Search - Thomas Hampson, Gustav Mahler, Leonard Bernstein :: Mahler 2: Complete Recordings on Deutsche Grammophon [Box Set]

Vienna vs ny phil recordings; the best 7th

Muslit | the world | 01/13/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"personally, i have reservations about 5 and 6 - i like the slower first movement here with vienna than with the ny phil. recording - really slow and funeral - but i prefer the 2nd movement with ny - more exciting, especially at the final fortissimo climax - i loved the tempo of the scherzo of the 5th on bernstein's earlier recording with the phil. - here it's a little faster - but the trio sections come off better with vienna (better paced) - the famous adagietto is definitely slower in the earlier recording, and i prefer it - but lenny probably wanted this movement more integrated with the finale, so he chose a slightly faster tempo with vienna - all in all, the ny phil. plays rougher, and there are some occasional ensemble problems, but there's an excitement that's palpable which i don't get with vienna -



the old bernstein 6th with the ny phil. i thought was great - i still think the andante is more successful than in the newer recording - but movement one and two are even better with vienna - in the last movement, the coda is unquestionably finer in the newer recording - slower and somber - in fact, the movement is taken more broadly in general, especially in the expansive sections, than in the ealier recording - but the ny 4th movement has a drive that's incredible - take your pick: either one -



with the 7th, the dgg recording is sensational - the best i've heard, and preferable to the earler columbia recording - there's a cohesiveness in the first movement that makes it seem much shorter than it is - and the finale, one of the most difficult to bring off in Mahler (many tempo changes), is superb - again, bernstein's cohesiveness shines when Mahler brings back the march tune from the first movement: one recognizes immediately the similarities with the fanfare motive in the last movement - two gripes: lenny does that quick crescendo on the penultimate chord before the end -i think it's defintely (way) preferable without - and i still think that lenny never arrived at a really comfortable tempo for the 4th movement - but all in all, it's the best 7th i know of -"

Two Of Bernstein's Best Mahler Symphony Recordings

John Kwok | New York, NY USA | 07/01/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Two of Bernstein's best Deutsche Grammophon recordings of Mahler's orchestral works are included in this second box set of the three Collectors Edition box sets that Deutsche Grammophon has re-issued and re-packaged from his intriguing Mahler symphony cycle recorded primarily in the mid to late 1980s. I may be the lone dissenter here who finds Bernstein's account of the Mahler 5th Symphony with the Wiener Philharmoniker as among the best still available, especially now since there are great recordings from Abbado, Chailly and, most recently, Rattle. But I think Bernstein's Wiener Philharmoniker recording may now be given less praise in light of the exciting, rather revelatory, accounts from the Berliner Philharmoniker conducted by, respectively, Claudio Abbado and Simon Rattle, in their respective recordings for Deutsche Grammophon and EMI. Indeed, there is ample warmth and brilliance demonstrated by the Wiener Philharmoniker's strings, horns and winds, in a recording that was made during live concert performances at its Viennese concert hall, the legendary Musikverein.



In stark contrast, Bernstein's exciting, truly dramatic account of the Mahler 7th Symphony with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra remains among the very best (Like the Mahler 5th recording, it was assembled from live concert performances at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall.). Bernstein's tempi aren't excessively slow or swift, giving a performance which emphasizes the score's rich sonic architecture and dramatic intensity (In comparison, one could hear this account and then Pierre Boulez's excellent version with The Cleveland Orchestra and wonder whether or not the listener was indeed hearing the same symphony, since Boulez's interpretation sounds far more subdued than Bernstein's.).



Leonard Bernstein teamed up with a young Thomas Hampson and the Wiener Philharmoniker in two fine performances of Mahler's orchestral song cycles; Ruckert Lieder and Kindertotenlieder. While these recordings are great, blessed with exquisite playing by the Wiener Philharmoniker, Hampson's vocals are often overtaken by the orchestra's excessively rich, vibrant tones. So for this reason alone, one might not wish to regard these recordings as among the most desirable of either song cycle. And yet, despite this slight disappointment, I would still strongly encourage potential purchasers to think of acquiring this box set simply for the two fine performances of the Mahler 5th and 7th symphonies alone, along with yet another excellent one from the Wiener Philharmoniker of the Mahler 6th Symphony."