Our Summer BAL No 52 : Mahler Das lied von Der Erde

[Cockney Sparrow]

I have been holding back from listening to this recording. Looks like I might have to give in and head over to QOBUZ. Hmm. I see they have the high-resolution version on offer at a considerable discount.

Or maybe join Beef O and access Naxos Music Library via your local library service or if they don't provide it, via the Barbican Library. You can give the Rattle a listen there (although, sorry if you already subscribe to Qobuz streaming so can already listen .. or elsewhere. BTW, on NML its cat. no. 900172 ; with PDF booklet).
http://www.for3.org/forums/showthrea...-library/page2 (#16 et al ).

[Bryn]

Or maybe join Beef O and access Naxos Music Library via your local library service or they don't provide, via the Barbican Library to give it a listen (although, sorry if you already subscribe to Qobuz streaming so can listen there.... or elsewhere. BTW, on NML its cat. no. 900172 ; with PDF booklet).
http://www.for3.org/forums/showthrea...-library/page2 (#16 et al ).

I am indeed a QOBUZ subscirber (HiFi level at the moment) but do also intend to pop into the Barbican Centre, Level 2, when next in the vicinity.

[Keraulophone]

Magdalena Kožená & Stuart Skelton with Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks under Sir Simon Rattle.

Since being so impressed by Stuart Skelton’s Siegmund in the recent ROH Ring, I’ve been trying to track down his recordings, and this Das Lied went to the top of my acquisition list. Although Ms Kožená has a lightish delivery, there is sufficient sensitivity and intensity in her singing to carry Der Abschied to its serene conclusion.

Along with the well-known classic recordings of this work, I’ve been particularly fond of the König/Baltsa/Tennstedt (only mentioned above once in #18) which EMI curiously withheld for nine years, about which the distinguished critic Alan Blyth wrote in complementary terms in Gramophone (Feb.1993): https://www.gramophone.co.uk/review/...on-der-erde-20

[Barbirollians]

I have now bought a secondhand cheap copy of the Karajan version.

It is wonderfully played and Ludwig is outstanding as ever. Kollo seems to be in rather shouty voice though and as beautiful as much of the orchestral playing is - The oboe in the Abschied for example - there is still a coolness about the interpretation that I am not so keen on.