Classical Court From Perotin to Prokofiev (and beyond), performed by Caruso to Khatia, it's all here.

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On hearing Mahler 1 for the first time...

149.173.31.20

Posted by The Real Dave on May 1, 2000 at 05:07:49

At least, that's what it felt like.

I've never been a big fan of this symphony. I've always thought it was nice, and showed the promise of what Mahler was going to do, but it always seemed to me that it was a learning experience for Mahler. The orchestration in particular was never in that kaleidoscopic technicolor that I associate with Mahler's music, and some sections just sounded a bit too much like pastiche.

Of course, that opinion was formed before I heard BRUNO!!! conducting the work. It's almost as if he heard Mahler himself conduct the work (Oh yeah, that's right. He probably DID!).

What a difference. I had to listen to this piece twice in a row. Never before had this symphony given me those tears in the eyes and goosebumps at the end. Bruno thought this symphony was a masterpiece crafted by his mentor, and his affection for both the piece and its creator, recorded in the final year of Walter's life, shows in every single note. The phrasing ... the attention to detail ... the balance abd clarity. I had to follow along with my score on the second hearing, and Bruno made it so easy. Without fail, when I looked at the score for a particular voice to appear, it was there. I mean, even the harpists could count rhythms! And the fidelity on this Sony remix is phenomenal (of course, we're dealing with an audiophile recording from 1961). I'm quickly growing to, if not like, at least not despise the Columbia Symphony. While not an orchestra with the concert history of, say, a certain Dutch orchestra, they did get together regularly in the studio to make some great recordings with some of the world's finest conductors.

This is in contrast to the NY Phil, which performs Mahler's 2nd in this same set. This is the recording I grew up on (although the LP seems to have left my collection - probably "borrowed" by an old grad school acquaintance), so I was expecting Walter's brilliance. Being one of the first stereo recordings (dating from Feb, 1958) the sound is a bit dry, and the NY Phil suffers from more intonation problems than the Columbia Symphony. But still, this is probably the best modern recording of this piece available. In spite of what Rob says, Maureen Forrester's voice is stunningly beautiful in the 4th movement, and Emilia Cundari's soprano carries through the entire orchestra at the climax of the finale.

While I had thought that Mahler's 1st was a "learning work", I thought that the Lieder Eines Fahrenden Gesellen were just sketches for that work that CD's included as filler. That may be because my previous recordings of the work are by Masur and Haitink, but I digress. Even though they're sung by a GIRL! on this recording, they are magical. Bruno can make music of anything, and he certainly has something to work with here.

Even more evidence that BRUNO ROOLZ!!! And, if you're still no convinced, look at his output of stereo recordings in the last 5 years of his life (when he was over 80 years old). Most of these have been remastered with great results by Sony, and all that I've heard (either on CD or vinyl) are among the best performances available.

Sony Classics - #64447

Edits: 80/52/01

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