Nott's Mahler 6 & 8

[Nachtigall]

Finished listening to the Chailly Blu-ray disc. Astonishing power, dynamic range and orchestral detail in the recording: I had to text my neighbour to ensure he wasn't being too inconvenienced by the sound. Back came the reply, "No problem!"

Phew! What a performance! The sheer driving relentlessness of the final movement had me on my feet at times. Can't recommend this highly enough. I think there's a story of Mahler pacing up and down after the first performance of the Sixth, wringing his hands and weeping. This performance makes you understand why.

[Petrushka]

Get a Blu ray player Pet.

It's not that long since I bought a new DVD recorder mostly for recording off air and, to be honest, I don't usually purchase enough discs to make further expenditure worthwhile but your comments and those from elsewhere are beginning to make me reconsider.

[Flosshilde]

Astonishing ... dynamic range

I really don't want to blast my neighbour (nor my eardrums) with the loud bits so that I can hear the quiet bits. Listening at home is not the same as listening in the concert hall.

[Nachtigall]

I really don't want to blast my neighbour (nor my eardrums) with the loud bits so that I can hear the quiet bits. Listening at home is not the same as listening in the concert hall.

Rather a sour remark, if I may say so.

[Nachtigall]

Nah - Barbirolli is the man for this symphony !

Barbirollians, you will, I imagine, admit to the merest hint of prejudice.

I have 17 recordings of Mahler 6 on CD and assumed I had the Barbirolli, but no. However, I have unearthed the Barbirolli recording with the New Philharmonia on LP, a Classics for Pleasure release.

If I were to purchase a CD replacement which recording would you recommend: the EMI with the NPO or the Testament with the BPO?

[Petrushka]

Barbirollians, you will, I imagine, admit to the merest hint of prejudice.

I have 17 recordings of Mahler 6 on CD and assumed I had the Barbirolli, but no. However, I have unearthed the Barbirolli recording with the New Philharmonia on LP, a Classics for Pleasure release.

If I were to purchase a CD replacement which recording would you recommend: the EMI with the NPO or the Testament with the BPO?

I hope Barbirollians doesn't mind if I answer your question. Don't go for either of them! My opinion is that the one JB to go for is the live Prom performance of August 16 1967 with the New Philharmonia also on Testament. JB was persuaded to choose the middle movement order of Scherzo/Andante for the commercial release but for the Prom he does what he wanted to do, A/S.

[LeMartinPecheur]

I hope Barbirollians doesn't mind if I answer your question. Don't go for either of them! My opinion is that the one JB to go for is the live Prom performance of August 16 1967 with the New Philharmonia also on Testament. JB was persuaded to choose the middle movement order of Scherzo/Andante for the commercial release but for the Prom he does what he wanted to do, A/S.

I have a Hunt Productions CD of a Barbirolli M6 with the BPO dated 13/1/66. The order is A/S again, so if this is the BPO performance to which you refer, presumably you don't dismiss it on grounds of mov't-order. Is the Prom performance just better?

[Petrushka]

I have a Hunt Productions CD of a Barbirolli M6 with the BPO dated 13/1/66. The order is A/S again, so if this is the BPO performance to which you refer, presumably you don't dismiss it on grounds of mov't-order. Is the Prom performance just better?

Goodness no, don't dismiss the BPO one at all. That is indeed the one on Testament referred to by Nachtigall. To be honest, I've not heard either of the BPO or NPO live performances for some time but it may just tip the scales a bit to say that the BPO one is in mono and the NPO one is in stereo. You pays your money...

[Alison]

I only know the New Philharmonia one(cfp) which I would say is easily outclassed by the new Nott account. I do urge Pet to acquire the new disc.

[Barbirollians]

I only know the New Philharmonia one(cfp) which I would say is easily outclassed by the new Nott account. I do urge Pet to acquire the new disc.

I love the studio account but the live Testament does have an extra edge and is probably more acceptable to those that struggle with his tempi . I cannot imagine anything outclassing them. It is all a matter of taste in this symphony . Richard Osborne savaged the Tennstedt in Gramophone did he not ?

[LaurieWatt]

I love the studio account but the live Testament does have an extra edge and is probably more acceptable to those that struggle with his tempi . I cannot imagine anything outclassing them. It is all a matter of taste in this symphony . Richard Osborne savaged the Tennstedt in Gramophone did he not ?

He might well have done although I don't recall if he did that with the live Prom one recently issued on the LPO label. He has always appears to have hated Tennstedt's way with the 6th (and maybe with the rest of his Mahler) and he had savaged KT's first EMI recording! I took him to task at the time in a letter to the Gramophone (which they published) for the rather absolute statement that KT had got it 'wrong'!

[amateur51]

He might well have done although I don't recall if he did that with the live Prom one recently issued on the LPO label. He has always appears to have hated Tennstedt's way with the 6th (and maybe with the rest of his Mahler) and he had savaged KT's first EMI recording! I took him to task at the time in a letter to the Gramophone (which they published) for the rather absolute statement that KT had got it 'wrong'!

RO, the would-be Roger Scruton of Gramophone

Heresy in these parts, I realise.

Not my favourite critic.

Either of them

[Bryn]

I only know the New Philharmonia one(cfp) which I would say is easily outclassed by the new Nott account. I do urge Pet to acquire the new disc.

To be fair, that studio recording is pretty widely regarded as one of the worst ever conducted by Glorious John.

[Bryn]

OT, I know, but does anyone here have an opinion to offer on the RCO 'live' issue of Mahler's 8th under the Jansons baton? Is the complementary blu-ray of the whole performance?

[LeMartinPecheur]

To be fair, that studio recording is pretty widely regarded as one of the worst ever conducted by Glorious John.

Not here it isn't!

It may well be hideously wrong, eg in tempo for the first mov't but it's one of the few recorded performances of anything that remains in my head when listening to another perf. And not in a bad, 'model of how not to do it', way either.