Tennstedt or Chailly for Mahler's 8th?
Tue, Jul 17 2012, 11:24PM
#2
RE: Tennstedt or Chailly for Mahler's 8th?
If you want someone who leads you by the hand through Mahler then Lenny is your man, when it says drums he gives you loud drums, when it says violin he gives you smaltzy violin, when it says ppp he makes sure you can hear Lenny breathing and when it says 'end of recording session' he'll make sure you get photo shoot and magazine article. Listening to Lenny with mahler is like listening to a BBC court reporter talk about the Queen, 'doesn't she look radiant, and look at her waving, see the joy on her face, and now she walks among the crowd', OK if we are talking about a 3 year old but an adult. And now Lenny gets the violins to play really loudly, you can almost see the joy in Mahlers face.
Wed, Jul 18 2012, 2:33PM
#3
RE: Tennstedt or Chailly for Mahler's 8th?
Back to Bernstein's 8th, though -- I've read some gripes about the sound quality. Any reactions to that?
The overall sound is flatter/closer-miked than say Solti but I find it satisfying enough. The soloists are not as spotlit as on Solti's recording though. It's certainly sufficiently spectacular when it needs to be e.g. at the end when the organ enters. I find the sound far preferable to say the Sony Bernstein LSO Mahler 2 from Ely Cathedral which is a terribly murky mess. I have this Mahler 8 recording on the original lps (which always sounded fine to me at the time), the mid 80s CD release (which exaggerates the faults in the recording), and a more recent Japanese SACD release in which they have done a reasonably good job in minimising the faults (as heard in the CD-layer of the SACD). I haven't heard the 1990s Bernstein Century/Royal Editions, but I would guess they would be OK too.
Ted
Fri, Jul 20 2012, 9:57PM
#4
RE: Tennstedt or Chailly for Mahler's 8th?
Thanks, TedR. I think I'm going to go ahead and get it.
Mon, Jul 23 2012, 6:45AM
#5
RE: Tennstedt or Chailly for Mahler's 8th?
I like Tennstedt's studio cycle but 8 was one of the low points - he seems to busk his way through, having no sense of the work's structure. I haven't heard Chailly but imagine it to be well-recorded but dull, as usual. Bernstein holds no interest for me, as he is either dull or egomaniacal.
The performance I reach for is Bertini (I think it's only in the boxset), but Sinopoli is on my wishlist.
Tue, Jul 24 2012, 7:30PM
#6
RE: Tennstedt or Chailly for Mahler's 8th?
I like Tennstedt's studio cycle but 8 was one of the low points - he seems to busk his way through, having no sense of the work's structure. I haven't heard Chailly but imagine it to be well-recorded but dull, as usual. Bernstein holds no interest for me, as he is either dull or egomaniacal.
The performance I reach for is Bertini (I think it's only in the boxset), but Sinopoli is on my wishlist.
Thanks. I've listened to the Bernstein/LSO once and was somewhat disappointed by the sound quality, althouth the performance seems good to me. I haven't seen Bertini outside the box -- David Hurwitz lists his as a "reference recording," along with Tennstedt, Bernstein and Gielen. I admit to being tempted again by the Tennstedt samples.
Wed, Jul 25 2012, 9:37AM
#7
RE: Tennstedt or Chailly for Mahler's 8th?
The Bertini was briefly available separately. There are copies available on Amazon UK but they are currently more than twice as expensive as buying the entire boxset.
Ted
More great commentary; many thanks! I'm just about ready to order the Bernstein/LSO version. I recognize that Lenny can overdo it, but I think that's more the case in his later, Vienna Phil. years. I have his (NYP) rendition of the 3rd from 1961, and it sounds uncluttered and Mahlerian enough for my taste. Come to think of it, I do have one of his Vienna Mahler recordings: the 6th. The work itself is so over-the-top that I don't mind the liberties there (mostly tempo exaggerations in the Scherzo) -- and he does let the scoring show through with remarkable clarity. Back to Bernstein's 8th, though -- I've read some gripes about the sound quality. Any reactions to that?
You are a delightful and knowledgeable bunch to have these discussions with. Thanks again for all your contributions.