Wondering why some cycles remain unfinished?

[Conchis]

But in fact she did complete the recorded cycle, quite recently if I'm not mistaken.

Others with incomplete Mahler cycles are Kondrashin and Sinopoli. I guess the latter would have finished his if he had lived, and that Kondrashin wasn't in a position to do the big choral ones, which is a shame because the symphonies he did record are quite jaw-dropping.

Sinopoli's Mahler cycle is complete (including the song cycles and the Adagio from 10) and its my personal favourite.

He didn't complete his Bruckner cycle, though, if memory serves.

[edashtav]

Stan wrote: I agree that it's crying shame that Haitink never recorded Mahler 8 & 9 with the Berliner Philharmoniker.
I thought that Haitink had always refused to conduct Mahler's 8th Symphony.

[jayne lee wilson]

I'm not sure if Neemi Jarvi's DSCH symphony cycle was completed. What was strange was that the later symphonies were recorded with his Gothenburg Orchestra instead of the (R)SNO. Obviously, there would be some behind the scenes jiggery pokery.

Also, Hilary Hahn's debut disc was of unaccompanied Bach only consisted of three of the six works. I did ask her once if she intended to complete her cycle but she replied 'I prefer to have Bach in front of me than behind'. Maybe one day...

As RB implied....

https://www.qobuz.com/gb-en/album/bach-violin-sonatas-nos-1-2-partita-no-1-hilary-hahn/vh39m4m47ucgc

Haitink of course recorded the Mahler 8 wth the RCOA, and performed it live there as well.

[Conchis]

Stan wrote: I agree that it's crying shame that Haitink never recorded Mahler 8 & 9 with the Berliner Philharmoniker.
I thought that Haitink had always refused to conduct Mahler's 8th Symphony.

He recorded it for his Phillips cycle, in the early 70s, but I have a feeling that was under duress. His dislike of the work is well-known and that 8th is widely considered the weakest of Haitink's Mahler recordings. Simply put, he doesn't believe in it, in the same way that Karajan didn't believe in Bruckner 6.

[edashtav]

He recorded it for his Phillips cycle, in the early 70s, but I have a feeling that was under duress. His dislike of the work is well-known and that 8th is widely considered the weakest of Haitink's Mahler recordings. Simply put, he doesn't believe in it, in the same way that Karajan didn't believe in Bruckner 6.

Yes, Jens F Laurson in a comparative review of recirdings of the Eighth has written:
While I’m dissing famous recordings, let’s add to this list of failures Bernard Haitink, Philips/Decca/Pentatone (who knew why he recorded this work, which he disliked, only once) and Pierre Boulez, DG (who was also reluctant to add the Eighth, but did it, like Haitink, to complete his cycle which, this dud apart, is one of the best).
Completism can be a used to beat a conductor.

[Conchis]

Yes, Jens F Laurson in a comparative review of recirdings of the Eighth has written:
While I’m dissing famous recordings, let’s add to this list of failures Bernard Haitink, Philips/Decca/Pentatone (who knew why he recorded this work, which he disliked, only once) and Pierre Boulez, DG (who was also reluctant to add the Eighth, but did it, like Haitink, to complete his cycle which, this dud apart, is one of the best).
Completism can be a used to beat a conductor.

I'd have liked to have seen an A&R man try to persuade Klemperer to record symphonies he didn't rate, just so EMI could market 'complete' cycles. I'm not sure whether Klemperer was mad keen to record Bruckner 8, but he was totally uncompromising about observing a massive cut in the Adagio ('this is where the composer over-reached himself') despite protests from Suvi Raj Grubb that this would make the recording 'uncompetitive'. 'Then, find another conductor', huffed O.K. The session proceeded, with the cut.

[sidneyfox]

Although I read the Richard Osborne book on Karajan, it was quite a few years ago now and I can't remember what was said about Karajan never recording Sibelius' third symphony in C major Op.52. I'm sad that there is no recording.

[jayne lee wilson]

He recorded it for his Phillips cycle, in the early 70s, but I have a feeling that was under duress. His dislike of the work is well-known and that 8th is widely considered the weakest of Haitink's Mahler recordings. Simply put, he doesn't believe in it, in the same way that Karajan didn't believe in Bruckner 6.

When the Karajan Bruckner 6th appeared in 11/80, there were perhaps only two wholly recommendable recordings of it extant - CSO/Barenboim and the classic Kingsway Hall Philharmonia/Klemperer. We may hear Haitink's in a different, better light now. The musical world was still coming to terms with Bruckner and most conductors still made a beeline for 4 and 7-9, occasionally 5.
For fairly obvious reasons, the 6th is indeed a difficult piece to get right (Like Sibelius 3!), it doesn't have the same concert hall impact as the more familiar works, and it wasn't only Karajan who struggled a bit with it. Having said that, his recording gives far more pleasure than discontent.

[pastoralguy]

Also, Hilary Hahn's debut disc was of unaccompanied Bach only consisted of three of the six works. I did ask her once if she intended to complete her cycle but she replied 'I prefer to have Bach in front of me than behind'. Maybe one day...

I made this post before Ms. Hahn's 'completion' was announced. I was a little disappointed that she didn't re-record the earlier works since her view MUST have changed since that debut disc. Either way, it's superb musicianship and fiddle playing.

[richardfinegold]

[QUOTE=Barbirollians;641659]Bruno Walter of course also shied away from Mahler 6 .

QUOTE]

As did Klemperer
The most frustrating aborted cycle for me was Hogwood/AAM Haydn

[mathias broucek]

According to Norman Lebrecht, the final installments of Haitink's BPO Mahler cycle were cancelled when economic reality caught up with the recording industry....

[cloughie]

Sinopoli's Mahler cycle is complete (including the song cycles and the Adagio from 10) and its my personal favourite.

He didn't complete his Bruckner cycle, though, if memory serves.

I think his untimely death intervened!

[Barbirollians]

I don't think that the Boulez Bruckner 8 is a dud - I found it fascinating.

[Bryn]

I don't think that the Boulez Bruckner 8 is a dud - I found it fascinating.

Indeed, though somewhat strangely he opted for the Haas kludge, rather than one of the composer's own versions, as edited by Nowak.

[Richard Barrett]

Completism can be a used to beat a conductor.

I don't know how it escaped my notice that Sinopoli's Mahler symphonies were completed. That means there must be more than one that I haven't heard, and I should really put that right. I always find it a bit difficult to get my head round when someone (like a conductor) who has immersed themselves thoroughly in some particular music will then say there are certain elements of it that they don't want to go near. Or, to put it another way, I find it hard to understand someone being deeply involved with Mahler's work but excluding his 8th, which surely embodies more than one of Mahler's characteristic musical/philosophical concerns in a highly intense way. And actually, somehow Boulez brings out of it many things I hadn't taken much notice of before. On the other hand I've never really understood all the fuss about Klemperer.