Just the facts
nels | 09/14/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"very little information avaiable before i took a chance on this boxed set, it was so inexpensive. these are very early recordings by various artists, many live. the sound is what you expect. many very early songs, some complete cycles. mitropoulos with the minneapolis does the first, fried the second, mengelberg the fourth, stokowski the eight, walter the fifth and the ninth in addition to kindertotenlieder and song of the earth ,both with ferrier. also songs of a wayfarer complete by schey and mengelberg. i was very pleased with what i got."
Historic Mahler
postupano | Arlington VA | 08/04/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The compleat Mahlerite will probably have acquired most or all of these recordings over the years in various other issues. For example,many of the songs on the first disc are included as fillers in the Naxos Historical issue of Fried's Second Symphony. Walter's Vienna Ninth has had numerous incarnations on CD, as have his New York Fifth and the Ferrier/Patzak "Das Lied". This Membran box is worth getting even if you already have some of the performances since all have historical interest as some of the first recordings of the composer's music. It should also be noted that all the symphonies are conducted by men who knew Mahler well.
The first disc contains the complete "Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen" with Mengelberg conducting baritone Hermann Schey(1939). Next are three of the "Ruckert-lieder," Bruno Walter conducting Kerstin Thorborg in "Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen,"(1936) Kathleen Ferrier in "Um Mitternacht,"(1952) and "Ich atmet' einen linden Duft" sung by Charles Kullmann with Malcolm Sargent conducting (1938). Hermann Weigert conducts Heinrich Schlusnus in "Rheinlegendchen"and "Der Tamboursg'sell "(1931), and Grete Stuckgold is featured with an unknown conductor and orchestra in 1921 recordings of "Wer hat dies Liedlein erdacht?" and "Ich ging mit Lust duch einen grunen Wald." Another version of the last song with piano by Lula Mysz-Gmeiner (1926) completes the disc.
Disc two is Mitropoulos's Minneapolis Symphony No.1 performance from 1940.
Discs three and four feature the 1924 first recording of the Second Symphony with Oskar Fried leading the Berliner Staatskapelle,filled out by the Ferrier/Walter/Vienna Philharmonic "Kindertotenlieder" from 1949.
Disc five has Mengelberg's well-known Fourth from 1939 with soprano Jo Vincent.
Disc six features Walter's New York Phiharmonic traversal of the Fifth from 1947.
Discs seven and eight feature Stokowski's New York Philharmonic Eighth from 1950 filled out with Hermann Scherchen's 1952 Vienna State Opera Orchestra recording of the Adagio from the Tenth.
Disc nine, appropriately, features Walter's historic 1938 recording of the Ninth with the Vienna Philharmonic.
The last disc has the celebrated 1952 "Das Lied von der Erde" with Walter again leading the VPO for soloists Ferrier and Julius Patzak.
Considering that in the early days of CDs the modest cost of this box would have fetched only one or two of the symphonies alone, this is an excellent bargain. It goes without saying that your first recordings of the symphonies should be in modern sound, but as a boatload of historical Mahler it's hard to beat.
Five stars for the repertoire and value."
Track Listings (13) - Disc #1