Six symphony cycles to mark Mahler's centenary
Thu 19th May 2011
Mahler symphonies for all tastes
Gustav Mahler - we mark his anniversary (Photo: Tully Potter)
May 18 marks the centenary of the death, in Vienna, of Gustav Mahler. Few composers enjoy his popularity, a popularity that has grown enormously during the past half century. Once conductors aspired to record a Beethoven symphony cycles, these days a Mahler cycle is more sought after. As an anniversary gesture, we offer a number of different symphony cycles – The Gramophone Mahler cycle, A cycle by living conductors, A live Mahler cycle, A not-the-obvious cycle, A historic cycle (featuring conductors who knew and worked with Mahler) and a DVD Mahler cycle.
But Mahler is a composer who draws strong reactions, and we'd like your thoughts and recommendations to supplement ours, so please do add your Mahler favourites (and dislikes) in the Forum thread we've started…
The Gramophone Mahler cycle
A cycle that draws on Gramophone’s current recommendations and The Gramophone Classical Music Guide, mindful of Gramophone Award winners (though we have replaced the studio/EMI Tennstedt Eighth with the recently released live recording from LPO, and the CBSO Rattle Mahler Second with the live BPO re-make).
No 1 – BRSO / Rafael Kubelík (DG) Buy from Amazon
No 2 – Royal; Kozená; Berlin Radio Chorus; BPO / Sir Simon Rattle (EMI) Buy from Amazon
No 3 – Lipton; Schola Cantorum; Choir of the Transfiguration; NYPO / Leonard Bernstein (Sony Classical) Buy from Amazon
No 4 – Battle; VPO / Lorin Maazel (Sony Classical) Buy from Amazon
No 5 – Philharmonia / Sir John Barbirolli (EMI) Buy from Amazon
No 6 – BPO / Claudio Abbado (DG) – Gramophone Award winner – Buy from Amazon
No 7 – BPO / Claudio Abbado (DG) Buy from Amazon
No 8 – Varady; Eaglen; Bullock; Schmidt; Rappé; Riegel; Schulte; Sotin; Eton College Boys’ Choir; London Symphony Chorus; LPO & Choir / Klaus Tennstedt (LPO) Buy from Amazon
No 9 – BPO / Herbert von Karajan (DG) – Gramophone Award winner – Buy from Amazon
No 10 – BPO / Sir Simon Rattle (EMI) – Gramophone Award winner – Buy from Amazon
