Mahler 1

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

In 1967, I cycled from Stockport to Waunfawr, near Caernarfon in a single day. Throughout the ride, I had the finale of Mahler 1 running through my head, but could not recall what it was, but thought it might be the finale of Shostakovich 5.

(Of course, there are early taped recordings of the composer talking to a journalist in which he describes the whole Symphony not as "triumphant", but rather as an ironic protest against the antisemitic milieu of late 19th Century Vienna ... These tapes exist, but I'm not going to let you hear them.)

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

An interesting thought, but one fundamental difference here is that Mahler survived for 23 years after completing his first symphony and thus had far greater opportunity to consider whether removal of that movement was what served the work best whereas, in the case of the sixth, he had just six years in which he only conducted it twice (I think); I don't have detail readily to hand about the performance history of the first during the composer's lifetime, but I think that it is a point nevertheless.

Yes - three performances before the revision of the orchestration and removal of Blumine. Worth hearing in a "performance history"-type context, if for no other reason.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Forgot to mention - many, many splendid recordings of this marvellous work, but I still love the DG Kubelik above all the others I've heard. (Partly for sentimental reasons - the first Mahler recording I ever bought: the record shop had marked the then full-priced LP down to budget price, so I could afford it - but the performance itself stands up to my acidicly anti-sentimental critical ear, faces it down, and persuades it to let its hair down and have a good time.)

[Richard Barrett]

a lovely intermezzo

While the received wisdom is that removing "Blumine" tightened the work's overall structure, performing the symphony with it included actually brings the whole thing closer in form to the two following symphonies (and indeed no.7!) in quite an interesting and suggestive way.

[gurnemanz]

Forgot to mention - many, many splendid recordings of this marvellous work, but I still love the DG Kubelik above all the others I've heard. (Partly for sentimental reasons - the first Mahler recording I ever bought: the record shop had marked the then full-priced LP down to budget price, so I could afford it - but the performance itself stands up to my acidicly anti-sentimental critical ear, faces it down, and persuades it to let its hair down and have a good time.)

When I got around to replacing LP versions of Mahler Symphonies around 20 years ago and funds were short due to mortgage, kids etc, it was Kubelik I got for No 1 - well reviewed and on cheap label (DG Classikon). Still a favourite.

[cloughie]

Joshing aside, I was going to mention Blumine - a lovely intermezzo, and one which I'd love to hear in the context of the 1889 instrumentation (the only one which Mahler gave Titan as a subtitle - he removed the title along with the Blumine Movement). I believe (and look forward to hearing that I'm wrong) that Wyn Morris made the only recording of this version.

You are Ozawa's DG recording includes it as does the Florida Orchestra with James Judd but the latter places it at the end rather than including it in its original sequence.

[Bryn]

Joshing aside, I was going to mention Blumine - a lovely intermezzo, and one which I'd love to hear in the context of the 1889 instrumentation (the only one which Mahler gave Titan as a subtitle - he removed the title along with the Blumine Movement). I believe (and look forward to hearing that I'm wrong) that Wyn Morris made the only recording of this version.

A pedant writes: Mahler's First Symphony never contained Blumine. The First Symphony was a recasting and re-orchestration of 4 movements from the Symphonic Poem in two parts, "Titan", which itself was a rehash of an even earlier work (see Roehre archive for more details). The First never had the sobriquet "Titan" applied to it by Mahler either. However, you are, as far as I am aware, quite right in suggesting that the NPO/Morris recording is the only recording of 'Titan', even if wrongly described as Mahler's First.

Oops. I had thought that the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra / Jan Willem de Vriend recording of "Titan" was a mix of Blumine and the later orchestration of the other 4 movements, however, this suggests otherwise.

Norrington also shoves Blumine into the place it occupied in "Titan", but with the other 4 movements taken from the later First Symphony,

[Ferretfancy]

Here we go ! The Mahler season has started on these boards, and it's not even Easter yet!

[Barbirollians]

Ah yes the Kubelik the rave reviews it gets seems to me to rather unfairly overshadow the rest of his cycle - lovely performance as it is . Another cracker is Lenny's DG account.

[Richard Barrett]

Here we go ! The Mahler season has started on these boards, and it's not even Easter yet!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

You are Ozawa's DG recording includes it as does the Florida Orchestra with James Judd but the latter places it at the end rather than including it in its original sequence.

No - the Ozawa is a recording of the (revised) First Symphony with the Blumine added: it's not the original version. I think that this is also true of the Judd version (from the Amazon comments) but shall investigate further

[cloughie]

Ah yes the Kubelik the rave reviews it gets seems to me to rather unfairly overshadow the rest of his cycle - lovely performance as it is . Another cracker is Lenny's DG account.

The earlier VPO Kubelik was along with IPO Kletzki, my early introduction to Mahler 1.

[cloughie]

No - the Ozawa is a recording of the (revised) First Symphony with the Blumine added: it's not the original version. I think that this is also true of the Judd version (from the Amazon comments) but shall investigate further

I don't have your musicologist's head ferney but I'll give the Morris a spin and see if I look out for the differences.

[Keraulophone]

As caliban recently discovered with the 3rd Symphony (to which he'd been attracted by the LP cover art rather than the recording), James Levine had a wonderful way with Mahler and the 1st is no exception. It was the first one he recorded (the LSO were somehow regarded as specialists in Mahler 1 at that time, and they play as brilliantly here as they did for Solti) but partly because his cycle for RCA was never completed (missing 2 & 8), Levine's Mahler often slips under the radar. The CDs sound much better than the original wobbly LP pressings, and they are now available on 10 CDs for a paltry £13.90 from http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mahler-Symph.../dp/B0041LXX2G

http://www.gramophone.co.uk/forum/recordings/the-best-mahler-believe-itlevine

[cloughie]

Israel Philharmonic, or a mis-type? Should it be VPO?

Not a mis-type Kletzki's 1st 1st mono with the IPO released on MFP2051, the later VPO stereo on CFP138. I think that both had cuts in the finale.