BaL 19.03.11 Mahler Symphony no. 10

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Reviewed by Stephen Johnson

Mahler’s 10th symphony is available in a complex array of versions.
The nearest we can be to true authenticity is to hear the Adagio only, but even this appears in varying editions.

The other movements have been completed by
Deryck Cooke, Clinton Carpenter, Joe Wheeler and Rudolph Barshai.

Then there is a recomposed version by Matthew Herbert, which is unlikely to be considered in BAL.

Adagio only:

Cleveland Orchestra; Boulez
Bamberg Symphony Orchestra; Rickenbacher
San Francisco Symphony Orchestra; Tilson Thomas
Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra; Jarvi
London Symphony Orchestra; Gergiev
Vienna Symphony Orchestra; Adler (with “Purgatorio”)
Kremerata Baltica; Kremer (arr. Hans Stadlmer for strings)
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra; Levi
Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Abbado
Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra; Wit
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra; Mitropoulos
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra; Kubelik
*Philadelphia Orchestra; Levine
Concertgebouw Orchestra; Haitink
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra; Bernstein
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra; Maazel
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra; Neumann
Concertgebouw Orchestra; Chailly
Philharmonia Orchestra; Sinopoli
Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra; Tabakov
New York Philharmonic Orchestra; Bernstein
Koln Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester; Bertini


Deryck Cooke version:

Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra; Harding
Philadelphia Orchestra; Ormandy
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra; Rattle
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra; Noseda
Swr Sinfonie orchester Baden-Baden; Gielen
Berlin Symphony Orchestra; Sanderling
London Symphony Orchestra; Goldschmidt
Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra; Chailly
Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra; Inbal
New Philharmonia Orchestra; Wyn Morris

Christopher White (arr. for piano)

Clinton Carpenter version:

Tonhalle Orchestra, Zurich; Zinman
Singapore Symphony Orchestra; Shui
Dallas Symphony Orchestra; Litton

Rudolph Barshai version:

Junge Deutsche Philharmonie; Barshai

Wheeler version:

Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra; Olson

Mazzetti version:

St Louis Symphony Orchestra; Slatkin

Wheeler/Mazzetti version:

Cincinnata Symphony Orchestra; Lopez-Cobos

Matthew Herbert recomposed version:

Philharmonia Orchestra; Sinopoli

[Bryn]

What about Mazzetti's, Wheeler's or Samale & Mazzuca's, all of which performing versions or completions have been recorded at least once? As to the supposed authenticity of performing the Adagio alone, that's nonsense. What's so 'authentic' about presenting a 'bleeding chunk' single movement of a five movement work?

[HighlandDougie]

Apart from the Adagio, I resisted listening to this symphony for years for the pretty feeble reason that it was not echt-Mahler and that it was spurned by Mahler conductors whom I greatly respected (Abbado, Bernstein etc). A chance hearing last year of Mahler arr Cooke made me wonder if I had been missing something so I've been listening to it quite a bit since then. It can never be completely echt-Mahler but if one is prepared to listen to it as a piece of music without worrying too much about its provenance (heresy, I know) it is pretty convincing as a symphony - and, dare one say, a great symphony. I'm as moved by its final movement as that of the 9th. While I'm not sure that I'm ready to move beyond Cooke (the Carpenter sounds, to use a good Scots expression, like a right guddle), the fine recording and the sheer beauty of the VPO's playing has me seduced by the Daniel Harding recording, which I suspect that others will hate (and not just because it's Daniel Harding) as he treats the music as if it were Mahler discovering a new direction, rather than harking back to the pathos of the 9th.

[Bryn]

Harding's, along with the BBC Music Magazine cover disc with the BBCNOW conducted by Wigglesworth, is the Mahler 10 recording I have the greatest regard for. Good for Harding - a great Cooke et al performing version of the sketches for Mahler's 10th, and a fine Samale/Mazzuca/Phillips/Cohrs (2008) completion of Bruckner's 9th (just Google "bruckner 9th harding download", without the quotes) under his cap.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Thanks to Bryn and those who have sent private messages with corrections and additions

[Bryn]

The Wheeler recording I had in mind was this one:

,

while the Mazzetti was that recorded by Slatkin:



which I really cannot find anything good say about (i.e. I did not like it).

Szell recorded both the Adagio and Purgatorio ('live') in the old Krenek et al edition, though neither appear to be currently in print. They can, however, be found via the Internet, and at a price.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

As to the supposed authenticity of performing the Adagio alone, that's nonsense. What's so 'authentic' about presenting a 'bleeding chunk' single movement of a five movement work?

Strictly speaking, the only way to be "authentic" is to play Mahler's score exactly as he left it, which would be disrespectful. However, as he left the Adagio more or less complete, playing this whole movement (hardly a bleeding chunk) is more authentic than presenting any other version. Having said that, I applaud the attempts by Cooke and others to help us to appreciate the rest of Mahler's vision.

I've added Slatkin to the list as it's still obtainable online.

[Alison]

Who's the reviewer ?

Not Secko please !

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Who's the reviewer ?

Not Secko please !

Stephen Johnson

[french frank]

Who's the reviewer ?

Not Secko please !

No - you'll be pleased to hear it's Stephen Johnson!

Edit: you wait an hour and a half for an answer and two come along at the same time ....

[Bryn]

The discs of the Samale & Mazzuca performing version are ridiculously expensive, but you can get some idea from this series of YouTube postings. Unfortunately the first and fifth movements are divided into two sections each, and the edit points are rather untidy. They data rate of the aac audio appears to be at around 112kbps.:

Movements

1a = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JPe6...yer_detailpage
1b = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JPe6...yer_detailpage
2 = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anrdR...yer_detailpage
3 = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNwam...yer_detailpage
4 = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SXl1...yer_detailpage
5a = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daV2g...yer_detailpage
5b = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osp59...yer_detailpage

[Barbirollians]

EA - you have left out the Bournemouth SO/Rattle.

[BBMmk2]

I love this work. I dont care if it not 'pure' Mahler. As far as I am concerned, it is. There are some very good advocates for this work, of which I have the BPO/Rattle reocrding. I am not so taken with(my nnamesake, as it happens), Joe Wheeler. It just just doesnt flow as the Derycke Cooke version does.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

EA - you have left out the Bournemouth SO/Rattle.

As far as I'm aware this one isn't available at present.

[Bryn]

As far as I'm aware this one isn't available at present.

Indeed not. Something of a suprise, that. Not on CFP any more and not even on HMV Classics, it would appear. It can, however, be purchased as a download (at a somewhat inflated price where amazon.co.uk is concerned), from various vendors, so I think it might just get a mention in passing.