BaL 16.02.13 - Mahler's 6th Symphony in A minor

[remdataram]

I have the Bernstein (Sony) and Karajan recordings amongst others, but mention of Abbado is long overdue on this thread. His recording with the BPO and Karajan's are my two favourites.
The Abbado Lucerne DVD issue is also very fine.

Whatever the final choice we are spoiled with so many available recordings. Just as well since the BBC seem to be reducing the airtime Mahler receives!

[Nick Armstrong]

mention of Abbado is long overdue on this thread.

You beat me to it! I'd back Claudio in this piece - possibly for the "first heard" reason canvassed above.

I learnt the piece from his Chicago recording and for a long time it was the only one I had. I've since added to it Tennstedt/LPO on cassette (never replaced it with CD - can't quite believe I've never added the live Tennstedt: I'll be listening out for this on BAL), the Bernstein / VPO - trenchant, urgent, magnificent - and Abbado's 2005 Berlin reading, plus Mackerras / BBC Phil. live (not mentioned so far: great stuff, but not in the running or EA's list due to being a BBCMM freebie, like the Otaka Walton 1 last week ).

But I always return to Abbado, not least because of one of the great moments in recorded music for me (I should have mentioned it in the 'goose bumps' thread), the way he takes the slow movement to an extra, incendiary level at the final climax. He does it in both versions I own. Just extraordinary.

[BBMmk2]

I have two Abbado's(Lucerne, dvd and the Berliners), Karajan, and Barbirolli.

[Barbirollians]

The live Barbirolli is very special . Listened to it last night (having only intended to listen to the first movement !)

[BBMmk2]

The one I have is taken from the EMI set(I think that could be the studio version though?)

[Beef Oven]

You beat me to it! I'd back Claudio in this piece - possibly for the "first heard" reason canvassed above.

I learnt the piece from his Chicago recording and for a long time it was the only one I had. I've since added to it Tennstedt/LPO on cassette (never replaced it with CD - can't quite believe I've never added the live Tennstedt: I'll be listening out for this on BAL), the Bernstein / VPO - trenchant, urgent, magnificent - and Abbado's 2005 Berlin reading, plus Mackerras / BBC Phil. live (not mentioned so far: great stuff, but not in the running or EA's list due to being a BBCMM freebie, like the Otaka Walton 1 last week ).

But I always return to Abbado, not least because of one of the great moments in recorded music for me (I should have mentioned it in the 'goose bumps' thread), the way he takes the slow movement to an extra, incendiary level at the final climax. He does it in both versions I own. Just extraordinary.

Cally, did not you and I champion Abbado in 6 on another thread a while back?

For me it's:

Abbado - BPO
Szell - Cleveland SO
Heribert Ritter von Karajan - BPO

Szell was my introduction to the work, which was augmented by the karajan a few years later. I picked up the Abbado on SACD when it came out and was not expecting so much!

I would give special mention to others:

Valery Gergiev delivered a white-hot, land-speed breaking performance in London with the LSO a few years back. That was one of the best concerts I'd ever attended. The subsequent LSO Live recording, taken from a (2?) subsequent live performances, was never going to do justice.

I adore Rubber Brolly's EMI recording (indeed I played it mid-week, as I regularly do). It can no-way be considered as a 'recommendable' performance, but I just love the ridiculously long drag-thru, where he's almost loitering in the score! It makes for some unexpectedly beautiful moments in the higher-tempo parts of the work.

[Roehre]

Wonderful list EA - bravo!

Seconded.
The Bielefelder of 1970 [the German equivalent of the Grammophon Record Catalogue] gives us a choice out of 6......
(With in total nearly 70 records with mahlerian music -symphonies + songs!- in total.
Times have changed a bit (Klemperer remarked in 1972 or so that Mahler was becoming a fashion).

[amateur51]

you (and a few others round here) must be brilliant at putting shelves up.

[Roehre]

Only 3 here

Makes two of us

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Cards on the table then.

VPO Bernstein (complete set).
VPO Boulez.
BPO Karajan.

SNAP!!

Oh.


Err ...


... except that I might swap VPO/Bernstein for NYPO/Bernstein.

[Nick Armstrong]

Cally, did not you and I champion Abbado in 6 on another thread a while back?

Sounds highly likely!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

The Abbado is probably a front runner in the Alison stakes: it was Claudio's Mahler #8 that JJ chose in his last Seedy Review.

[Nick Armstrong]

The Abbado is probably a front runner in the Alison stakes: it was Claudio's Mahler #8 that JJ chose in his last Seedy Review.

[gurnemanz]

I have a modest two versions - both obvious choices - Bernstein and Karajan. (I once had an LP version but its has vanished and I can't even remember who was conducting), so a rather boring piece of information in itself, but I noted that Karajan at 82 mins spreads over 2CDs, (with Christa Ludwig as rather special filler on DG Originals), whereas Bernstein at 78 mins just squeezes onto one CD. I just idly wondered how this distinction might be reflected in the marvellous list presented in message 1.

[amateur51]

Another 'discussion point' may be how many hammer blows we get in the final movement - not a cause for dismissal though.