Re: Re: Mahler Symphonies.


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Posted by Dave on July 20, 1999 at 07:50:48:

In Reply to: Re: Mahler Symphonies. posted by Art on July 19, 1999 at 23:40:00:

As much as I enjoy all of Mahler's symphonies, I have to admit he could have used a good editor now and then. I do have an attention span long enough to enjoy his works, but sometimes he can go overboard with his redundancy.

Mahler's 4th seems to be left conspicuously off all the lists mentioned and it, in my opinion, is his most musical, and strangely enough, his most economical. He approaches the simplistic beauty of Brahms in his 4th. There is no tuba part, so maybe that's why it hasn't been mentioned. A good recording is Bernstein/Concertgebouw on Deutsche Grammophone.

I have to gently disagree with Art about european Mahler interpretations. In my younger days when all I listened to was the CSO (there are worse orchestras to be attached to!), I felt they were the quintissential voice of Mahler until I realized what I was really enjoying, in general, was the brass playing (I fought with a college classmate all the time about his attachment to Vienna, which in retrospect, probably produced more balanced Mahler interpretations). I know I'll be shot in the back of the head for this one, but the CSO brass section under Solti was just too loud. Maybe it was London's recording philosophy, but at times is was borderline crass. I hoarded my Mahler/CSO/Solti cycle and dared not branch out. The Mahler 4 recording mentioned earlier changed all that and now I own a more representative library.

I try to base my judgement of recordings and interpretations nowadays on the entire package. I still have those CSO gems that are at the top of the list on many pieces but my collection is littered now with other orchestras from other countries and I feel all the more enriched.

Sorry for the rant... just something I feel passionately about.


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