New Mahler releases

[Mahlerei]

Makropulos

Yes, I do agree that Bernstein and Tennstedt could get away with their interventions' whereas Rattle generally doesn't. I'd also agree that Jansons is lacklustre in Mahler; there's something very fastidious about his conducting, IMO.

As for recommendable versions of M2 I also thought that was a strange remark. I am intrigued by the Steinberg, and will look out for it. Most recently Nott's Bamberg version has made a very favourable impression, though his other Mahler hasn't.

[amateur51]

What cheesed me off about Seckerson's laying into Rattle was that a) Rattle's been doing that huge slowing down for decades, literally in live performances; and b) Seckerson hasn't taken the opportunity to ask Rattle why he does it, his justification for it. Given that Rattle has been performing the piece for decades and he usually has a good reason for the things that he does, you would have thought that an intelligent journalist with access to the artist would ask why.

Ah maybe I've answered my own question there?

[mathias broucek]

I've just got round to listening to this. Interesting just how good so-called "second division" orchestras sound in Mahler these days.

I found myself wanting to hear most of the performances in full: Oramo sounded excellent and the beauty and character of Zinman and Saraste (respectively) sounded very worthwhile.

However I found aspects of the reviewing irritating. I often feel that reviewers have too little empathy with the consumer. In particular:

1. There was a tendency to showcase the bits the reviewer enjoyed and not play the bits he didn't. Whilst in many ways this makes sense - I wouldn't want to listen to a programme of "lowlights" - a short excerpt highlighting a problem allows punters (that's us, folks) to decide whether they can live with the problem. For example, I really liked what I heard of Herreweghe but am a bit put off by the prospect of a slightly flat soloist. And just how bad is this? One man's "slightly on the flat side of the note" is another's "please turn it off" and yet another's "can't see what the problem is".
2. He completely failed to mention that the Tennstedt 8th comes from one of the concerts used by EMI for their live DVD. He should have 1) made it clear that the performance had been released already and 2) given some guidance on whether I should buy the CD if I have the DVD already.

[BeethovensQuill]

Just wondered if anyone has heard these performances of Mahler's 5th, 6th and 7th http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_...s=mahler+feltz

I am quite tempted to order the CD's from the German amazon as i do enjoy the rawness and energy of the little clips, the strings dont sound the most full blooded though. But if anyone has heard the complete perfomances would like to know what their thoughts were.

[Dave2002]

Jansons may be dear on CD but it's v cheap to download on emusic whose pricing policy is great for those of us who enjoy longish symphonies. (Their bit rates aren't that high but sound is no worse than many Radio 3 broadcasts.)

Thanks for the tip re emusic. You are correct about a few of these long symphony recordings - typically around £2 - either slightly above, or slightly below. Even better if you happen to like the works by Segerstam

The quality, for compressed music, is usually pretty good. Aren't their bit rates up to 320kbps? Can't remember - that might be Spotify, which is Ogg-Vorbis + 300+kbps.
Even so, I think emusic may be 256kbps - mp3 - which if done well should be rather good, and if the CDs are above the bargain level, worth having. On the other hand, I don't normally go for tracks if I can get the CDs for £6 or less, or if I'm only slightly interested in the performance.

[mathias broucek]

Bit rates on emusic vary from 192ish to 252ish.

I only pay 24p per track so the Maazel Brucker cycle cost less than £10 (0-9).

[Alison]

Mathias, yes very good points message 33.

[Cellini]

Rattling around with Edward Seckerson

I suppose some on these boards might just remember me as someone who dislikes Simon Rattle and Edward Seckerson. (Not personally but for their standing in their respective fields).

Well, after Saturday's CD Review on new Mahler releases, that has changed by 50%

I was extremely impressed with ES and A McG's discussion about Mahler, musicians, and recordings.

When I heard the opening section of the new Rattle Mahler 2 I couldn't believe my ears, or my memory. Sure enough, when I looked at the score I could see why that travesty of that recording bore no resemblance to what Mahler wrote and created.

After the first bar (tremolando) there was a pause - a bar or more of silence - and then it continued as an Adagio. This is not what Mahler wrote.

Could I politely suggest that SR reads the score (if indeed he can read music) and then proceeds to perform a reasonable approximation of what is in the score? Or is this too much to ask?

Compared with Rattle's oddity, all the other performances sounded reasonably sane, and some were pretty good.

[Barbirollians]

I do wish that like that Lucerne Resurrection , all these Abbado performances were released on CD as well . I don't have a DVD player set up other than through the TV so the sound would be ropey and I do not really like watching concerts on TV .

[Panjandrum]

Is it music or a therapy session?

Haitink said much the same a few years back in Gramophone: "I don't want to deprive audiences of hearing Mahler Two, but it's getting to be something like an addiction. One of my friends told me recently that he went to hear the Resurrection Symphony and he wept all the way through. What on earth is all this about? Is this still music, or are we going to a kind of psychoanalytic session?" full article here

[silvestrione]

Goodness me, it's natural, isn't it? Are we going to get afraid of tears again? I wept several times in The Kings Speech, for goodness sake, never mind Mahler...

[Panjandrum]

Goodness me, it's natural, isn't it? Are we going to get afraid of tears again? I wept several times in The Kings Speech, for goodness sake, never mind Mahler...

Not a Haitink man eh silvestrione?

[silvestrione]

Well, since you mention it, I did think the comment told us more about Haitink, really, about why his fine performances can seem a little safe and lacking in high voltage (but that is unfair); and perhaps about the problems of remaining fresh and totally involved when performing certain pieces again and again

[amateur51]

Well, since you mention it, I did think the comment told us more about Haitink, really, about why his fine performances can seem a little safe and lacking in high voltage (but that is unfair); and perhaps about the problems of remaining fresh and totally involved when performing certain pieces again and again

If you wear a hat, silvestrione, get the cruet and be prepared to eat your titfer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Injd-_nf8xc

He's in tears around 1:19 and close to the end he leaves the ground, Lennie-style.

'a little safe and lacking in high voltage'?

As that fine critic Jim Royle would doubtless say 'My arse!'

[Panjandrum]

He's in tears around 1:19

Looks more like sweat to me.