Mahler-Das Lied

[Petrushka]

Das Lied is one of those pieces that mean a great deal to me so it's not surprising that I have 21 versions on my shelves.

VPO/Bernstein
IPO/Bernstein
BPO/Karajan
RCO/Solti
VPO/Giulini (live 1987)
NYPO/Walter (live 1960)
NYPO/Walter (1960)
NYPO/Walter (1948)
BRSO?Kubelik (live 1970)
RCO/Haitink
BBCSO/Kempe
Cologne RSO/Bertini
Chicago SO/Reiner
VPO/Boulez
CBSO/Rattle
NPO/Klemperer
RCO/Jochum
LPO/Tennstedt
BBCNSO/Leppard
Cleveland/Szell (live 1967)

The one amongst all of these that I am really taken with is the live NYPO/Walter in a performance from 1960. Maureen Forrester and Richard Lewis are the soloists as they are on my other favourite, the Reiner. I'm also intrigued by the 1970 Szell mentioned above as I once had this in on off-air recording and thought highly of it. Alas, it's long gone but if it's available I'd like to have it again.

It always annoys me to see the tenor considered as something of a second class citizen and the contralto taking all the applause and glowing reviews, well deserved as they are. Richard Lewis is simply superb in all of his recordings, the ideal tenor in my view.

[Bryn]

Das Lied is one of those pieces that mean a great deal to me so it's not surprising that I have 21 versions on my shelves.

VPO/Bernstein
IPO/Bernstein
BPO/Karajan
RCO/Solti
VPO/Giulini (live 1987)
NYPO/Walter (live 1960)
NYPO/Walter (1960)
NYPO/Walter (1948)
BRSO?Kubelik (live 1970)
RCO/Haitink
BBCSO/Kempe
Cologne RSO/Bertini
Chicago SO/Reiner
VPO/Boulez
CBSO/Rattle
NPO/Klemperer
RCO/Jochum
LPO/Tennstedt
BBCNSO/Leppard
Cleveland/Szell (live 1967)

The one amongst all of these that I am really taken with is the live NYPO/Walter in a performance from 1960. Maureen Forrester and Richard Lewis are the soloists as they are on my other favourite, the Reiner. I'm also intrigued by the 1970 Szell mentioned above as I once had this in on off-air recording and thought highly of it. Alas, it's long gone but if it's available I'd like to have it again.

It always annoys me to see the tenor considered as something of a second class citizen and the contralto taking all the applause and glowing reviews, well deserved as they are. Richard Lewis is simply superb in all of his recordings, the ideal tenor in my view.

What, no Herreweghe?

[Stephen Smith]

I do admire Herreweghe's work - recordings. I nearly bought that CD in Gramex last week, but I desisted - I thought it wasn't really his territory.

[Bryn]

I do admire Herreweghe's work - recordings. I nearly bought that CD in Gramex last week, but I desisted - I thought it wasn't really his territory.

Oh but it is. The one to avoid is that under Mark Wigglesworth's direction:

[Petrushka]

What, no Herreweghe?

Sorry, Bryn, not for me. I'm not interested in 'arrangements' however distinguished the arranger.

[Bryn]

Sorry, Bryn, not for me. I'm not interested in 'arrangements' however distinguished the arranger.

Your loss in this instance.

[Petrushka]

Your loss in this instance.

Not really.

[Roehre]

Sorry, Bryn, not for me. I'm not interested in 'arrangements' however distinguished the arranger.

And Mahler's own with piano accompaniment, made after completing the draft of the orchestral score (i.e. before the revision process were to begin, and the basis of Walter's performing version as it is universally used now), including changes which haven't made it into the final orchestral version because of Mahler's death?

[Bryn]

Not really.

Yes, really.

[Julien Sorel]

I do admire Herreweghe's work - recordings. I nearly bought that CD in Gramex last week, but I desisted - I thought it wasn't really his territory.

No it's excellent. There are also recordings of Pierrot Lunaire and Weill's Berliner Requiem that are worth hearing if you can find them. The Mahler / Schönberg is a lovely CD.

[Flosshilde]

I've just posted this on the What are you listening to? thread. Inspired by this thread I listened to Das Lied: Going against the trend in I listened to the performance by the BBCSSO with Runnicles & Karen Cargill & Johan Botha, recorded at the Proms in 2008. I wasn't at the Prom, but was at the performance in Glasgo. Karen Cargill was mesmerising, & I thought that it was pretty fine all round.

Alternatives on my shelves are the CBSO with Rattle & Peter Seiffert & Thomas Hampson (I'm not sure that I've listened to that one at all); Haitinck conducting the RCO with Janet Baker & James King; or Klemperer and the Philharmonia/New Philharmonia Orchestras with Luwig & Wunderlich.

[Bryn]

No it's excellent. There are also recordings of Pierrot Lunaire and Weill's Berliner Requiem that are worth hearing if you can find them. The Mahler / Schönberg is a lovely CD.

Indeed, and the Pierrot Lunaire disc also has a very fine performance of Webern's arrangement of his teacher's 1st Chamber Symphony (though it's not mentioned on the front cover artwork).

Both discs are easily found via amazon.co.uk.

[Roehre]

I've just posted this on the What are you listening to? thread. Inspired by this thread I listened to Das Lied: Going against the trend in I listened to the performance by the BBCSSO with Runnicles & Karen Cargill & Johan Botha, recorded at the Proms in 2008. I wasn't at the Prom, but was at the performance in Glasgo. Karen Cargill was mesmerising, & I thought that it was pretty fine all round.
(...)

I am afraid I have to disagree. I would like to hear Cargill again -as her voice is excellently suitable for the LvdE- as soon as she does make clear she does understand the German text she's singing: On the CD she's stressing some syllables in a way which doesn't make sense interpretatively; it makes the text non-sensical, comical even in my ears (and the main reason I prefer Merriman to Baker with the Concertgebouw is Baker's not quite idiomatical pronunciation [where the American Merriman is nearly flawless btw !] )

(IIRC We have discussed this when that BBCMM-CD just was issued, September 2009)

[Flosshilde]

I loved Janet Baker's voice, but I could never quite make out what she was singing.

[Roehre]

I've just posted this on the What are you listening to? thread. Inspired by this thread I listened to Das Lied: Going against the trend in I listened to the performance by the BBCSSO with Runnicles & Karen Cargill & Johan Botha, recorded at the Proms in 2008. I wasn't at the Prom, but was at the performance in Glasgo. Karen Cargill was mesmerising, & I thought that it was pretty fine all round.(...).

I am afraid I have to disagree. I would like to hear Cargill again -as her voice is excellently suitable for the LvdE- as soon as she does make clear she does understand the German text she's singing: On the CD she's stressing some syllables in a way which doesn't make sense interpretatively; it makes the text non-sensical, comical even in my ears (and the main reason I prefer Merriman to Baker with the Concertgebouw is Baker's not quite idiomatical pronunciation [where the American Merriman is nearly flawless btw !] )