BaL 20.05.23 - Mahler: Rückert-Lieder

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

10.30 am
Building a Library: Flora Willson chooses her favourite recording of Mahler’s Rückert-Lieder.

Mahler orchestrated four of the songs he wrote to texts by the German poet Friedrich Ruckert, and a fifth was orchestrated after his death. The five songs conjure up a world of yearning, loss and melancholy. But these deep emotions are anything but depressing for the listener; Mahler’s music is like a balm to the soul and full of comfort, quiet resignation and even hope.


A selection of versions:-


Dame Janet Baker, New Philharmonia Orchestra, Sir John Barbirolli

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Daniel Barenboim *

Elina Garanca, Wiener Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann

Christian Gerhaher, Gerold Huber

Annette Gutjahr, Matthias Veit *

(Max Lembeck (baritone), Andreas Ruppert)

Siegfried Lorenz, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Günther Herbig

Christa Ludwig, Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Klemperer *

Yvonne Minton, London Symphony Orchestra, Pierre Boulez *

Malte Müller, Götz Payer *

Jenny Tourel, New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein *

Violeta Urmana, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Pierre Boulez



* = download only

[Barbirollians]

10.30 am
Building a Library: Flora Willson chooses her favourite recording of Mahler’s Rückert-Lieder.

Mahler orchestrated four of the songs he wrote to texts by the German poet Friedrich Ruckert, and a fifth was orchestrated after his death. The five songs conjure up a world of yearning, loss and melancholy. But these deep emotions are anything but depressing for the listener; Mahler’s music is like a balm to the soul and full of comfort, quiet resignation and even hope.


A selection of versions:-


Dame Janet Baker, New Philharmonia Orchestra, Sir John Barbirolli

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Daniel Barenboim *

Elina Garanca, Wiener Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann

Annette Gutjahr, Matthias Veit *

(Max Lembeck (baritone), Andreas Ruppert)

Siegfried Lorenz, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Günther Herbig

Christa Ludwig, Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Klemperer *

Yvonne Minton, London Symphony Orchestra, Pierre Boulez *

Malte Müller, Götz Payer *

Jenny Tourel, New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein *

* = download only

Flora Wilson of the dire Das Lied von Der Erde BAL - one I am glad to miss I think .

And how can any discussion not include the three sung by Ferrier with Walter . Otherwise a dead heat between Baker and Ludwig surely.

[Pulcinella]

Have you now got secret/privileged access to the shortlist, Alpie?

[vinteuil]

.

I like (among others) -

Felicity Lott / Quatuor Schumann
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau / Daniel Barenboim
Brigitte Fassbaender / RSO Berlin, Riccardo Chailly
Marilyn Horne / Los Angeles Philharmonic, Zubin Mehta
Klaus Mertens / Mutare Ensemble, Gerhard Muller-Hornbach

.

[gradus]

They're such lovely songs that every singer finds something special in them when they perform them. My favourites are Janet Baker and Yvonne Minton.

[Barbirollians]

Ferrier’s Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen is surely one of her greatest recordings . As much as I admire Baker and Ludwig it knocks all other recordings into a cocked hat - her Um Mitternacht is also stupendous like one of his symphonies condensed into five minutes.

[gurnemanz]

I think I prefer a female voice, eg those mentioned above: Ludwig, Baker, Fassbaender, also Ferrier/Walter. Another contralto I'm fond of is Maureen Forrester/Ferenc Fricsay, RIAS Orch Berlin. Also her Berlin Radio recording from 1960 with Hertha Klust on piano. (A marvellous collection on Audite)

From the above shortlist (if such it is) I loved Elīna Garanča live from Salzburg wiith Vienna Philharmonic/Christian Thielemann (listened on Spotify), coupled with Wesendonck. (I'm a huge Garanča fan, having watched a video of her sensational Kundry at the Wiener Staatsoper and she's in the new Parsifal at Bayreuth this August)

But many fine male versions to relish, eg:
Thomas Hampson/Leonard Bernstein, VPO
Christian Gerhaher/Kent Nagano, Montreal Symphony

Piano versions I like are:
Stephan Genz with Roger Vignoles on Hyperion
Christian Gerhaher with Gerold Huber on piano
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau with Bernstein on piano

[Pulcinella]

Having looked briefly at all the recordings listed on Presto's site, I'm not surprised that Alpie made a preliminary shortlist.
One he left out that might feature (I hope so, at least) is that by Alice Coote.

I was interested to see a Naxos version with Bernadette Greevy: she made a fine recording of Elgar's Sea Pictures, and the Mahler may well suit her voice equally well.

Just listening now (pre coronation) to the BBC MM version: Christianne Stotijn with the BBCSSO under Yasuo Shinozaki; rather too wide a vibrato for me.

Otherwise it's Baker and Minton on the shelves here.

[richardfinegold]

Have you now got secret/privileged access to the shortlist, Alpie?

Saves him a lot of typing

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Have you now got secret/privileged access to the shortlist, Alpie?

I wish...

This could have been a very long list indeed, as we're not talking about a song cycle. Many singers have recorded individual songs, but not all five.

[smittims]

I didn't know Clytemnestra wore a trilby! That's not quite how I imagined her from the Solti recording...

One Mahler not mentioned so far , and an early favourite of mine, was a Turnabout Lp by Maura Moreira with the Innsbruck S.O. and Robert Wagner. It also had the Wesendonck-Lieder and two rare pieces by Schumann.

[Gargoyle]

I didn't know Clytemnestra wore a trilby! That's not quite how I imagined her from the Solti recording...

One Mahler not mentioned so far , and an early favourite of mine, was a Turnabout Lp by Maura Moreira with the Innsbruck S.O. and Robert Wagner. It also had the Wesendonck-Lieder and two rare pieces by Schumann.

Ok. I've deleted the post now so as not to distract from discussing the music.

I don't know the Maura Moreira. Some of those older recordings are real treasures, but I think I've got enough recordings to be getting on with!

[Pulcinella]

Ok. I've deleted the post now so as not to distract from discussing the music.

I don't know the Maura Moreira. Some of those older recordings are real treasures, but I think I've got enough recordings to be getting on with!

Not before I found the recording you mentioned (Ruby Hughes as soloist) and lined it up for streaming later.

[gurnemanz]

As I checked out the 2010 EMI Mahler Complete Works 150th Anniversary Box I was reminded that there is a bonus CD with 8 (eight) consecutive version of 'Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen' - five with piano and three with orchestra. One would probably not want to listen that way very often but it proved a very pleasant way to spend a rainy Bank Holiday morning. I loved the Christa Ludwig version with G Moore on piano from 1957 and listening to the lovely Katarina Karnéus rendition took me back to her excellent 1999 EMI Debut disc (acquired quite recently for £1 in a charity shop), where she does four of the Rückert songs.

Thomas Hampson/Wolfram Rieger
Janet Baker/John Barbirolli, Hallé Orchestra
Christa Ludwig/Gerald Moore
Christa Ludwig/Otto Klemperer, Philharmonia Orchestra
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau/Daniel Barenboim
Thomas Allen/Jeffrey Tate, English Chamber Orchestra
Brigitte Fassbaender/Irwin Gage
Katarina Karnéus/Roger Vignoles

[Barbirollians]

Von Otter, Gerhaher and a BBCMM disc of Stotijn are all very good - if not quite ,for me, near Ferrier, Baker and Ludwig.