Search - Gustav Mahler, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Carlo Maria Giulini :: Mozart: Symphonie KV 550; Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde

Moving performances of two masterpieces

Mr Darcy | Australia | 01/10/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"These performances are taken from a live concert at the Salzburg Festival in 1987. Maestro Giulini gave his imprimatur for their release on CD a few weeks before his death in June 2005.



The notes to the CD tell us that Giulini, in fact, seldom conducted at the Salzburg Festival. This apparently had nothing to do with politics or rivalries, but was a product of Giulini's retiring nature which saw him spend several months of the year not performing music at all, particularly towards the end of his career. Consequently, he was either frequently not available to conduct at the Festival or was not an automatic choice amongst Festival organisers, or orchestras performing at the Festival. Giulini's appearance with the Philharmonic at the Festival in 1987 was his first for several years. His collaboration with the Philharmonic on this occasion in 1987 was therefore greeted with eager anticipation by audiences and critics alike.



The performance of the G minor symphony of Mozart is extremely individual and intensly interesting. It is heartfelt and yet the beauties of this piece are still conveyed with restraint. Giulini presents the work in sombre hues, established from the very opening of the first movement, which, rather than denoting nervous tension, has an almost mournful quality about it. Tempos in the outer movements are moderate and, to my ears, there is no sense of dragging, partly because rhythms are well sprung and orchestral voices beautifully balanced.



The performance of Das Lied von der Erde features the same soloists that appeared in Giulini's recording for DG in 1984: Brigitte Fassbaender and Francisco Araiza. Both are in fine voice for this Salzburg performance.



The 1984 recording was notable for its detached beauty, aided by the refined playing of the Berlin Philharmonic. The key difference in this live performance is the extra degree of flexibility that Giulini allows himself in phrasing, particularly in the farewell. The emotional temperature is higher, and Giulini brings out the darkness of this extraordinary movement to great effect.



Generally, throughout both performances, the Vienna Philharmonic peforms superbly. Solists and orchestra are not always perfectly together (a notable example is the fourth song). The sound is good, perhaps slightly better in the Mozart where there seems to be more air around the sound.









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Is it worth the expense?

B. Guerrero | 01/16/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's sad that this issue is so expensive because - musically speaking - it's really quite special. In Mahler's "DLvdE", the Vienna Phil. sounds far more awake and astute than they do on the recent Boulez studio recording (DG). Fassbaender and Araiza sound just as good as they did on Giulini's studio recording made in Berlin (also DG). On top of that, the sonics here are much better than on many other live issues taken from the Salzburg Festival. Personally, I wish that Orfeo had just issued issued the Mahler alone, on a single disc - saving us the extra expense in the process. As for the Mozart, who cares? The Vienna Phil. has recorded the latter Mozart symphonies numerous times."