Worst CD of 2010?

[Cellini]

Cellini,
don't write off Janine J, she is a bit eccentric to watch but she can really play. Her first CD of encores contains some superb playing and I've heard her live 3 times now and all have been very good indeed.

Not totally convinced by JJ's Beethoven/Britten. Hilary Hahn is much better in the Beethoven and yes, her Schoenberg really works, shame about the Sibelius.

Mike

I never mind watching Miss Jansens as she's so gorgous - but I really don't like her playing - and I've never heard anything remotely good yet, but maybe I've been unlucky.

CD's don't convince me. You have to hear them live.

[Biffo]

I'm with Petrushka and the others, Norrington's dessicated, loveless Mahler 9 was an absolute shocker. How come no one esle has managed to 'release' a performance like it? Certainly not Bruno Walter who may have known a few things about Mahler and performance practice in the early 20th century.

[Bryn]

I'm with Petrushka and the others, Norrington's dessicated, loveless Mahler 9 was an absolute shocker. How come no one esle has managed to 'release' a performance like it? Certainly not Bruno Walter who may have known a few things about Mahler and performance practice in the early 20th century.

None so deaf as them as will not hear. Easily the finest Mahler 9th in disc.

[Roehre]

Easily the finest Mahler 9th in disc.

whether it is the finest? But an admirable, exciting and fine performance it certainly is IMO.

[Bryn]

O.K., maybe of the finest. I do have plenty of time for Abbado, Walter (1938) et al. The "in" was also a typo. I intended "on".

[Barbirollians]

I am waiting for all the disgusted listeners to hand theirs in to second hand dealers so I can listen to it cheaply !

[Bryn]

I'm with Petrushka and the others, Norrington's dessicated, loveless Mahler 9 was an absolute shocker. How come no one esle has managed to 'release' a performance like it? Certainly not Bruno Walter who may have known a few things about Mahler and performance practice in the early 20th century.

He may indeed, though the composer, regrettably, never got to conduct it, so there was no performance tradition to follow. However, if you actually listen to Walter's 1938 you will hear much in common with those conducted by Roger Norrington. However, you do have to actually listen, rather than rely on received prejudice. For me, Norrington and the Stuttgarters achieve a desolation in the final bars which other simply fail to do more than approach.

[Biffo]

Walter is as close to a performance tradition that you are going to get. He worked with Mahler and heard him conduct. He learnt his conducting in the same tradition as Mahler. He knew what the orchestras of the day sounded like and how to use vibrato, portamento etc. I own the 1938 recording of No 9 and find no similarity with Norrington's effort. Norrington left me desolate but not for the right reasons.

[Parry1912]

I am waiting for all the disgusted listeners to hand theirs in to second hand dealers so I can listen to it cheaply !

Listen to it on Spotify. That way you won't have to waste any money on it!

Actually I didn't think it too bad at first. Some of the eerier passages in the first movement were quite effective with the vibrato-less strings and it's certainly well played and recorded. The middle movements seemed a bit bland but I hated the last movement!

Really, someone needs to tell Sir Rog what 'molto adagio', 'sehr langsam', 'mit inniger Empfindung' and 'molto espress.' mean. The score of the fourth movement is littered with similar indications but I don't hear any of them in his performance. What we get is a glib allegretto.