Search - Alan Titus, Gustav Mahler, Gary Bertini :: Mahler: Symphonies 1-10; Das Lied von der Erde [Box Set]

A Romantic Mahler

Gary W. Thorburn | Maynard, MA USA | 03/15/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This 11-disk set collects recordings by the late Gary Bertini and the

Cologne Radio Symphony orchestra into a full Mahler symphony set. It

includes the 9 complete symphonies, "Das Lied von der Erde", and the

adagio from the unfinished tenth. The recordings are from the late 1980s

and early-mid 1990s; some are live, some studio. Some of this material

has been available on earlier EMI releases, through the Musical Heritage

Society, and perhaps elsewhere. The result is a set of fine performances

at an excellent price.



A comment on the sound: its very good throughout. However there's

slightly more dynamic compression than is typically used in current

recordings. Some audiophile purists may find that unfortunate, but not

objectionable. Frankly, it makes these performances more listenable when

portable or on the road.



Bertini, born in what is now Moldova, developed his career primarily in

Israel. He is not well known in the US. So I turned first to the booklet

packed in the box, and its colorful essay by Kyo Mitsutoshi, a Tokyo

based music critic. Mitsutoshi quickly dismisses the pantheon of

venerable Mahler conductors from Walter to the present day, telling us

that in the Bertini recordings we will hear nothing at all resembling

those legendary interpretations. Rather we should expect a Mahler of

"florid beauty", "the pinnacle of Mahler interpretation". So it was with

considerable trepidation that I ventured into these recordings, and have

now listened through all 11 disks. I am delighted to report that these

performances are nowhere near as bad as the liner essay had led me to

expect! Perhaps Mitsutoshi's hyperbole is exacerbated by a poor

translation. But relax, it is only Mitsutoshi's prose which is "florid".



Nevertheless, Bertini's approach is one which firmly places Mahler at

the height of late 19th century romanticism, rather than at the vanguard

of 20th century musical ferment. This is most evident in the slowest

passages, which Bertini often takes quite slowly indeed. The finale of

the third clocks in at 26 minutes, more than 3 minutes longer than

Horenstein's reading. The last movement of the ninth is nearly four

minutes longer than Solti's. Does it work? Well, Bertini wants us to

hear the lyrical side of Mahler, and he masterfully draws that out to a

limpid simplicity that is refreshing for the jaded Mahler ear. In

Bertini's tempos and instrumental balance, I hear things I've not heard

before. Mahler's slower, introspective passages are interpreted in a way

that makes audible new aspects of Mahler's genius of orchestration.



But what's missing in these tender passages, is the quiet desperation

which should be simmering below the surface. Bertini eschews most stock

Mahleresque technique. There is little of the rubato we have come to

expect woven into the fabric of Mahler, or the supple shifts from light

to shadow, summoning and dismissing moments of desolation and hope

within a few bars.



Instead, Bertini relies more on traditional romantic, sweeping contrasts

of tempo and dynamics. And there certainly are powerful contrasts here.

If some of Mahler's genius is lost, its done so intentionally in the

service of Bertini's rigorous romantic vision. But something is indeed

missing, when landler movements evoke confident waltzers gliding

over polished floors, rather than tentative, lilting country dancers.



But there are plenty of times when Bertini's vision works magnificently.

The Cologne orchestra puts tremendous resources of sinewy brass and

silky strings at the conductors command, and Bertini knows how to use

them. The epic opening movement of the 3rd is wonderful indeed, building

controlled long dynamic lines and delivering satisfying, measured

crescendos on target.



Some performances warrant special note: the middle movement of the fifth

is very nicely done; the orchestra is caught up in a wild whirl, while a

strident horn seeks rapprochement with a frenzied orchestra. The eighth is

a fine live performance, paced quite smartly. Conductors have long

differed over interpretation of the popular adagietto of the fifth.

Bertini splits the difference here, opening at quite a quick clip, but

slowing as it progresses. The total run time of 10 minutes is somewhere

between Zander's fast lilt and Bernstein's funereal rendering.



The "Das Lied" is the gem of this set. The orchestral textures are

wonderfully transparent. The songs for the tenor, which in some

performances serve as intermissions between the mezzo's songs, are

decisively rescued from this fate by Ben Heppner. Marjana Lipovsek gives

a heartfelt performance with more spirit, (and less gratuitous

portamento) than on her recording with Solti. There's a drive and

urgency here which is quite a surprise after listening through Bertini's

10 symphonies, with not an inappropriately languishing tempo lingering

anywhere. I think this will become one of my very favorite Das Lieds.



I've been riveted by Mahler's music since I discovered it when I was 17,

many years ago. I no longer seek definitive performances, but hunger to

hear the richness of Mahler mined by a variety of artists. This set

offers a lot to explore. I would discourage someone relatively new to

Mahler from springing for this set, despite the attractive price.

Instead, pick and choose from recordings which lie more to the center of

the received tradition. But if you've been there and done that, continue

your journey with these fine, if eccentric performances."

A revelation in more ways than one

Paul Bubny | Maplewood, NJ United States | 03/05/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have to both agree with, and take exception to, some of the comments in the CD package's essay about Gary Bertini by Kyo Mitsutoshi, a Japanese music critic and clearly a fan of the late conductor. Mitsutoshi writes of Bertini's objectivity, his esthetic of beauty and classical restraint, and his rendering of these scores as paintings rather than psychodramas. These are all valid points, yet taken together they might easily be misinterpreted to suggest a conductor who lacked a forceful podium presence, who was less than fully involved, and who shied away from the music's darker implications and its moments of deliberate harshness. Actually, what you get in this 11-CD set is music-making that pulses with vibrancy, color, and authenticity--just without the obvious huffing and puffing of a couple of the better-known Mahlerians. The scores' moments of grotesquerie and neurosis are there, but they're not (over)emphasized as with Leonard Bernstein. Instead, we have the suggestion of tensions simmering below surfaces that shimmer with beauty. Avoiding overstatement actually allows those tensions to stand out in sharper, unsettling contrast.



As this review's title suggests, the appearance of this set is revelatory. First, there is the conductor's ability to allow even an experienced Mahler fan to hear these scores afresh. Second, there is the revelation that a more subtle, less over-the-top approach can better delineate both the macro (the overarching design of each symphony) as well as micro (details such as splashes of color and important subsidiary lines that are usually glossed over), along with conveying the music's psychological depths. (And don't think that Bertini pulls any punches in moments such as the "with the greatest vehemence" climax of the Ninth Symphony's opening movement.) Third, there's the "where have you been all my life?" aspect of this boxed set. These recordings were made between 1984 and 1991 and only sporadically available in the U.S. upon their initial releases. For many Mahlerites both here and abroad, the posthumous release of this bargain-priced anthology represents the first opportunity (as it was for me) to hear what they've missed all these years. Bertini, whose death in 2005 was ignored by the British music press, turns out to have been one of the greatest Mahler conductors--and now you can hear this for yourself in beautifully played, spectacularly well-recorded performances. Yes, there are a few quibbles: a detail here and there that might have gotten greater emphasis, a few vocal passages where the generally fine soloists sound strained, the inconvenient splitting of both the Third AND Fourth Symphonies between discs (unavoidable, apparently, due to the limitations of CD length). But those are minor complaints about a collection that on balance just might be the finest complete Mahler cycle available, in terms of both performance and sound quality."

A sleeper of a musical wonder!

D. J. Edwards | Cheshire, CT United States | 03/06/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"David Hurwitz of "Classics Today" says it all and in spades. I had never heard of Gary Bertini until I read his review of this 11 CD gem of a set. Mahler has never been more beautifully and brilliantly conducted. The music line of Mahler's often very difficult musical phrasing in Bertini's hands flows seamlessly without distortion, fractures in the musical flow, or exaggeration of ego bombast. The big moments ring with thrilling richness and soul moving exaltation. I trusted Hurwitz in his review of the EMI recording of the Kempe Strauss complete orchestral works and that was a trust well rewarded and the same here. I think one of Bertini's many achievements in what I have heard so far [discs just arrived today] are his innate resistance to be bombastic, banal and overblown. The final movement of the 3rd is as good as it gets; in the same category as Bernstein's 3rd on DDG but Bertini's advantage is an even greater subtlety. The movement just ended and you have to experience it, no matter whose cycle you may prefer. The 2nd with Quivar and Laki [the latter totally unknown to me] are extraordinarily stunning in sound and interpretation. Quivar's entrance "O Roschen rot" is gripping and her "O Glaube, mein Herz.." hits an inner chord that even Ludwig doesn't surpass. And Ludwig grips your soul on the Mehta recording. The closing chorus and orchestra with Bertini end in a glory as if from another universe. The adagietto of the 5th is equal of any other recording I've heard if not superior. The peace and gentleness are perfection. I think Bertini is very under-appreciated. The attention to detail is unbelievably beautiful, hearing instruments I have not heard on other recording. Hurwitz also praises the brass and they are outstanding. Conductor and the Cologne Radio symphony are beyond reproach. At the price, not to have this set is to deny yourself one of the eighth wonders of music. None of the over-stressed angst that many conductors of mahler's symphonies love to overwork. Too bad Bertini cannot personally experience the attention and appreciation of this his outstanding achievement. I hope the musicians of the Cologne Radio symphony will revel in their outstanding achievement. And so it goes... kudos to EMI. The 1st is flowing through my headphones and seems to be another glory of this set. Buy! Buy!"