Mahler 7

[Barbirollians]

Bernstein on DG and Barbirolli on BBC Legends are my favourites.

[silvestrione]

Simon Rattle gave a tremendous Prom performance with the CBSO in 1989 and I asked him afterwards when they were recording it. He told me they were taking it into the studio the next day. Nothing ever appeared and it wasn't until after the live Aldburgh disc came out that I learnt that Rattle hadn't been satisfied with the studio account. There is, or should be, an unissued CBSO/Rattle recording in the EMI vaults though considering the current EMI/Warner situation it's anybody's guess what will happen to it.

Yes, I have an off-air recording of that Proms Rattle performance, and it's my favourite by a long way...the last movement crazed, scatty, and exhilarating!

7th also my introduction to Mahler: as a youngster I heard Rudolf Schwarz conduct the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra do it, in pre-Silvestri days...seemed to go on forever, had no idea what it was all about! Might have been one of the first Mahler performances in Bournemouth; not sure the rest of the audience got on with it any better than me!

[Nick Armstrong]

Can anyone with the Testament and Haenssler Gielen M7's comment on them in comparison with one another please? I have the rather expensive Haenssler box but wondered if the BPO take added something fresh?

Interesting question. I've never heard the Haenssler version... Presumably a studio recording? (In which case the live frisson and applause at the end are answers to your question). I wonder what the cheapest way might be to acquire it. Work presently precludes a detailed search!

[Petrushka]

I've always been surprised that Haitink's 1969 Philips recording has never had a separate CD issue when all of his Concertgebouw cycle has had one. True, he re-recorded it in 1982 (and again with the BPO in 1992) but this 1969 version is better than either. I only have it on LP, alas, so would greatly appreciate a CD issue. A live 1969 performance appeared on one of the Concertgebouw Anthology sets but the 1987 Christmas Day one is the one for Haitink fans to have.

[Nick Armstrong]

I have the Gielen disc on my wish list and your comments are making it hard to resist clicking on the 'add to basket' option. May have to wait a bit, unfortunately.

So am I and I think his Mahler 7 was the first I heard. I got the Gielen off-air from a German broadcast before it appeared on Testament, a performance I'm not surprised at all has been released commercially. It is really rather good, and I ought to upgrade to the CD for the improved sound quality

I cannot stop listening to this Testament CD of Gielen and the BPO... On my hifi at any rate, it just 'works' - it's one of the most vivid, involving, captivating recordings I own! The presence of the percussion, lower winds and bass strings: wonderful ! Yes PJPJ, unless your off-air is miraculous, you need to upgrade. Seriously.

Allied to a magnificent performance... Well, it's my CD of the year so far.

Don't hesitate further, would be my advice!

Can anyone with the Testament and Haenssler Gielen M7's comment on them in comparison with one another please? I have the rather expensive Haenssler box but wondered if the BPO take added something fresh?

As I mentioned above, I haven't heard the Haenssler - but I can't believe it's up to the standard of this live one. Just do it - you'll thank me! (I hope! )

[remdataram]

I cannot stop listening to this Testament CD of Gielen and the BPO... On my hifi at any rate, it just 'works' - it's one of the most vivid, involving, captivating recordings I own! The presence of the percussion, lower winds and bass strings: wonderful ! Yes PJPJ, unless your off-air is miraculous, you need to upgrade. Seriously.

Allied to a magnificent performance... Well, it's my CD of the year so far.

Don't hesitate further, would be my advice!




As I mentioned above, I haven't heard the Haenssler - but I can't believe it's up to the standard of this live one. Just do it - you'll thank me! (I hope! )

Praise I can't ignore, now on order! Thank you Caliban.

[BBMmk2]

I have put this recording of M7, on my wish list, that is the Testament/BPO/Gielen

[Nick Armstrong]

Praise I can't ignore, now on order! Thank you Caliban.

Sorry to cost you money! Do report back! (Hope you're still thanking me... )

It's made me think how certain recordings 'work' on a particular hifi set-up and some don't. I've got Naim (5 series) boxes wired up to 20+ year old Cabasse speakers, it's quite an open, 'dry' sound (being a brass player of yore, I like lots of detail, rasps, keys rattling etc) - some recordings are electrifying (most Chandos orchestral recordings) and this Testament. Others don't seem to take off at all (that other Mahler 7, now returned, the Oehms SA-CD, was all compressed and uninvolving - would that have been due to playing an SA-CD on a CD player? - whereas it sounded fine on the little DAB radio when hearing CD Review). Just hope my own hifi set-up isn't skewing my judgment too much.

Look forward to news, remdataram !

[Roehre]

I've always been surprised that Haitink's 1969 Philips recording has never had a separate CD issue when all of his Concertgebouw cycle has had one. True, he re-recorded it in 1982 (and again with the BPO in 1992) but this 1969 version is better than either. I only have it on LP, alas, so would greatly appreciate a CD issue. A live 1969 performance appeared on one of the Concertgebouw Anthology sets but the 1987 Christmas Day one is the one for Haitink fans to have.

I am still very fond of the Kubelik/BRSO on DGG. That's the recording with which I started to know the work from october 1974 onwards.

Shortly afterwards I bought the Haitink 1969 Philips set, which to the present IMO is unsurpassed.

That doesn't mean that that performance is unsurpassed: Haitink's 1987 Christmas -which I attended- does, as well as another performance at the Concertgebouw I attended, Rattle/VPO May 11th 1995 during the Mahler Festival.
The latter has been recorded by Dutch Radio 4, but AFAIK was never released commercially (though Radio Nederland Wereldomroep seems to have released CDs for broadcasting organisations all over the world)

I must admit that these performances come close to a satisfying finale - but I never have heard a for me really satisfying performance or recording of that movement.

Nevertheless: 7 is my favourite Mahler symphony (together with LvdE, 9 and 10)

[richardfinegold]

Sorry to cost you money! Do report back! (Hope you're still thanking me... )

It's made me think how certain recordings 'work' on a particular hifi set-up and some don't. I've got Naim (5 series) boxes wired up to 20+ year old Cabasse speakers, it's quite an open, 'dry' sound (being a brass player of yore, I like lots of detail, rasps, keys rattling etc) - some recordings are electrifying (most Chandos orchestral recordings) and this Testament. Others don't seem to take off at all (that other Mahler 7, now returned, the Oehms SA-CD, was all compressed and uninvolving - would that have been due to playing an SA-CD on a CD player? - whereas it sounded fine on the little DAB radio when hearing CD Review). Just hope my own hifi set-up isn't skewing my judgment too much.

Look forward to news, remdataram !

SACD recordings have two layers, a CD layer and SACD. The two may be remastered differently.
Not all SACD recordings are superior to the CD layer. Hyperion is one label in particular that couldn't seem to get the SACD technology right; the few SACDs
that I purchased on that layer were always bested by the CD layer (most SACD players can be programmed to play either layer).

[Nick Armstrong]

I am still very fond of the Kubelik/BRSO on DGG.

Yes - I bought that purple LP in the late 70s (I only ever owned about 20 LPs, as travelling made cassettes more appropriate and then the advent of CD changed everything).

[Karafan]

I cannot stop listening to this Testament CD of Gielen and the BPO... On my hifi at any rate, it just 'works' - it's one of the most vivid, involving, captivating recordings I own! The presence of the percussion, lower winds and bass strings: wonderful ! Yes PJPJ, unless your off-air is miraculous, you need to upgrade. Seriously.

Allied to a magnificent performance... Well, it's my CD of the year so far.

Don't hesitate further, would be my advice!




As I mentioned above, I haven't heard the Haenssler - but I can't believe it's up to the standard of this live one. Just do it - you'll thank me! (I hope! )

You're very tempting, Cali! And I feel myself weakening!

[Karafan]

Bought it now. Wicked man!

[Nick Armstrong]

Bought it now. Wicked man!

Be-hind youuuu....

[Petrushka]

I've capitulated as well!

I don't suppose that Amazon's asking price of £10.66 will break the bank but what with multiple Prom visits, August is always destructive on the bank balance. Ah well, it's only money and doing no good in the vaults of Lloyds TSB.

Memo to FF: We need a white flag emoticon!