Mahler Christa Ludwig

In celebration of Christa Ludwig’s 90th birthday March 16th 2018, a Limited 12-CD Edition celebrates her impressive mezzo voice, displayed in excerpts from Bach’s sacred works, operas by Mozart, Beethoven, Wagner and Strauss; as well as Schubert Lieder; Mahler’s “Kindertotenlieder” and “Das Lied von der Erde”; and Bernstein conducting Bernstein. The collection also includes for the first time internationally on CD a witty and endearing interview of Ms. Ludwig discussing the conductors.

Gustav Mahler: Des Knaben Wunderhorn - Christa Ludwig (mezzo); Walter Berry (bar); New York Philharmonic; Leonard Bernstein
Classical | 1 CD | EAC Rip | 315 MB, 3% recovery | FLAC+LOG+Cue | Complete scans
Publisher: Sony Classical | Recorded: 1969 | Published: 1993

There may be more famous recordings of this work - the George Szell recording comes to mind - but none have the emotional heft and power of this essential Bernstein performance. To hear Ludwig sing “Wo Die Schonen Trompeten Blasen” is nothing less than a shattering experience. Almost uniquely among available versions on CD, when there are contrasting characters, Bernstein treats the songs as dialogues, with both Berry and Ludwig - husband and wife at the time of the recording - taking part, further adding to the richness of this performance. (from Amazon.com)

"The five songs that follow the performance of the Fourth Symphony (two from Des Knaben Wunderhorn and three from the Rückert-Lieder) date from the time of the Klemperer/Ludwig Das Lied von der Erde, and rank among the finest examples of Mahler singing ever recorded. Christa Ludwig's "Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen"–the most beautiful song in the world?–is every bit as fine as Janet Baker's more celebrated version on the same label, and Otto Klemperer's unsentimental conducting style suits the music's "innigkeit" ("inwardness") better than Barbirolli's more affectionate approach.

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.

Mahler: Lieder Des Knaben Wunderhorn; Rückert Lieder; Lieder und Gesänge aus der Jugendzeit; Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen –
Christa Ludwig (mez); Walter Berry, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (bars); Leonard Bernstein (piano)
(two discs, 126 minutes: ADD). Texts and translations included.
Classical | 2 CD | EAC Rip | 476 MB | FLAC+LOG+M3U | No Cue | Full scans | 3 RS links
Publisher: Sony Classical

There are compelling reasons for acquiring this collection of recordings made in Vienna and New York in 1968. First, there is the intensely characterful singing of Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and of Christa Ludwig, one of the great Mahler interpreters. Then there is the double fascination of hearing the songs with piano accompaniment played by Leonard Bernstein, who at that time was very much into enacting the role of Mahler's self-appointed representative on earth.
Richard Osborne; Gramphone, March 1992.