Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 10 in F sharp major, ed. Deryck Cooke, Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Riccardo Chailly / Das Lied von der Erde - Brigitte Fassbaender, Francisco Araiza, Berliner Philharmoniker, Carlo Maria Giulini / Das klagende Lied - Susan Dunn, Brigitte Fassbaender, Werner Hollweg & Andreas Schmidt, Musikverein, Dusseldorf & Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Riccardo Chailly / Des Knaben Wunderhorn (12 songs, complete) - Anne Sofie von Otter, Ileana Cotrubas & Christa Ludwig, Berliner Philharmoniker & Wiener Staatsopernchor & Wiener Philharmoniker, Zubin Mehta & Claudio Abbado / Blumine (original 2nd movement of Symphony No. 1) - Boston Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa / Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (4 songs, complete) - Thomas Hampson, Wiener Philharmoniker, Leonard Bernstein / Kindertotenlieder - Thomas Hampson, Wiener Philharmoniker, Leonard Bernstein / Rückert-Lieder (5 songs, complete) - Thomas Hampson, Wiener Philharmoniker, Leonard Bernstein / Frühlingsmorgen (Lieder und Gesänge aus der Jugendzeit) - Orchestration: Harold Byrns, Bernd Weikl, Philharmonia Orchestra, Giuseppe Sinopoli / Erinnerung (Lieder und Gesänge aus der Jugendzeit) - Anne Sofie von Otter & Ralf Gothoni / Hans und Grete (Lieder und Gesänge aus der Jugendzeit) - Arrangements for Orchestra by Luciano Berio, Thomas Hampson, Philharmonia Orchestra, Luciano Berio /
Serenade aus Don Juan (Lieder und Gesänge aus der Jugendzeit) - Anne Sofie von Otter & Ralf Gothoni / Phantasie aus Don Juan (Lieder und Gesänge aus der Jugendzeit) - Anne Sofie von Otter & Ralf Gothoni / Drei frühe Lieder for tenor & piano - Thomas Hampson & David Lutz / Piano Quartet (in one movement) in A minor - Gidon Kremer, Veronika Hagen, Clemens Hagen & Oleg Maisenberg / Symphony No. 1 in D major 'Titan' - Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Rafael Kubelik / Symphony No. 2 in C minor 'Resurrection' - Ileana Cotrubas (soprano), Christa Ludwig (mezzo)
Wiener Philharmoniker, Wiener Staatsopernchor, Zubin Mehta / Symphony No. 3 in D minor - Maureen Forrester (contralto)
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Boys' Choir of the St. Willisbrorduskerk in Rotterdam, Women's Chorus Of The Netherlands Radio, Bernard Haitink / Symphony No. 4 in G major - William Preucil (violin), Juliane Banse (soprano)
The Cleveland Orchestra, Pierre Boulez / Totenfeier - Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Pierre Boulez / Symphony No. 5 in C sharp minor - Friedrich Pfeiffer (horn obbligato), Wiener Philharmoniker, Leonard Bernstein / Symphony No. 6 in A minor 'Tragic' - Berliner Philharmoniker, Claudio Abbado / Symphony No. 7 in E minor - Philharmonia Orchestra, Giuseppe Sinopoli / Symphony No. 8 in E flat major 'Symphony of the Thousand' - Heather Harper, Lucia Popp, Arleen Augér, Yvonne Minton, Helen Watts, René Kollo, John Shirley-Quirk, Martti Talvela
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Wiener Singverein, Wiener Staatsopernchor, Wiener Sängerknaben, Georg Solti / Symphony No. 9 in D major - Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan Weber: Die Drei Pintos: Entr'acte - completed by Gustav Mahler, Russian National Orchestra, Mikhail Pletnev
Wholenote Discoveries - July 2010
These 18 CDs contain every published note; the symphonies and song cycles, plus the Klavierquartettsatz from 1876. Rather than offering the symphonies by one conductor in one of the many complete cycles from the DG, Decca, and Philips, Alan Newcombe, the editor of this edition selected 10 different conductors in performances that best served the composer. Most of us will have preferred versions, but each of the performances selected here has solid strengths. I had lost sight of what a marvellous Mahler conductor Raphael Kubelik was but his performance of the First with The Bavarian Rundfunks is both lyrical and dynamic. Mehta with the Vienna Philharmonic take the Second with Ileana Cotrubas and Christa Ludwig. Haitink’s 1966 recording of the Third with the Concertgebouw and Maureen Forrester remains, for many, a performance of choice. The sensitivity of the Boulez Fourth from Cleveland was unexpected while Bernstein’s Vienna Fifth has not lost its impact. The Sixth with Abbado and the Berlin Philharmonic from 2006 may be considered definitive. The Seventh is from 1994 with Sinopoli and The Philharmonia and Solti’s justly lauded performance of the Eighth from 1971 with the Chicago Symphony recorded in Vienna’s Sofiensaal still packs a mighty wallop. As it should, with The Vienna State Opera Choir, The Vienna Singverein, The Vienna Sangerknaben and eight supreme soloists recorded by Decca’s now legendary recording team headed by Kenneth Wilkinson. The Ninth here is the second Karajan, recorded live at his request in 1982. The final Deryck Cooke realization of The Tenth is conducted by Ricardo Chailly with The Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra. Blumine, the original second movement of the First Symphony is handled by Ozawa and The Boston Symphony while the interesting curiosity Totenfeier, which was reworked to become the first movement of the Second Symphony, is played by Boulez and the Chicago Symphony. Das Lied von der Erde played by Giulini with The Berlin Philharmonic, Brigitte Fassbaender and Francisco Araiza, is a worthy contender in the Das Lied sweepstakes. Of the song cycles, Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, Kindertotenlieder, and the Rückert-Lieder enjoy outstanding interpretations by Thomas Hampson accompanied by Leonard Bernstein and the Vienna Philharmonic. Das klagende Lied was recorded by Riccardo Chailly conducting the Berlin Radio Symphony, the Dusseldorf Musikverein and five of the best solo voices of the day (1989). The startling originality of this early work is vividly conveyed both in performance and recording. Das Knaben Wunderhorn is performed to perfection by Anne Sofie von Otter and Thomas Quasthoff with Abbado and the Berlin Philharmonic. The 17 Lieder und Gesänge aus der Jungendzeit is entrusted to three artists, Bernd Weikl, Anne Sofie von Otter and Thomas Hampson. The Piano Quartet movement is played by Oleg Maisenberg, Gidon Kremer and Veronika and Clemens Hagen. Finally, Mikhail Pletnev and the Russian National Orchestra play the Entr’acte from Die drei Pintos, Weber’s unfinished opera that Mahler completed and orchestrated from the composer’s sketches. A nice touch. All together a very impressive package in every respect... doubly so as the price for the package is what one would have paid for a just few of the symphonies not so long ago! Unfortunately there are no translations of the texts included but they can be readily downloaded. Bruce Surtees
For Mahler fans and collectors alike, this set is a must-have item! All the Lieder, Symphonies, and overlooked pieces; they are all here. In an interesting twist, the cycle of symphonies are performed each by a different conductor and orchestra. Also, the old standards in the lieder recordings are joined by fresh new ones, including Thomas Hampson's 'Kindertotenlieder' with Leonard Bernstein, and 'Des Knaben Wunderhorn' with Anne Sophie von Otter, Thomas Quasthoff, and Claudio Abbado. The set certainly has great value containing 18 CDs, most of which were individuals in the $18 to $20 range. Celebrate the Mahler 150th Anniversary in style!
The Decca / Deutsche Grammophon catalogue of Mahler recordings is unsurpassable. Our major contribution to the celebrations this year will be the first-ever Mahler Complete Edition, a combined effort of Decca and Deutsche Grammophon recordings as an 18-CD superbudget box, with the ten symphonies, Das Lied von der Erde, Das klagende Lied, the song cycles, the Knaben Wunderhorn songs and early works — in benchmark recordings by a great assembly of Mahler conductors, singers and orchestras.
Each Symphony gets a different conductor, and the list is awesome: Abbado (no. 6), Bernstein (no. 5), Boulez (no. 4), Chailly (no. 10), Giulini (Das Lied), Haitink (no. 3), Karajan (no. 9), Kubelik (no. 1), Mehta (no. 2), Sinopoli (no. 7), Solti (no. 8)
The orchestras are the finest in the world: Berliner Philharmoniker, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestrea, Philharmonia Orchestra, Wiener Philharmoniker
Singers featured include Thomas Hampson (song-cycles, with Bernstein), Anne Sofie von Otter and Thomas Quasthoff (their Grammy-winning Knaben Wunderhorn lieder, with Abbado), Ileana Cotrubas and Christa Ludwig in the Resurrection Symphony, Maureen Forrester in the Third, Juliane Banse in the Fourth, Francisco Araiza and Brigitte Fassbaender in Das Lied von der Erde , and a starry array in no. 8)
In addition, rarities like Das klagende Lied, rejected movements from the First and Second Symphonies, Mahler’s early songs and chamber music are included in the Edition
PACKAGING: classic capbox, booklet includes a newly commissioned article by Christian Wildhagen and full tracklist
This set is a LIMITED EDITION one-time pressing.
