BaL 3.03.18 - Mahler: Symphony no. 7

[HighlandDougie]

Does anybody remember the late 60s/early 70s when there was only one recording of Mahler 7 available? (I believe that the same was true of Mahlers 3 and 6 although I may be wrong). Apologies if I have missed this performance in previous posts but it was by the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra and on one of the smaller labels (Saga?) It was something of a cult among horn players in the Manchester area as it appeared to be a live performance and the 1st horn (from the rest of the recording obviously a superb player) managed to split three notes in a row at the start of the 2nd movement. I remember one of the Halle horns at the time saying that, if he had a bad show, he went home, put that record on and felt much better.

Until Bernstein and the NYPO and Abravanel and the Utah SO in 1965/66, there were two recordings available: Scherchen and the Vienna State Opera Orchestra (recorded in 1953) and Hans Rosbaud and the Berlin RIAS Orchestra, released by Saga in the UK in 1961 in a two-disc box (XID 5106/7 - it was coupled with a recording of the Kindertotenlieder: Lorrie Lail/Rolf Kleinert). It was recorded c.1952.

As OW4 says above, the orchestral playing is pretty rough, especially from the brass and the recording is technically decidedly inferior to Scherchen but, when Westminster/Whitehall LPs (the Scherchen) ceased to be available in about 1963, it was the only recording available in the UK until Bernstein came along in 1966. Bernard Jacobson, the critic in High Fidelity who reviewed the Bernstein said of the Rosbaud, "I cannot understand how it ever came to be released. Rosbaud was one of the greatest conductors it has been my privilege to hear, but the performance he permits the orchestra to get away with in this work is an excruciating mess, and the recording lacks any positive virtue to make up for its total lack of dynamic contrast". I still have the Saga LPs but must confess that it's been a very long time since I listened to them. There is a much better played and rather better recorded performance by Rosbaud with the Südwestfunk Orchestra of a 1957 performance which is/was available on Wergo.

[BBMmk2]

I certainly remember when Wyn Morris's cycle came oput. I wonder how that would fair today?

[Barbirollians]

His Lied von der Erde without hesitation (with Klaus König and Agnes Baltsa who inhabit their "roles" completely IMO).

Thank you for this recommendation. I took a while to become used to Baltsa in this in the earlier songs rather than in the Abschied perhaps surprisingly but Konig is in his very best form and I have warmed to her now .

What I agree with entirely is that the LPO/Tennstedt are simply outstanding - such colour , tenderness and magic in the orchestral playing and direction.

[Alison]

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2022/Dec/Mahler-sy7-survey-LD.pdf

Lengthy article for the Christmas holidays :-)

[Petrushka]

http://www.musicweb-international.co...-survey-LD.pdf

Lengthy article for the Christmas holidays :-)

Do you still play the Mahler 7 on the last Sunday before Christmas, Alison? If so, who is this year's choice?

[cloughie]

http://www.musicweb-international.co...-survey-LD.pdf

Lengthy article for the Christmas holidays :-)

All the recordings you ever wanted and then some more Alison!

[Alison]

Do you still play the Mahler 7 on the last Sunday before Christmas, Alison? If so, who is this year's choice?

Oh yes, I like little traditions such as this.

Inspired mainly by this timely article I’m
going with Klaus Tennstedt’s last and live recording with LPO.

[jayne lee wilson]

Oh yes, I like little traditions such as this.

Inspired mainly by this timely article I’m
going with Klaus Tennstedt’s last and live recording with LPO.

Did you ever dare to go with the Klemperer on this sacred day?

[Petrushka]

Oh yes, I like little traditions such as this.

Inspired mainly by this timely article I’m
going with Klaus Tennstedt’s last and live recording with LPO.

I have that though, alas, I wasn't there.

[Petrushka]

Did you ever dare to go with the Klemperer on this sacred day?

The Klemperer isn't one to take off the shelves every day but I like it much more than I was led to believe I would. On its own terms it works for me and I'm glad to hear it from time to time.

[silvestrione]

http://www.musicweb-international.co...-survey-LD.pdf

Lengthy article for the Christmas holidays :-)

Seems to imply that the Rattle/VPO 7 from an Amsterdam Mahler festival, which I heard on R3 years ago, is available digitally, but I can't quite work out where.

[Bryn]

Not (yet?) available other than on Youtube, as far as I know, but:

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bcPgiW9Xdw)

[Alison]

Did you ever dare to go with the Klemperer on this sacred day?

Actually I haven’t. As Petrushka has noted, you are led to believe this isn’t much cop.

I will address this as a matter of urgency!

[smittims]

Klemperer's Mahler 7 is a favourite of mine, but then , so is almost every Klemperer recording. And he did see Mahler conduct the work, though I don't suppose the two performances had much in common. .

[Serial_Apologist]

Klemperer's Mahler 7 is a favourite of mine, but then , so is almost every Klemperer recording. And he did see Mahler conduct the work, though I don't suppose the two performances had much in common. .

I don't suppose there are any even primitive quality recordings by Mahler to go by... which leads me OT to wonder when the first-ever recording of an orchestra was actually made...