Kubelik Mahler Cycle

[cloughie]

Yes, Haitink began earlier but both cycles wer concluded at the same time (1971). The quick Czech caught up with the phlegmatic Dutchman.

Haitink rerecorded No1 in 1972 1962 timings 13.15/7.43/10.48/20.00 cf 1972 16.25/8.00/11.25/20.24

Which of these was preferred for boxed sets - the one I have is part of the Symphony edition released in 1994.

[Petrushka]

Haitink rerecorded No1 in 1972 1962 timings 13.15/7.43/10.48/20.00 cf 1972 16.25/8.00/11.25/20.24

Which of these was preferred for boxed sets - the one I have is part of the Symphony edition released in 1994.

The latest complete boxed Haitink Mahler set has both! The 1962 in the main set and the 1972 (my first ever Mahler and Haitink LP) as a 'bonus' in the blu ray.

[vinteuil]

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... isn't there a feeling in some quarters that the (incomplete?) live Kubelik Mahler series available on audite is preferable to the DG studio recordings?

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[Richard Barrett]

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... isn't there a feeling in some quarters that the (incomplete?) live Kubelik Mahler series available on audite is preferable to the DG studio recordings?

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There is, but I've never understood it!

[Katzelmacher]

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... isn't there a feeling in some quarters that the (incomplete?) live Kubelik Mahler series available on audite is preferable to the DG studio recordings?

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I’ve heard bits of that cycle and I’d say it’s nowhere near as good.

[Bryn]

How is that Blu Ray? . . .

For those with older ears, such as my own, the step up to 96/24 transfers shows itself principally in the dynamic detail. I previously had the first DG CD version of the survey and this newer one does seem a little clearer. The convenience of not having to change discs in the 3rd is very welcome, especially as the break in the CD offering comes immediately before the final movement, rather than the musically more rational Part 1 (the first movement).

Regarding the Audite 'live' recordings, I only have the 8th which, warts and all, I marginally prefer to the DG studio recording. The SACD layer also offers both a straight transfer of the original master and an edited version which aimed to correct some slips and spruce up the sound. Perhaps an interesting supplement to the DG studio recording, rather than one to opt for as one's only Kubelik Mahler 8.

Oh, and don't forget that Pentatone issued a 'quadraphonic surround' mix of Haitink's Mahler 8 on SACD.

[Dave2002]

Kubelik's were the recordings I got to know the music from. I still listen to them quite often, especially 4 and 8.

As I recall - not heard it for a while - Kubelik’s version of number 1 has some really jazzy trumpet playing - really great touches.

[cloughie]

The latest complete boxed Haitink Mahler set has both! The 1962 in the main set and the 1972 (my first ever Mahler and Haitink LP) as a 'bonus' in the blu ray.

I remember some time ago, Pet, we were both debating how blu-ray could be linked to older audio systems - did you solve it and if so how?

[Petrushka]

I remember some time ago, Pet, we were both debating how blu-ray could be linked to older audio systems - did you solve it and if so how?

Unfortunately not. I intended to leave the matter until after I'd retired at the end of 2019 but Covid intervened before I could get round to it and I've had to leave it in abeyance for the time being. Hoping to tackle it soon.

I have the 1972 Haitink on CD anyway.

[cloughie]

Unfortunately not. I intended to leave the matter until after I'd retired at the end of 2019 but Covid intervened before I could get round to it and I've had to leave it in abeyance for the time being. Hoping to tackle it soon.

I have the 1972 Haitink on CD anyway.

I’ve not done anything either!

[Bryn]

Unfortunately not. I intended to leave the matter until after I'd retired at the end of 2019 but Covid intervened before I could get round to it and I've had to leave it in abeyance for the time being. Hoping to tackle it soon.

I have the 1972 Haitink on CD anyway.

There are several HDMI to analogue converters around. They tend only to convert to 2 channel stereo, however. The one surround conversion device I found with a quick search truned out to be no longer available.

[LHC]

There are several HDMI to analogue converters around. They tend only to convert to 2 channel stereo, however. The one surround conversion device I found with a quick search truned out to be no longer available.

Would it be easier to find a second hand blu ray player that has analogue outputs? Oppo blu ray players had multi-channel analogue outputs, and if you only want stereo it should be even easier to find an older blu ray with stereo analogue outputs.

[Barbirollians]

I would quite understand if you decided to look no further than that, where no.9 is concerned!

Of course, interpretative views of any composer evolve over the course of time, with the example of the Adagietto, but I can't say I prefer it faster or slower. Kubelik's 5th, for example, strikes me as having been conceived as a whole rather than with the fourth movement as an outlier or complete change of scene. To me the whole symphony could be seen as a passage between darkness and light, and the Adagietto is closer to the end of that journey than the beginning. While these days I might oftener listen to the more "knowing" approach of Gielen or Abbado or indeed Norrington, I don't think the feeling of discovery I got from the Kubelik records (which I think is really there, rather than in my imagination) will ever leave me.

Ancerl is a favourite conductor of mine - especially his Brahms 1 and 2 and accompanying Josef Suk and Ida Haendel. I don't have any of his Mahler though - something to be corrected by the sounds of it.

[Katzelmacher]

Isn’t this (the DG version, not the Audite nonsense) the least neurotic Mahler cycle ever committed to record? At just about every point, Kubelik emphases the sunny aspects of the composer (at least as strong as his much-vaunted darker moments for those with open ears). Even the 6th sounds suspiciously bright-eyed (and with a hint of a bushy tail!). There’s a ‘Prague Spring’ feeling to this cycle, which I can’t help relating to what was going on in the conductor’s homeland for at least part of the sessions. The opening of the second movement of the 4th (which, in some performances, gives me a mental image of narcotised vermin being dismembered on a vivisector’s lab table) has just the right kind of lilt to it. With these performances, we can believe that Mahler was an optimist!

[Bryn]

Would it be easier to find a second hand blu ray player that has analogue outputs? Oppo blu ray players had multi-channel analogue outputs, and if you only want stereo it should be even easier to find an older blu ray with stereo analogue outputs.

Yes, but I use the HDMI connection on my 203 (the 205 was beyond my budget).