhaps you should stick with him (as Dan suggests). I like some of Slatkin's performances, too. However, I'm a fan of Pierre Boulez. So, I'd try the following:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...ce&s=classical

I don't think I've heard it. Amazon reviewers liked it a lot. Like you, I'm not a big Mahler fan either, but I continue to listen to him (thinking perhaps his works are an aquired taste). Since you wrote highly of Mahler's Symphony #2, I'm make a point of giving it a try.

I will say that I think that, in general, Boulez is not an aquired taste. People either like what he does or they don't. His performances are direct, without inflecting much emotion. I've read that when he took over (from Leonard Bernstein) as the Orchestal Director at NY Phil. Harmonic, a woman complained, "He only wants us to play the notes...and to play them on time." And that is how his music strikes me: precisely arranged musical notes that speak for themselves without additional spin. Bernstein and Boulez are opposites. Boulez is a master of modern orchestral music.


JF

[eStatic]

Thanks for the recommendations. I think I'll go for the Slatkin--I'm the mushy type.

johnferrier, I have no problem with Boulez. I was surprised when the NY philharmonic chose him for the reasons you cite. Plus his taste in music. Personally I don't believe there is "a correct" interpretation of any composition. Not to say I haven't heard bad ones. IMO A great composition is like a beautiful gem. You can keep turning it over under different lights and always see something new and important in it.

I'm not going to quibble with this: "Boulez is a master of modern orchestral music." At least not unless I can get you to expand a bit on what you intend to express by the phrase "...modern orchestral music." It's a very interesting topic to me.

BTW is there a composition by Boulez that you would be particularly inclined to recommend?

Again thanks

eStatic

[johnferrier]

Originally posted by eStatic
I'm not going to quibble with this: "Boulez is a master of modern orchestral music." At least not unless I can get you to expand a bit on what you intend to express by the phrase "...modern orchestral music." It's a very interesting topic to me.

BTW is there a composition by Boulez that you would be particularly inclined to recommend?

Again thanks

eStatic

Not sure if my terminology is proper. I like to use the phrase "modern orchestral music" rather than "modern classical music". And I have in mind works of music composed since about 1900. Composer include: Schoenberg, Berg, Ravel, Debussy, Werbern, Boulez, Sarriaho (to add a contemporary women composer)... Okay, these are all kind of the new sound people. Certainly there are the more traditional sounding composers during this same period: Hansen, Piston, Diamond... So, perhaps I should write: "new sounding modern orchestra music". Oh, it's too complicated...

Originally posted by eStatic
BTW is there a composition by Boulez that you would be particularly inclined to recommend?

Boulez (as composer/conductor): Pli selon Pli (Portrait de Mallarme). He has recorded this three times. Currently, I prefer his latest recording (2002); I still listen to all of them.

Boulez (as conductor): Ameriques (by Edgard Varese) Recorded at least twice (2001 being the latest and greatest).

Boulez (as performed): Rituel in memoriam Maderna (David Robertson conductor); and Douze Notation for piano (Pi-Hsien Chen pianist).

And I recommend listening first. Boulez has a singular style.

One more thing interesting about his NY post. He held the NY post while at the same he also held a post with the London Philharmonic. (He accepted NY just after accepting London.) He also composed during the same period.


JF

[eStatic]

Originally posted by johnferrier


... So, perhaps I should write: "new sounding modern orchestra music". Oh, it's too complicated...
JF

No no, I like that. Certainly fits Varese.

Thanks for the recommendations. Think I'll go for the first two. Ain't had no Varese in ma collection since ma vinyl went the way of aaaall flesh--before a lota folks here was even born.

eStatic

[benchit]

The first is terrific, though I'm not familiar with that recording. A person looking into Mahler might try the third; there's this old Nonesuch HB-73023. LSO, Horenstein. Vinyl, though.

[gpapag]

Quote:
"Anybody care to recommend a recording of Mahler's Sym #1 ?"

eStatic


It may be a bit difficult to find it but it worths the trouble.
Mahler's Sym #1, Dimitri Mitropoulos conducting Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra
I have it in a CD ("Arkadia # 78583, recording Nov 4, 1940)

Mitropoulos tried hard in passing Mahler's work to the US public. He had the opinion that it was his duty to offer the pontium to the less known and "difficult" composers-Mahler was one of them-In fact he offered his carreer to this "mission". Some say that Mitropoulos was not conducting, rather he was guiding his musicians to an interpretation of a musical work.

Regards
George

[johnferrier]

Arkivmusic is interesting website for seeing what recordings are available for orchestral music. There are several ways to browse.
http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/main.jsp

Here are three CDs of Dimitri Mitropoulos' Mahler #1.
http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/...91&name_role=3


JF

[benchit]

By the way, in general terms, don't forget Penguins. It used to be the Stereo Record Guide; now they've added CDs, etc. You can find decent recorded performances of many, many works just by browsing that book.