Mahler 4

It seems that Gary Bertini, like Gustav Mahler, is destined to be better remembered after his death than he was known during his life. When he passed away in 2005, he was little known outside Israel, Japan and continental Europe and nowhere near as widely recognised as the glamour conductors who appear on the пїЅmajorпїЅ labels. His recordings were few and hard to find. A year after his passing, Capriccio has launched a Gary Bertini Edition (see, for example, review) featuring live recordings drawn from the archives of the KпїЅlner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester, and EMI has re-released his Mahler cycle.

Let me be honest: I got this for the Mahler, and it's excellent. I'll look at the Beethoven concerto some time down the road. But for me, this was my best encounter with the Mahler first in a long, long time. Even though I didn't agree with every interpretive decision that Fabio Luisi made, he knew exactly what he wanted, and exactly how to express what he wanted to the Dresdeners via his hands, eyes, and face. This guy is amazing.

As such, this is my third encounter with Luisi. The first two were the Bruckner 9th and Richard Strauss' "Alpine" symphony; both on Sony, and both of those are excellent. But then again, the Staatskapelle has had a long history with both Bruckner and Strauss. But I think this orchestra was also born to play the Mahler 1st. In fact, they've already made two very good commercial recordings of M1: one with Otmar Suitner in 1962 (sans expo repeat), and one with Hiroshi Wakasugi in 1986 (I own that one). However, both are now hard to find. I want to cover some specifics, so indulge me in some subjective blather first.

B. Guerrero – Amazon

The Mahler 4 has a special connection to the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. It was recorded by 4 of its music directors in succession: Mengelberg, Van Beinum, Haitink, and Chailly. They also recorded it with Bernstein and Solti. At the time Haitink made this recording in the 1960's, the strings of the orchestra still possessed the gruff, woodsy sound that was one of the ensemble's notable characteristics. It is highly suitable to Mahler's folk like themes. The performance here is moderate in tempo; the playing never seems rushed. Haitink makes even the dramatic pauses in the work seem intrinsic to the overall structure. Overall, there is a soft ambience to the orchestral sound. Nevertheless, the climax to the slow movement is highly dramatic, and it flows very naturally into the tempo for the finale.

Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 5 in C sharp minor – Wiener Philharmoniker; Lorin Maazel, conductor
Classical | 1 CD | EAC Rip | 297 Mb | FLAC+LOG+Cue | Full scans | RS and 4share links
Publisher: Sony Classical

Contrary to his recording of Symphony no. 4, Maazel’s recording of Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 get divided reviews. My opinion is pretty much like this one from Amazon.com:
This is one of the best Mahler 5 recordings I have heard. The Vienna Philharmonic sounds absolutely fabulous. Maazel's has recorded the whole Mahler cycle with Vienna. The performance of Mahler 4 has become very well known. The Mahler 5 seems to be not as popular. This might be because Bernstein also recorded a great live version with Vienna as well. Maazel's interpretation of the piece is very balanced and clear. Maazel brings to me what is a slightly more clear approach to this music, but still with great climaxes. I really like the opening movement and the third movement scherzo. The balance between all the sections is really amazing. You can hear every entrance and every voice. This is a triumph of the players and to the Sony recording engineers. I would highly recommend this Mahler recording to anyone.

This 16-disc set contains what is without a doubt the most distinguished collection of Mahler performances ever to have been assembled in one place. DG has sensibly collected all of Bernstein's Mahler for Polygram labels, including the London "Das Lied von der Erde," and all of the orchestral song cycles: "Song of a Wayfarer," "Kindertotenlieder," "Rückert-Lieder," and "Des Knaben Wunderhorn." All of these recordings have been issued separately to general critical acclaim, and despite a veritable warehouse of new Mahler discs in the '90s, Bernstein's versions by and large still reign supreme.

Bernstein - the Complete Mahler Cycle on DVD
DVD 3/8: Symphonies 4 & 5
DVD ISO | 3.92 GB | 2005 | PCM Stereo | NTSC 4:3 | Region 0
Subtitles: Mutli-Language | Cover: N/A | Label: Deutsche Grammophon | 129 minutes

Bernstein Collectors Edition & the Complete Mahler Cycle on DVD

Deutsche Grammophon remembers the legendary Leonard Bernstein

October 14, 2005 will mark the 15th anniversary of Leonard Bernstein's death. This lapse of time has only served to secure Bernstein's prominence as one of the most respected musicians of the 20th century and to affirm his reputation as a master conductor, composer, and teacher. Bernstein's sphere of influence extends past orchestral, operatic, and choral music to Broadway and beyond. His legacy is multiple, including that of a cogent writer, impassioned humanitarian, and engaging lecturer. In all of these capacities, Leonard Bernstein imparted his total enthusiasm for music and its importance in the life of every individual.

Whenever Gustav Mahler spoke of Beethoven, he did so with an air of reverence: "Among poets and composers of more recent times we can, perhaps, name but three: Shakespeare, Beethoven, and Wagner.” And yet, Mahler the conductor considered Beethoven’s scores primarily a challenge; material that needed adapting and adopting to the orchestras and concert halls of his time. Richard Wagner had already prepared Beethoven’s scores and written about it in great detail. The balance of sound of the classical orchestra was off, and a return to previous states was out of the question, given the increased size of the concert halls. People knew of their existence, but it was not until 1927 that Erwin Stein, the composer, pianist, and music journalist active in Schoenberg’s circles, was able to report that all of Mahler’s conductor’s scores, replete with his “Retuschen” (retouchings), had in fact survived.